For his honesty and trustworthiness, Mexican President Vicente Fox, was respected by the people. The principle he conducted himself all his life was honesty. It was the personality that made him a country"s president from an ordinary salesman.
Once, Fox was invited to a university to give a lecture. A student asked him, "The political arena is always filled with fraud. In your experience in politics have you lied?"
Fox said, "No, never."
The students whispered among themselves and some of them were chuckling because every politician always expresses himself. They always vow, saying he has never lied.
Fox wasn"t angry. He said to the college students, "Boys and girls, in this society, perhaps it is very hard to prove that I"m an honest man, but you should believe that, in this world there"s honesty, which is always around us. I want to tell you a story. Perhaps after hearing it, you will forget it, but this story means a lot to me.
"There was a father who was a farmer. One day, he felt the pavilion in the garden was too worn-down, so he had it dismantled. His son was so interested in dismantling the pavilion that he said to his father, ‘Daddy, I want to see how you have the pavilion dismantled, so can you have it dismantled until I come back from the boarding school to take a vacation?’
His father agreed.
However, after the boy left, the workers quickly dismantled the pavilion.
After the boy returned from school, he found the old pavilion had disappeared. He said in low spirits to his father, ‘Dad, you told me a lie.’
His father looked at the boy in surprise. The boy went on, ‘You said the old pavilion would be dismantled until I came back.’ His father said, ‘My boy, I"m wrong, and I should keep my promise.’
The father called in the workers again and had them re-build a pavilion in the shape of the old one. After the pavilion made, he called in his son and said to the workers, ‘Now, please dismantle it.’
I know the father, he is not rich, but he was in front of the children to achieve their own commitments."
Hearing this, the students asked, "What"s the father"s name, please? We hope to know him."
Fox said, "He has died, but his son is still alive."
"Then, where"s his son? He should be an honest man."
Fox said calmly, "His son is now standing here. It"s me. I want to tell you is I"d like to treat this country and everyone of it like my father treating me."
A storm of applause thundered in the audience.
Dismantling and building a pavilion twice will not only satisfy a boy"s wish, but also the moral requirement of an adult"s self-improvement.
Dismantling a pavilion in the garden will build a pavilion in the heart of a boy. This pavilion is a faith--in trustworthiness.
墨西哥总统福克斯以诚实守信的品德而受到国人尊重,他一生做人的原则就是两个字:诚实。正是这样的人格品质,使他从一个普通推销员成为一个国家的总统。
一次,福克斯受邀到一所大学演讲,一个学生问他:“政坛历来充满欺诈,在你从政的经历中有没有撒过谎?”
福克斯说:“不,从来没有。”
大学生在下面窃窃私语,有的还轻声笑出来,因为每个政客都会这样表白。他们总是发誓,说自己从来没有撒谎。
福克斯并不气恼,他对大学生说:“孩子们,在这个社会上,也许我很难证明自己是个诚实的人,但你们应该相信,这个世界上还有诚实,它永远都在我们的周围。我想讲一个故事,也许你们听过就忘了,但这个故事对我却很有意义。
有一位父亲是个农场主。有一天,他觉得园中的那座亭子已经太破旧了,就安排工人们准备将它拆掉。他的儿子对拆亭子这件事很感兴趣,于是对父亲说:‘爸爸,我想看看你们怎么拆掉这座亭子,等我从寄宿学校放假回来再拆好吗?’
父亲答应了。
可是,等孩子走后,工人们很快就把亭子拆掉了。
孩子放假回来后,发现旧亭子已经不见了。他闷闷不乐地对父亲说:‘爸爸,你对我撒了谎。’
父亲惊异地看着孩子。孩子继续说:‘你说过的,那座旧亭子要等我回来再拆。’父亲说:‘孩子,爸爸错了,我应该兑现自己的诺言。’
这位父亲重新召来工人,让他们按照旧亭子的模样在原来的地方再造一座亭子。亭子造好后,他把孩子叫来,然后对工人们说:‘现在,请你们把它拆掉。’
“我认识这位父亲,他并不富有,但他却在孩子面前兑现了自己的承诺。”
学生们听后问道:“请问这位父亲叫什么名字?我们希望认识他。”
福克斯说:“他已经过世了,但他的儿子还活着。”
“那他的孩子在哪里?他应该是一位诚实的人。”
福克斯平静地说:“他的孩子现在就站在这里,就是我。我想告诉大家的是,我愿意像父亲对我一样对待这个国家,对待这个国家的每一个人。”
台下掌声雷动。
将一座亭子拆建两次,绝不仅仅为了满足一个孩子的愿望,更是一个成人自我完善的道德要求。
在园子里重新拆掉一座亭子,就在孩子的心里重建了一座亭子,这座亭子就是一个信念――对诚信的信念。
注释:
①pavilion n. 亭,阁
②trustworthiness n. 可信赖;确实性
③chuckle vi. 吃吃地笑
④dismantle vt. 拆除
⑤commitment n. 委托事项;许诺;
承担义务
⑥requirement n. 必需品;必要条件