给青少年的话

by Katherine Bindley

Whether you agree with the advice or not， some no-nonsense[严肃的] words directed at teenagers have drawn the attention of parents and youth alike after going viral[病毒的] on Facebook. Posts featuring a New Zealand school newsletter[时事通信] clipping[剪报] have well over 10，000 shares on Mix 96.7s page alone.

The advice came courtesy[礼貌，好意] of a principal[校长] named John Tapene， who was quoting a judge who regularly deals with youths. The judge was aiming to answer questions in the vein[血管] of，“What can I do and where can I go？”

The gist[主旨] of his answer？ Get out there and do something：

My answer is this： Go home， mow[割草] the lawn， wash the windows， learn to cook， build a raft[木筏]， get a job， visit the sick， study your lessons and after youve finished， read a book. Your town does not owe you recreational[娱乐的] facilities[设施] and your parents do not owe you fun.

The world does not owe you a living， you owe the world something. You owe it your time， energy and talent so that no one will be at war， in sickness and lonely again. In other words grow up， stop being a cry baby， get out of your dream world and develop a backbone[脊柱] not a wishbone[叉骨]. Start behaving like a responsible person. You are important and you are needed. I ts too late to sit around[无所事事] and wait for somebody to do something someday. Someday is now and that somebody is you！

Responses to the clip include enthusiastic[热情的] approval[赞成]， with people saying theyre going to print it out and post it on their refrigerator， as well as disproval， with others deeming[认为] it far too harsh and old-school[老派的] authoritarian[专制的]. （The latter could be the result of the line where the judge says stop being a cry baby and to develop a backbone instead of a wishbone.）

For those who are suggesting the advice is somewhat dated[过时的]， there might be a good explanation： If the Pierce County Tribune is correct， then these words actually date back to 1959.

According to a 2010 post on the newspapers website， staff members came across a clipping with a letter from Judge Phillip B. Gilliam of Denver， Colo.， published on Dec. 17th， 1959. The website seems to suggest that the letter originally appeared in the South Bend Tribune a few weeks earlier.

The full text of what may be the original letter can be found on the Pierce County Tribunes website and it ends with different words than those presently circulating[流通] on the web—ones that might cause more of a stir[轰动]：

Youre supposed to be mature[成熟的] enough to accept some of the responsibility your parents have carried for years.

They have nursed， protected， helped， appealed[投其所好]， begged， excused， tolerated[容忍] and denied themselves needed comforts so that you could have every benefit. This they have done gladly， for you are their dearest treasure.

But now， you have no right to expect them to bow[屈从] to every whim[奇想] and fancy just because selfish ego[自我] dominates[控制] you， instead of common sense.

Grow up and go home！

无论你是否赞同这些建议，针对青少年的严肃话语还是引起了家长和年轻人的注意，如病毒般在“脸谱”上迅速地传播开来。一份出现在新西兰某学校时事通讯报上的剪报在Mix 96.7广播电台的“脸谱”主页上已经有超过一万人分享了。

这些好心的建言来自一位名叫约翰·塔皮尼的校长，他引用了一位经常处理青少年事务的法官的话。法官的话旨在回答（青少年）一系列的问题——“我能做什么？我能去哪里？”

他的回答要旨是什么？就是大胆走出去，脚踏实地做事：

我的答案如下：回家，割草，擦洗窗户，学习烹饪，制作木筏，找工作，探望病弱，学习功课，完成（以上所有）之后，读一本书。你的家乡没有提供你娱乐设施的义务，你的父母也没有提供你乐趣的义务。

世界不欠你生活，而是你欠世界一些东西。你应该贡献出你的时间、精力和天赋。这样，没人要去打仗，没有人生病，也不再孤单。换句话说，长大吧，不要再作个哭哭啼啼的小孩，走出你的幻想世界，做个有担当的人，而不是只想着别人来帮你。开始像个负责任的人一样行事吧！你很重要；世界需要你。无所事事，等待某个人某一天来做什么，那就太晚了。某一天就是现在，那个某人就是你！

对这份简报的回应各有各样：有的热情地赞成，他们说要把它打印出来贴在冰箱上，也有反对的，认为这过于严苛，而且老派专制。（后者可能是针对法官的那句“不要再作个哭哭啼啼的小孩子，做个有担当的人，而不是只想着别人来帮你。”而说的。）

对于那些暗示这些建议多少有点过时的人来说，或许有一个很好的解释：如果《皮尔斯郡论坛报》是正确的话，那么这些建言事实上可以追溯到1959年。

根据该报网站上一篇2010年的文章，工作人员偶然发现了一份剪报，还有一封来自（美国）科罗拉多州丹佛市的法官菲利普·B.吉列姆的信，发表日期为1959年12月17日。网站似乎暗示，这封信几周前最初出现在《南本德论坛报》上。

原版信件的全文可以在《皮尔斯郡论坛报》的网站上找到，它的结尾处与目前在网上流传的有些不同——目前流传的版本可能会更轰动些：

你应该足够成熟，以承担起一些你的父母已经承担多年的责任。

他们养育你，保护你，帮助你，迎合你，恳求你，原谅你，容忍你，并且否认自己需要安慰，为的是让你可以得到一切益处。他们乐意这么做，因为你是他们最亲爱的宝贝。

但如今，你已经没有权利去期望他们会屈从于你的每一个奇思妙想，只因为这些想法出于自私的自我，而不是常识。

快点长大吧！回家吧！