晨读英语美文100篇 Passage 25. How to Be Ture to Yourself
 音频下载[点击右键另存为][00:00.54]Passage 25. How to Be Ture to Yourself[00:06.12]My grandparents believed you were either honest or you weren’t. [00:11.15]There was no in between. [00:13.23]They had a simple motto hanging on heir living-room wall: [00:16.40]“Life is like a field of newly fallen snow; [00:19.57]where I choose to walk every step will show.” [00:22.20]They didn’t have to talk about it—they demonstrated the motto by the way they lived. [00:27.67]They understood instinctively that integrity means [00:31.83]having a personal standard of morality and ethics [00:34.67]that does not sell out to selfishness and that is not relative to the situation at hand. [00:40.25]Integrity is an inner standard for judging your behavior. [00:43.86]Unfortunately,integrity is in short supply today—and getting scarcer. [00:48.90]But it is the real bottom line in every area of society. [00:52.73]And it is something we must demand of ourselves. [00:55.68]A good test for this value is to look at what I call the Integrity Trial, [01:00.71]which consists of three key principles: [01:03.23]Stand firmly for your convictions in the face of personal pressure. [01:07.49]When you know you’re right, you can’t back down. [01:10.45][01:07.49]Always give others credit that is rightfully theirs. [01:14.06]Don’t be afraid of those who might have a better idea [01:16.69]or who might even be smarter than you are. [01:19.09]Be honest and open about who you really are. [01:21.93]People who lack genuine core values rely on external factors [01:26.31]—their looks or status—in order to feel good about themselves. [01:30.04]Inevitably they will do everything they can to preserve this appearance, [01:34.42]but they will do very little, to develop their inner value and personal growth. [01:39.88]So be yourself. [01:41.09]Don’t engage in a personal cover-up of areas that are unpleasing in your life. [01:45.89]When it’s tough, do it tough. In other words, [01:49.40]face reality and be adult in your responses to life’s challenges. [01:53.34]Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity [01:58.37]and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others. [02:01.87]Integrity means you do what you do because it’s right [02:06.14]and not just fashionable or politically correct. [02:08.88]A life of principle, of not giving in to the seductive sirens of easy morality, [02:14.79]will always win the day. [02:16.32]It will take you forward into the 21st century [02:19.92]without having to check your tacks in a rearview mirror. [02:22.99]My grandparents taught me that. |
