有一位中国的MBA留学生，在纽约华尔街附近的一间餐馆打工。一天，他雄心勃勃地对着餐馆大厨说：“你等着看吧，我总有一天会打进华尔街的。”
大厨好奇地问道：“年轻人，你毕业后有什么打算呢？”
MBA很流利地回答:“我希望学业一完成，最好马上进入一流的跨国企业工作，不但收入丰厚，而且前途无量。”
大厨摇摇头：“我不是问你的前途，我是问你将来的工作兴趣和人生兴趣。”
MBA一时无语。
显然他不懂大厨的意思。
大厨却长叹道：“如果经济继续低迷下去，餐馆不景气，那我就只好去做银行家了。”
MBA惊得目瞪口呆，几乎疑心自己的耳朵出了毛病，眼前这个一身油烟味的厨子，怎么会跟银行家沾得上边呢？
大厨对呆鹅般的MBA解释：“我以前就在华尔街的一家银行上班，天天披星戴月，早出晚归，没有半点自己的业余生活。我一直都很喜欢烹饪，家人朋友也都很 赞赏我的厨艺，每次看到他们津津有味地品尝我烧的菜，我就高兴得心花怒放。有一天，我在写字楼里忙到凌晨一点钟才结束了例行公务，当我啃着令人生厌的汉堡 包充饥时，我下定决心要辞职，摆脱这种工作机器般的刻板生活，选择我热爱的烹饪为职业，现在我生活得比以前要愉快百倍。”
这样的事例， 对于中国人来说是不可思议的。因为，中国人在选择职业时，第一看体面，第二看收入，两者兼得，就足以在人前人后风光炫耀了。成败荣辱，全都摆在面子上，而 面子是要人捧的，无人喝彩，就如同锦衣夜行般无趣。可对于西方人来说，无论从事任何职业都没有高低贵贱之分，他们更注重的是对事业的兴趣，而且，自我价值 的实现，成功与否的体现，不必通过与别人比较来证实，更不需要别人肯定来满足。
淡泊的人生是一种享受，一个完美的人生，不见得要赚很多的钱，也不见得要有很了不起的成就，在一份简朴平淡的生活中，活得快乐而自我，也是一种上乘的人生境界。
相关日志
相关日志
译文:
Living happily is an optimum and premium lifestyle.
An MBA student from China worked part-time in a restaurant near the Wall Street in New York, USA. One day, this Chinese guy said to the chef in an ambitious way, "You wait and see, I must work in the Wall Steet one day in the future."
The chef asked curiously, "Young man, what do you intend to do after graduation?"
The student answered fluently, "I hope I can immediately work in a first-rate multinational enterprise . Not only because of the high salary, but also because of the promising prospect."
The chef shaked his head and said, "I didn't ask about your prospect, I asked what kind of work and lifestyle in the future are you interested in."
The student was suddenly at a loss for words.
Apparently he didn't understand what the chef meant.
The chef sighed deeply and said, "If the economy keeps weak, this restaurant's business will be slack, then I can only quit and become a banker."
The student was wide-eyed and dumbfounded, he almost suspected there was something wrong with his ears. How could the cook strongly smelling of oil and smoke in front of his eyes become a banker?
The chef explained to the stunned student, "In the past, I ever worked with a bank in the Wall Street. Every day I worked for a long time, left home early and went home at night. I didn't have any private life outside working hours. I liked cookery all along, my family and friends also had a high opinion on my cooking skill. Each time when I saw that they enjoyed very much the tasty food prepared by me, I was very delighted too. One day, I was busy working in my office, I hadn't finished my daily tasks until 1 a.m.. When I was hungrily chewing the unenjoyable hamburger after work, I decided to resign, extricate myself from such mechanical work, get out of this rut, and choose cookery as my profession. Now I live a hundred times more happily than I did in the past."
The above case is incredible as far as Chinese people are concerned. It is because when they choose jobs, they firstly consider whether the jobs are honourable, secondly consider whether the salaries are attractive. If a job is both honourable and high-salaried, then s/he can show it off in front of others, win their admiration and earn a reputation. Success, failure, glory and shame will affect one's reputation. However, one's reputation is given by others. If nobody cheers and praises, s/he won't be satisfied. It is similar to a beautifully clad person walking alone in the street at dead of night, s/he won't be satisfied because nobody sees and praises the beautiful clothes. But as far as the westerners (Americans and Europeans) are concerned, any jobs are respectable and low-ranking jobs shouldn't be belittled. In fact, they attach more importance to whether they are interested in the jobs. Moreover, whether one's own worth is proved and whether one has made achievement are not determined by comparison with others. And their job satisfactions needn't be gotten from others' affirmation and admiration.
A simple life without much wealth and high reputation is enjoyable. A perfect life necessitates neither earning much money nor making great achievements. In a simple unevenful life, living happily in one's own way is also an optimum and premium lifestyle.
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