2006年NPR美国国家公共电台八月-The Tangible Benefits of Not Losing Hope

It's true that some people have more hurdles 1 in life than others. But commentator 2 Joseph C. Phillips says regardless of the trials and tribulations 3, one factor can improve the lives of all people – hope.

An 8th grade reading teacher recently told me that quite often she held out very little hope for young people today. We spoke 4 during a reception for the author Pearl Cleage. She sipped 6 her cosmopolitan 7 and shook her head sadly: "'These kids feel as if they are grown, they don't wanna listen and dare you to tell them anything,' she continued. 'They come into class and do hair, turn on their radios and will curse you out in a minute.''
As she took another sip 5 of her drink, the teacher lamented 9 that times have changed. 'I've been assaulted twice.' She said, 'One of the students currently in trouble for attacking my conversationalist is a girl with a particularly difficult family life. Her story is not new, her mother is a single parent with several children from different fathers and a history of mental health issues. As a result, this young girl often finds herself missing school to parent her younger siblings 10. While other children are exploring the newness of their teenage years, this girl has been handed responsibilities not of her making, and is no doubt, trying to cope as best she can with, it would appear, scarcely any help. It is little wonder that she snapped, the fact that this girl ended up in a hospital suffering high blood pressure and stress at the tender age of 13 may be a blessing 11 in disguise.
From the surface it would appear that without intervention 12 of some kind, a better life than the one she is living will be a long trek 13 along a difficult road indeed.'

Given the story, the educator told me her pessimism 14 is understandable. One can’t help but feel a sense of trepidation 15, given the deep singular focus and effort it will take for her 8th grade student to rise above her circumstances and build a life of significance. However, this stands in stark 16 contrast with the story of the educator’s daughter who accompanied her to the reception. Her daughter is a beautiful young woman entering her senior year in high school. Unlike the young student in her mother’s class, the doors to the world are wide-open to this young lady. And she was filled with enthusiasm. She will attend a major university, will meet new and exciting people, and barring some major distraction 17 will have every opportunity to achieve her dream of becoming a journalist. It would be difficult not to feel excited and optimistic about the future of this country when speaking to her.

Life sometimes deals us cards from the bottom of the deck. Indeed, for some it seems that cards are not dealt at all. And yet, regardless of the hand, we’re all expected to play as best we can. That’s life. And life is not fair. Some young girls break bread with famous authors while others are forced to raise their siblings while their mothers slip into madness. Yet, the difference between the two girls is more than circumstance. It is also, and I think more significantly, a difference in hope. Young people like this 8th grade girl must have faith that the hand of God will move in their lives. However, they also need hope in the form of human hands that will reach to offer them counsel and support.
Hope is a hand that will guide young people towards the doors of opportunity. Hope will not alleviate 18 the difficult work. Sweat and striving will always be necessary for success. Hope will, however, maintain a forward focus and will be the fuel that powers dreams. I share the teacher’s concern, but I do not share her pessimism. Experience has taught me that as a bit of native American wisdom teachers, all roads are good. Hope tells me this is true, even when the reality is that for some, the road is made through walking.

Joseph C. Phillips is an actor and columnist 19 living in Los Angeles.

【WORLD BANK】
lament 8
1
[intransitive and transitive] to express feelings of great sadness about something
The nation lamented the death of its great war leader.
2
[transitive]to express annoyance 20 or disappointment about something you think is unsatisfactory or unfair
lament that
He lamented that people had expected too much of him too soon.She lamented the fact that manufacturers did not produce small packs for single-person households.
lament the lack/absence/decline etc of something Steiner lamented the lack of public interest in the issue.
conversationalist
[countable]
someone who talks about intelligent, amusing, and interesting things
snap
[intransitive] to suddenly stop being able to control your anger, anxiety, or other feelings in a difficult situation
The stress began to get to her, and one morning she just snapped. Something inside him snapped and he hit her.
tender age
the time when you are young or do not have much experience
at the tender age of something
Nicholas was sent to boarding school at the tender age of seven.
a blessing in disguise
something that seems to be bad or unlucky at first, but which you later realize is good or lucky
break bread
Have a meal, eat. For example, It's hard to remain enemies when you've broken bread together. This term occurs in numerous places in the New Testament 21, where it sometimes means to share bread and other times to distribute food to others. In later usage it came to refer to the sacramental bread of Communion in Christian 22 services. The latter survives in the spiritual hymn 23, "Let Us Break Bread Together."
slip
[intransitive always + adverb/preposition]to gradually start being in a particular condition
slip into
He had begun to slip into debt.She slipped into unconsciousness and died the next day.
The project has slipped behind schedule.