第17节

 "What does that tell us?"

"刚才的想象说明了什么？"

"Denial," Nathan answered.

"我们都拒绝承认自己害怕改变。"内森回答。

"Sure," Michael admitted. "Sometimes we're not even aware that we're afraid. I know I wasn't. When I first heard the story, I loved the question:'What would you do if you weren't afraid?"'

"确实是这样，"迈克尔表示赞同，"有时候，连我们自己也没有意识到我们在害怕，或者说我们在努力想掩盖自己的恐惧。我知道我就是如此。当我第一次听到这个故事的时候，我就非常喜欢这句话，'当你无所畏惧时，你会怎样？'"

Then Jessica added, "Well, what I got from the story is that change is happening everywhere and that I will do better when I can adjust to it quickly."

杰西卡接口说，"我从这个故事中得到的启示是，变化无时无处不在发生，无论我们是害怕改变还是喜欢改变，但如果我们能尽快调整自己适应变化，我们应该可以做得更好。"

"I remember years ago when our company was selling our encyclopedia as a set of more than twenty books. One person tried to tell us that we should put our whole encyclopedia on a single computer disk and sell it for a fraction of the cost. It would be easier to update, would cost us so much less to manufacture, and so many more people could afford it. But we all resisted."

"我还记得几年前我们公司发生的事情。当时我们正在销售一套百科全书，全套书有二十多本。有个人想要说服我们，他告诉我们应该把整套百科全书做成一张计算机光盘，只卖现在的价格的零头。这样做，既可以及时更新，又可以使生产费用大为减少，而且将有更多的人买得起并可以使用上它。但是当时我们拒绝了这个建议。"

"Why did you resist?" Nathan asked.

"你们为什么要拒绝呢？"内森问道。

"Because, we believed then that the backbone of our business was our large sales force, who called on people door-to-door. Keeping our sales force depended on the big commissions they earned from the high price of our product. We had been doing this successfully for a long time and thought it would go on forever."

"因为当时我们确信，我们企业的主力，是我们挨家挨户地推销的庞大销售队伍，我们的高价产品使我们的销售人员可以获得高额佣金从而更加卖力气地工作。长期以来，我们一直都这样做并且做得很成功，我们都认为这种方式还会继续有效。"

Laura said, "Maybe that's what was meant in the story when it mentioned Hem and Haw's arrogance about success. They didn't notice they needed to change what had once been working."

劳拉说："也许这就是故事里所要表明的，哼哼和唧唧由于成功而形成的傲慢。他们从来没有想过，他们需要改变那些曾经是有效的东西。"

Nathan said, "So you thought your old Cheese was your only Cheese."

"这方法就是你们的奶酪！"内森说："并且你们认为这块旧奶酪是你们惟一的奶酪。'

"Yes, and we wanted to hang onto it. When I think back on what happened to us, I see that it's not just that they 'moved the Cheese' but that the 'Cheese' has a life of its own and eventually runs out.

"的确如此，我们甚至想依靠这种方法直到永远。" "当我回过头去想发生的事情时，我发现，奶酪不仅仅会被移走。奶酪也有自己的生命，终究有被吃完的一天。"

"Anyway, we didn't change. But a competitor did and our sales fell badly. We've been going through a difficult time. Now, another big technological change is happening in the industry and no one at the company seems to want to deal with it. It doesn't look good. I think I could be out of a job soon."

"结果怎么样呢？"劳拉问。"我们没有变。一个竞争者却做了改变，所以我们的生意一落千丈，一直到现在我们都很艰难。如今，在这个产业领域里技术上已经发生了很大的变化，但我们公司里却没有一个人想去应对这种变化。这看起来很不妙，我想我快要失业了。"

"It's MAZE time!" Carlos called out. Everyone laughed, including Jessica.

"这真是一个迷宫的时代！"卡洛斯忽然叫道。大家都笑了起来，杰西卡也笑了。

Carlos turned to Jessica and said, "It's good that you can laugh at yourself."

卡洛斯转向杰西卡说道："你已经可以坦然地嘲笑你自己了，这很好啊。"

Frank offered, "That's what I got out of the story. I tend to take myself too seriously. I noticed how Haw changed when he could finally laugh at himself and at what he was doing. No wonder he was called Haw."

弗兰克附和说："这也是我从故事中得到的体会，我们常常过于认真地看待自己。我注意到在故事里，当唧唧终于能够坦然嘲笑自己的错误的过去时，他得到了应对变化的方法。关键就在于要敢于否定自己，勇敢地嘲讽自己做的傻事，难怪他的名字要叫作唧唧。"

The group groaned at the obvious play on words.

大家都模仿这个词，发出哼哼唧唧的声音。

Angela asked, "Do you think that Hem ever changed and found New Cheese?"

安杰拉问大家："你们认为哼哼是否会改变，是否能够找到新的奶酪？"

Elaine said, "I think he did."

依莱恩说："我想他会的。"

"I don't," Cory said. "Some people never change and they pay a price for it. I see people like Hem in my medical practice. They feel entitled to their 'Cheese'. They feel like victims when it's taken away and blame others. They get sicker than people who let go and move on."

"我认为不会，"柯瑞说："有的人绝对不肯改变，并为此付出了代价。在我行医的时候，我见过像哼哼这样的人。他们觉得他们天生具备拥有自己的奶酪的资格和权力，当奶酪被拿走以后，他们觉得自己是受害者并为此而指责别人，抱怨能够抱怨的一切。他们比那些最终能够放开自己去行动的人要病得历害得多。"

Then Nathan said quietly, as though he was talking to himself, "I guess the question is, What do we need to let go of and what do we need to move on to?"'

这时，内森轻轻地、好像自言自语般地说道："我觉得，真正的问题是，'我们需要放弃什么，以及应该朝哪能里行动？'"