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I'm very proud of all of you. You've all been so eager and willing to help and to cooperate with one another. That's the right spirit with which to begin your trip.
You're off to learn about nature. I hope you won't just admire the grand vistas and spectacular trees and animals. To experience nature you must learn to know it intimately. That takes patience and humility. I remember when I went on a backpacking trip into the wilderness area of the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, the outfitter of our group advised us to learn the names of all the wildflowers we saw. He said if we were to go to a party and found people there we'd never seen before, we would be sure to learn their names and something about them. It was the same when we went into the wilderness--we should learn the names and connections of everything we saw.
And not just in the wilderness either. One day I was watching the swallows flying back and forth to their nests under our eaves here in Beijing when I suddenly noticed they had red patches between their tails. I immediately looked them up in my bird book and discovered they were red-rumped swallows, a species I had never seen before. We shouldn't be content to say, \"Oh, those are swallows; those are sparrows. \" What kind of swallows; what kind of sparrows? We should honor them with the same individuality we want others to see in us.
So I hope you'll not just look through your binoculars at the far-distant objects, but turn them around and look through the other end at the tiny flowers and ferns at your feet. You'll be amazed at the intricate patterns, colors and shapes you'll see. Some are functional, to attract insects and such, but some we cannot explain other than as proof of the enormous diversity of our universe.
Be quiet and let nature come to you. Don't plod on unseeing, unaware. Nature has secrets, and so do you. Your own secrets may be unknown even to you. During your month together you'll learn from each other as well. It can be a harmonious and expansive experience in terms of human relationships just as it should be in terms of your finding your own place in the grand scheme of nature. Learn to appreciate one another and you'll learn to appreciate yourself.
You're young enough to retain a sense of wonder toward the world. Actually, we're all young enough, but sometimes we bury this sense of wonder under cares and concerns that we rather needlessly pursue. Wonder goes along with creativity and inspiration--without it we would have no great writers or artists and no great scientists. Nature not only fosters a sense of wonder, but confirms its truth and validity.
I could say much more, but I don't want to ramble on. My thoughts will be with you constantly, and I shall be anxious to hear all the details of your trip when you return, so keep a journal and keep your hearts open. The more you give during this perience, the more you'll receive.
--------Marcia Bliss Marks
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【译文】
我为你们感到骄傲。你们为了一个共同的目的，是如此自觉自愿地彼此合作，相互关心，而这正是此次远行所必备的精神。
你们向大自然学习，希望不只是看看奇花异草、珍禽异兽和美丽的风景，更重要的是体验大自然，感知大自然。这需要虚心、细心和耐心。记得我们背着背包，穿越在北卡罗来纳州的大雾山国家公园的时候，领队总是嘱咐我们要记住所有野花和各种植物动物的名字以及相关的知识，正如我们参加一次集会，总想多认识一些人，多知道一些有关的事情。
这种学习不仅仅限于野外，今年有一天，我在观察窗外燕子的时候，突然发现在它们的尾羽之间分布着红色的斑点，立即查阅鸟类图谱，才知道它们叫金腰燕，是我从未见过的品种。所以我们不应该只满足于知道“这是燕子，那是麻雀”，还应该知道是什么样的燕子，什么样的麻雀。我们希望别人理解我们各自的个性，我们也应该努力发现植物、动物的特点。所以，希望你们不仅仅从望远镜中搜索广阔的景色，还应该调过头来，好好观察一下脚边的小花小草，你们就会被生物多样性的类型、姿态和颜色所倾倒。这些千变万化，有些是功能性的，譬如为了吸引昆虫，还有许多我们不知道，无疑都是宇宙间丰富多彩的最好验证。
不要只是闷头赶路，对周围的事物视而不见，听而不闻；应该静下心，让大自然迎你而来。大自然有秘密，正如你们的心中也有秘密一样，甚至有时候连你自己的秘密你也不清楚。在你们共同相处的一个月中，你们将彼此学习。无论是处理人和人的关系，还是处理人和自然的关系，从寻求自身正确位置的角度来看，这都是一次极其难得的经历。你们首先要学会用欣赏的眼光去认识别人，然后才能正确地认识自己。
你们年轻人对世界总是充满着好奇心，其实，这种好奇心我们也有，但被不必要的凡夫俗事所掩盖了。这种对世界的好奇心，总是和灵感及创造力结伴而行的；没有这些，世界上就不会有伟大的作家、艺术家和科学家。大自然不仅为我们昭示着奇异，还蕴育着真理和力量。
还有许多的话想说，不罗嗦了。我的思想将一路上跟随着你们。盼望你们归来，焦急地等待了解你们这次旅行的所有细节。所以你们应该携带一个旅行日记本，在笔记中充分敞开你们的心扉。
在这次旅程中，你们付出的越多，得到的也越多。
------马霞 |
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发表于 2006-6-30 17:44:34
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发表于 2006-7-2 12:28:21
