2006年NPR美国国家公共电台十月-The Perfection of Character

It is Monday morning which means it is time for another installment¹ of This I Believe. And today our essay comes from an NPR listener in Herndon Virginia. 26-year-old Angelina Michetti is a contracting officer for the federal government, but her belief arises from something she does after work. Here's our series' curator Jay Alison.

Angelina Michetti holds a first degree black belt in karate². Her personal beliefs stem from that practice, but also from the linkage³ and even the contradiction, between her contemporary religious upbringing in America and the ancient Japanese martial⁴ art. Here she is with her essay for This I believe.

I believe in the principles of my karate-do, my dojo-kun. It is my way, seek perfection of character, be faithful, endeavor, respect others, refrain from violent behavior. It is my philosophy, my creed⁵. I believe in this as I sweat through my gi, rubbing my inner elbow's raw on my sides. My beliefs are in my callused feet that once bore blood blisters⁶ as big as my palm. My beliefs are in my broken nose and soft jaw⁷ from walking into punches. My beliefs are in my kiai! I yelp⁸, shout, bark when striking, blocking, kicking. My beliefs are also in the hardwood floors, the concrete, the field house rubber matting I train on. I believe in the dojo-kun as I line up with the others at the end of every training, sweated through. I kneel, close my eyes, meditate⁹, open my eyes and recite. I recite in my own voice with all the others, trying not to pant. I recite in my head. We recite as one.

I know my beliefs are paradox¹⁰. My Judeo-Christian heritage says, strive to create a meaningful life, have respect for others, be peaceful, it's all me, my being, my life. But my beliefs are also a dojo-kun, that are Japanese principles. There is no individual, no me. There is blind obedience¹¹, suppression of individual conscience, never ever questioning of a teacher or a leader. My beliefs are in ancient system created for bodyguards¹² who lived and died for their emperor. But I am alive and breathing in America in the 21st century. And my belief is light and dark, water and fire, air and earth, yin and yang. I believe in contradictions, I believe in breathing as one, I bow my head as we kneel as one in one line before Sensei--our teacher. Once, twice, the line rises and falls as one. I raise my head to recite the dojo-kun, seek perfection of character, be faithful, endeavor ,respect others, refrain from violent behavior. This I Believe.

Angelina Michetti with her essay for This I Believe. Michetti says she attends her karate school two or three times a week, but she thinks about the philosophy all the time. If you would like to submit an essay to our series or browse¹³ through all those that have been submitted to date, visit our website npr. org. For This I Believe, I'm Jay Alison.
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black belt
(柔道等有道位者所系的)黑腰带的,黑腰带级选手(柔道中达到最高级别者)
upbringing
The rearing and training received during childhood.
dojo-kun
The Dojo Kun is recited at the conclusion of every karate training, allowing the students to reflect upon the guiding principles of karate-do.
raw
疼痛处; 擦伤[红肿]处
judeo-christian
adj.
同是犹太教与基督教的, 犹太教与基督教所共有的
Sensei
A judo¹⁴ or karate teacher.
柔道或空手道教师
A teacher or mentor¹⁵.
教师
Used as a form of address for such a person.
教师：用作为这样的人的称呼形式
kiai
The kiai is the main component¹⁶ of the Japanese art of kiaijutsu, which basically means "the art of shouting".
gi
Keikogi (稽古着 or 稽古衣) is a Japanese word which means uniform for training (keiko means practice, gi means dress or clothes). This word is used to describe the uniform which is worn for traditional martial arts class

1 installment   

n.(instalment)分期付款；(连载的)一期

参考例句：

• I shall soon pay the last installment of my debt.不久我将偿付我的最后一期债款。
• He likes to buy things on the installment plan.他喜欢用分期付款法购买货物。

2 karate   

n.空手道(日本的一种徒手武术)

参考例句：

• Alice's boyfriend knew a little karate.艾丽斯的男朋友懂一点儿空手道。
• The black belt is the highest level in karate.黑腰带级是空手道的最高级别。

3 linkage   

n.连接；环节

参考例句：

• In their monographic treatment of linkage,they have emphasized this especially.他们在论连锁的专题文章中特别强调了这点。
• Occasionally,problems with block inheritance or linkage are encountered.有时会遇到区段遗传或连锁问题。

4 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

5 creed   

n.信条；信念，纲领

参考例句：

• They offended against every article of his creed.他们触犯了他的每一条戒律。
• Our creed has always been that business is business.我们的信条一直是公私分明。

6 blisters   

n.水疱( blister的名词复数 )；水肿；气泡

参考例句：

• My new shoes have made blisters on my heels. 我的新鞋把我的脚跟磨起泡了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His new shoes raised blisters on his feet. 他的新鞋把他的脚磨起了水疱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

8 yelp   

vi.狗吠

参考例句：

• The dog gave a yelp of pain.狗疼得叫了一声。
• The puppy a yelp when John stepped on her tail.当约翰踩到小狗的尾巴，小狗发出尖叫。

9 meditate   

v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想

参考例句：

• It is important to meditate on the meaning of life.思考人生的意义很重要。
• I was meditating,and reached a higher state of consciousness.我在冥想，并进入了一个更高的意识境界。

10 paradox   

n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物)

参考例句：

• The story contains many levels of paradox.这个故事存在多重悖论。
• The paradox is that Japan does need serious education reform.矛盾的地方是日本确实需要教育改革。

11 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

12 bodyguards   

n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks came to Jim's office accompanied—like always—by his two bodyguards. 和往常一样，在两名保镖的陪同下，布鲁克斯去吉姆的办公室。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Three of his bodyguards were injured in the attack. 在这次袭击事件中，他有3名保镖受了伤。 来自辞典例句

13 browse   

vi.随意翻阅，浏览；(牛、羊等)吃草

参考例句：

• I had a browse through the books on her shelf.我浏览了一下她书架上的书。
• It is a good idea to browse through it first.最好先通篇浏览一遍。

14 judo   

n.柔道

参考例句：

• The judo is a kind of fighting sport.柔道是一种对抗性体育活动。
• Which is more important in judo, strength or techniques?柔道运动中，力量和技术哪个更重要？

15 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

16 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。