..续本文上一页 them arc not only phony, but selfish and self-centered. To teach children to accord with courtesy as well as reason, we must start by educating them in ethics. The earlier ethical education begins, the better; what is more, parents and teachers have to be good role models.

　　记得有一部英国影片，描写的是在一所私立住宿高中，有位讲义气的学生，因带头反对校长对其室友的严苛态度，要被校方开除了。校长是人品高尚的绅士，以管教严格出名；不但学生敬畏他，老师也敬畏他。最后真相大白，原来是这位室友，无意中发现校长的隐私，受到校长的要胁；而校长为了掩饰自己的第一个错误，一错再错，造成很多悲剧。

　　I remember an English film in which the setting was a private boarding school. The protagonist was a righteous student who was going to be expelled, because he had led a protest against the principal for his harsh treatment of his roommate. The principal was a morally upright gentleman who was known for strictness. He was held in awe and respect by students and teachers alike. In the end, it turns out that the roommate had been threatened by the principal after he accidentally found out that the principal was having an affair. In order to cover up his first mistake, the principal made one mistake after another, leading to many tragedies.

　　先是那位懦弱的室友，不堪身心折磨而自杀；接着是一位老师辞职，因为他不愿像别的老师和学生一样，做伪证以嫁祸该学生；最后是无所适从的学生互打出手，造成学校被封锁。那学生在法庭朗读他自杀的室友的遗书时，所有的学生都哭了！遗书中有一句话：“我这么懦弱的人，一直茍且偷生，只因为我想维护我最敬爱的人。今天我勇敢地选择这样死去，实在是因为我破裂的偶像已不堪维持了！”

　　First the weak-willed roommate broke down under the pressure and committed suicide. Then one of the teachers resigned, because he refused to bear false witness against that student, the way the other teachers and students had done. Then the leaderless students started fighting among themselves, until the school finally had to be blockaded. When the student read the letter written by his dead roommate, all the students cried. One of the lines in the letter said, “ Being a weak person, I had continued living only because I wished to protect the person I respected the most. Today I have bravely chosen to die in this way, because my shattered idol is no longer worth protecting.”

　　父母师长们！如果我们希望教育子弟能诚乎其中，宜乎进退，就请以身作则，按着《弟子规》，先自我教育吧！

　　Fellow parents and teachers! If we wish to teach our children and students to be earnest and proper in their interactions with others, let us be good models for them. Let us first learn to follow the, “Rules for Being a Student.” ourselves.

《弟子规浅释 Standards for Students 第三章﹕悌 Chapter Three﹕ FRATERNITY - 8》全文阅读结束。