危险的英语
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2023年2月18日发(作者：)经典英语美文：冷漠的危险
经典英语美文:冷漠的危险
ThePerilofIndefference
ElieWiesel-April12,1999
HolocaustsurvivorandNobelLaureate,ElieWiesel,gavethis
impassionedspeechintheEastRoomoftheWhiteHouseon
April12,1999,aspartoftheongoingMillenniumLectureseries,
hostedbyPresidentBillClintonandFirstLadyHillaryRodham
Clinton.
ElieWiesel:
ent,n,membersofCongress,
AmbassadorHolbrooke,Excellencies,friends:Fifty-fouryears
agototheday,ayoungJewishboyfromasmalltowninthe
CarpathianMountainswokeup,notfarfromGoethe\"sbeloved
Weimar,
finallyfree,ghtthere
neverwouldbeagain.
LiberatedadayearlierbyAmericansoldiers,heremembers
nifhelivestobeaveryold
man,hewillalwaysbegratefultothemforthatrage,andalsofor
hedidnotunderstandtheirlanguage,
theireyestoldhimwhatheneededtoknow--thatthey,too,
wouldremember,andbearwitness.
Andnow,Istandbeforeyou,ent--Commander-
in-Chiefofthearmythatfreedme,andtensofthousandsof
others--andIamfilledwithaprofoundandabidinggratitude
totheAmericanpeople.
udeiswhatdefines
gratefultoyou,
n--forwhatyousaid,andforwhatyou
aredoingforchildrenintheworld,forthehomeless,forthe
victimsofinjustice,ank
allofyouforbeinghere.
Weareonthethresholdofanewcentury,anewmillennium.
Whatwillthelegacyofthisvanishingcenturybe?Howwillitbe
rememberedinthenewmillennium?Surelyitwillbejudged,and
judgedseverely,
failureshavecastadarkshadowoverhumanity:twoWorldWars,
countlesscivilwars,thesenselesschainofassassinations--
Gandhi,theKennedys,MartinLutherKing,Sadat,Rabin--
bloodbathsinCambodiaandNigeria,IndiaandPakistan,Ireland
andRwanda,EritreaandEthiopia,SarajevoandKosovo;the
,ona
differentlevel,ofcourse,
violence,somuchindifference.
Whatisindifference?Etymologically,thewordmeans\"no
difference.\"Astrangeandunnaturalstateinwhichthelinesblur
betweenlightanddarkness,duskanddawn,crimeand
punishment,crueltyandcompassion,goodandevil.
Whatareitscoursesandinescapableconsequences?Isita
philosophy?Isthereaphilosophyofindifferenceconceivable?
Canonepossiblyviewindifferenceasavirtue?Isitnecessaryat
timestopracticeitsimplytokeepone\"ssanity,livenormally,
enjoyafinemealandaglassofwine,astheworldaroundus
experiencesharrowingupheavals?
Ofcourse,indifferencecanbetempting--morethanthat,
mucheasiertoavoidsuchrudeinterruptionstoourwork,our
dreams,,afterall,awkward,troublesome,tobe
involvedinanotherperson\",fortheperson
whoisindifferent,hisorherneighborareofnoconsequence.
And,therefore,iddenoreven
erencereducestheotherto
anabstraction.
Overthere,behindtheblackgatesofAuschwitz,themost
tragicofallprisonerswerethe\"Muselmanner,\"astheywere
dintheirtornblankets,theywouldsitorlieonthe
ground,staringvacantlyintospace,unawareofwhoorwhere
theywere,longerfelt
pain,hunger,
weredeadanddidnotknowit.
Rootedinourtradition,someofusfeltthattobeabandoned
thattobe
abandonedbyGodwasworsethantobepunishedbyHim.
obeignored
byGodwasaharsherpunishmentthantobeavictimofHisanger.
herever
suffering?Eveninsuffering.
Inaway,tobeindifferenttothatsufferingiswhatmakesthe
erence,afterall,ismoredangerous
tes
agreatpoem,agreatsymphony,onedoessomethingspecialfor
thesakeofhumanitybecauseoneisangryattheinjusticethat
tredat
erenceisnota
response.
Indifferenceisnotabeginning,,therefore,
indifferenceisalwaysthefriendoftheenemy,foritbenefitsthe
aggressor--neverhisvictim,whosepainismagnifiedwhenhe
iticalprisonerinhiscell,thehungry
children,thehomelessrefugees--nottorespondtotheirplight,
nottorelievetheirsolitudebyofferingthemasparkofhopeis
enyingtheir
humanitywebetrayourown.