He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could tell by the clarity of his father’s voice that the decision was not 1negotiable. He slowly worked the hook out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the black water.
The creature 1swished its powerful body and disappeared. The boy suspected that he would never again see such a great fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect in New York City. His father’s cabin is still there on the island in the middle of the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing from the same dock.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a magnificent fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see that same fish-again and again-every time he comes up against a question of 1ethics.
For, as his father taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult. Do we do right when no one is looking? Do we refuse to 1cut corners to get the design in on time? Or refuse to trade stocks based on information that we know we aren’t supposed to have?
We would if we were taught to put the fish back when we were young. For we would have learned the truth. The decision to do right lives fresh and fragrant in our memory. It is a story we will proudly tell our friends and grandchildren. Not about how we had a chance to beat the system and took it, but about how we did the right thing and were forever 1strengthened.
他11岁那时，只要一有机会，就会到他家在新汉普郡湖心岛上的小屋的码头上钓鱼。
鲈鱼季节开放的前一天晚上，他和父亲早早开始垂钓，用小虫作饵钓太阳鱼和鲈鱼。他系上鱼饵，练习如何抛线。鱼钩击在水面，在夕阳中漾起一片金色的涟漪，夜晚月亮升出湖面时，涟漪就成了银色。
当鱼杆向下弯的时候，他知道线的另一端一定钓到了一条大鱼。父亲看着他技巧纯熟地在码头边沿和鱼周旋，眼神充满赞赏。
最后他小心翼翼地将筋疲力尽的鱼提出水面。这是他所见过的最大的一条，还是一条鲈鱼。
男孩和他父亲看着这条漂亮的鱼，它的鱼鳃在月光下一张一翕。父亲点燃一根火柴，看了看表。十点了——离开禁还有两个小时。他看了看鱼，又看了看男孩。
“你得把它放回去，孩子。”他说道。
“爸爸！”男孩叫道。
“还有其他的鱼嘛。”父亲说道。
“但没这么大！”男孩叫道。
他环视了一遍湖。月光下附近没有其他的渔民或船只。他又看了看他父亲。从父亲不可动摇的语气中，他知道这个决定没有商量余地，即使没有人看到他们，更无从得知他们何时钓到了鱼。他慢慢地将鱼钩从大鲈鱼的唇上取下，然后蹲下将鱼放回水中。
鱼儿摆动着它强健的身躯，消失在水中。男孩想，他可能再也看不到这么大的鱼了。
那是34年前的事了。现在，男孩是纽约的一个成功的建筑师。他父亲的小屋依然在湖心岛上，他带着自己的儿女仍然在同一个码头上钓鱼。
他猜得没错。自那次以后，他再也没有见过那么大的鱼了。但每次他面临道德难题而举棋不定的时候，他的眼前总是浮现出那条鱼。
他父亲曾告诉他，道德即是简单的对和错的问题，但要付诸行动却很难。在没人瞧见的时候，我们是否仍始终如一，一丝不苟？为了将图纸及时送到，我们是不是也会抄近路？或者在明知道不可以的情况下，仍将公司股份卖掉？
在我们还小的时候，如果有人要我们把鱼放回去，我们会这样做，因为我们还在学习真理。正确的决定在我们的记忆里变得深刻而清晰。这个故事我们可以骄傲地讲给朋友和子孙们听，不是关于如何攻击和战胜某种体制，而是如何做正确的决定，从而变得无比坚强。
The Smile微笑
I was sure that I was to be killed. I became terribly nervous. I fumbled in my pockets to see if there were any cigarettes， which had escapedtheir search. I found one and because of my shaking hands， I could barely get it to my lips. But I had no matches，they had taken those.
I looked through the bars at my jailer. He did not make eye contact with me. I called out to him ＂Have you got a light？＂He looked at me， shrugged and came over to light my cigarette.
As he came close and lit the match， his eyes inadvertently locked with mine. At that moment， I smiled. I don't know why I did that. Perhaps it was nervousness，perhaps it was because， when you get very close， one to another， it is very hard not to smile. In any case， I smiled. In that instant， it was as though a spark jumped across the gap between our two hearts， our two human souls. I know he didn't want to， but my smile leaped through the bars and generated a smile on his lips， too. He lit my cigarette but stayed near， looking at me directly in the eyes and continuing to smile.
I kept smiling at him， now aware of him as a person and not just a jailer. And his looking at me seemed to have a new dimension too.＂Do you have kids？＂he asked.
＂Yes， here， here.＂I took out my wallet and nervously fumbled for the pictures of my family. He，too，took out the pictures of his family and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them. My eyes filled with tears. I said that I feared that I'd never see my family again，never have the chance to see them grow up. Tears came to his eyes，too.
Suddenly， without another word， he unlocked my cell and silently led me out. Out of the jail，quietly and by back routes， out of the town. There， at the edge of town， he released me. And without another word， he turned back toward the town..
My life was saved by a smile. Yes， the smile―the unaffected， unplanned， natural connection between people… I really believe that if that part of you and that part of me could recognize each other， we wouldn't be enemies. We couldn't have hate or envy or fear.
一想到自己明天就没命了，不禁陷入极端的惶恐。我翻遍了口袋，终于找到一支没被他们搜走的香烟，但我的手紧张得不停发抖，连将烟送进嘴里都成问题，而我的火柴也在搜身时被拿走了。
我透过铁栏望着外面的警卫，他并没有注意到我在看他，我叫了他一声：“能跟你借个火吗？”他转头望着我，耸了耸肩，然后走了过来，点燃我的香烟。
当他帮我点火时，他的眼光无意中与我的相接触，这时我突然冲着他微笑。我不知道自己为何有这般反应，也许是过于紧张，或者是当你如此靠近另一个人，你很难不对他微笑。不管是何理由，我对他笑了。就在这一刹那，这抹微笑如同火花般，打破了我们心灵间的隔阂。受到了我的感染，他的嘴角不自觉地也现出了笑容，虽然我知道他原无此意。他点完火后并没立刻离开，两眼盯着我瞧，脸上仍带着微笑。
我也以笑容回应，仿佛他是个朋友，而不是个守着我的警卫。他看着我的眼神也少了当初的那股凶气，“你有小孩吗？”他开口问道。
“有，你看。”我拿出了皮夹，手忙脚乱地翻出了我的全家福照片。他也掏出了照片，并且开始讲述他对家人的期望与计划。这时我眼中充满了泪水，我说我害怕再也见不到家人。我害怕没机会看着孩子长大。他听了也流下两行眼泪。
突然间，他二话不说地打开了牢门，悄悄地带我从后面的小路逃离了监狱，出了小镇，就在小镇的边上，他放了我，之后便转身往回走，不曾留下一句话。
一个微笑居然能救自己一条命。是的，微笑是人与人之间最自然真挚的沟通方式。如果我们能用心灵去认识彼此，世间不会有结怨成仇的憾事；恨意、妒嫉、恐惧也会不复存在。
The 4 Wives 生命中的四位爱人