NPR 08-10:A Reverence for All Life我敬畏生命

Student Michelle Gardner-Quinn wrote of her belief in reverence¹ for life just before she was killed.

Welcome to This I Believe, an NPR series presenting the personal philosophies of remarkable² men and women from all walks of life.

From NPR News, this is Weekend Edition. I'm Lynn Neary.

I believe in mystery.
I believe in family.
I believe in being who I am.
I believe in the power of failure.
And I believe normal life is extraordinary.
This I Believe

Today's essay for This I Believe is unusual. It was written as many have been for a classroom assignment. Michelle Gardner-Quinn was an undergraduate at the University of Vermont when she submitted it for her environmental studies class in October of last year. Two days later, in a random³ crime, she was kidnapped and murdered. Excerpts⁴ of the essay were read at her memorial service and at the Live Earth Concerts. Here is our series curator independent producer, Jay Allison.

Michelle Gardner-Quinn's life affirming belief is made more powerful and poignant⁵ by her death. We contacted Michelle's parents who gave us permission to broadcast her essay. And they suggested that it be read by her environmental studies professor at the University of Vermont, Cecilia Danks who made the assignment. Danks is spending the summer in Hayfork, California where she does her research in community forestry⁶ and that is where we recorded her reading Michelle Gardner-Quinn's essay for This I Believe.

I believe in upholding reverence for all life. I believe that humanity has a responsibility to the earth and to the life that we share our experience with. As a child, I found joy digging in the dirt examining the miracle of life. Everything creepy-crawly was fascinating to me and I spent countless⁷ hours in my backyard, exploring what wonders laid beneath. Although some people might be repulsed⁸ by this notion, these creatures did not represent slimy pests to me. Rather, such experiences in the natural world taught me about the diversity of life that could be found in any microcosm. I felt attuned⁹ with the cycles of life, my favorite being the spring. During these budding months, I could watch the egg sacks of praying mantises¹⁰ as they opened or collect robin¹¹ blue egg shells that had fallen from the nests. This was where I felt the strong connection to the natural cycles of creation. This connection has inspired awe¹² in me that I feel strongly to this day. It is a feeling deep within me that has inspired my passions and pursuits as an environmentalist.

As I grew older, I discovered that this reverence for life was not shared by all of humanity. Rather than respecting the natural world as a community of life, the environment has been valued in terms of the resources that could be exploited. Industrialization has turned life into an industry and systematically¹³ destroys the essential diversity that provides richness to the human experience. Our self-inflicted ecological¹⁴ crisis has reached such a point that we no longer endanger isolated¹⁵ bio-regions. So many toxins¹⁶ have been spewed into the atmosphere as a result of our industrial greed that the climate of our planet is changing at an alarming rate. Climate change threatens all life forms by altering fundamental natural cycles giving little time for evolutionary¹⁷ responses. These detrimental¹⁸ impacts are visible today as polar bears lose their habitat of sea ice, the sex of sea turtle eggs is skewed, whales have less krill to feed on and coral reefs are bleached¹⁹, to cite just a few examples. Climate change also has detrimental impacts on cultures and humanity's well-being²⁰ as more people are becoming environmental refugees. Little is being done to curb²¹ this crisis and within our lifetime the ecological function in our planet Earth will be forever altered.

I believe that my connection to all life forms prevents me from sitting back and watching this catastrophe²². I believe that we should understand our place in our regional ecosystems²³ and communities as well as pledge our allegiance to the Earth as a whole. I believe that all creatures whether they are found in my backyard or half way around the globe should not suffer as a result of human greed. The reality of climate change's here and now. It is the environmental battle of our generation and generations to come. In honor of all life, I am dedicating myself to preventing this worldwide ecological crisis.

Michelle Gardner-Quinn's essay for This I Believe read by her environmental studies teacher Cecilia Danks. A non-profit organization called Michelle's Earth Foundation has been founded in Gardner-Quinn's memory. It is devoted²⁴ to encouraging young people to become aware and get involved with the environment. Thousands of college and high school teachers around the country are using This I believe in their classes. At our website npr.org you can find a free curriculum guide and materials for organizing community participation²⁵. For This I Believe, I am Jay Allison.

Next week, on npr.org, a This I Believe essay from listener Lisa Sandon on her belief that she is more than her body. This I Believe is independently produced by Jay Allison, Dan Gediman, John Gregory, and Viki Merrick.

Support for This I Believe comes from Prudential Retirement²⁶.

This I Believe is produced for NPR by This I Believe Incorporated and Atlantic Public Media. For more essays in the series, please visit NPR.org/thisibelieve.

1 reverence   

n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统，但不被传统所束缚。

2 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

3 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

4 excerpts   

n.摘录，摘要( excerpt的名词复数 )；节选（音乐，电影）片段

参考例句：

• Some excerpts from a Renaissance mass are spatchcocked into Gluck's pallid Don Juan music. 一些文艺复光时期的弥撒的选节被不适当地加入到了格鲁克平淡无味的唐璜音乐中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is editing together excerpts of some of his films. 他正在将自己制作的一些电影的片断进行剪辑合成。 来自辞典例句

5 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

6 forestry   

n.森林学；林业

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
• Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。

7 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

8 repulsed   

v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝

参考例句：

• I was repulsed by the horrible smell. 这种可怕的气味让我恶心。
• At the first brush,the enemy was repulsed. 敌人在第一次交火时就被击退了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 attuned   

v.使协调( attune的过去式和过去分词 )；调音

参考例句：

• She wasn't yet attuned to her baby's needs. 她还没有熟悉她宝宝的需要。
• Women attuned to sensitive men found Vincent Lord attractive. 偏爱敏感男子的女人，觉得文森特·洛德具有魅力。 来自辞典例句

10 mantises   

n.螳螂( mantis的名词复数 )

参考例句：

11 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

12 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

13 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

14 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

15 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

16 toxins   

n.毒素( toxin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The seas have been used as a receptacle for a range of industrial toxins. 海洋成了各种有毒工业废料的大容器。
• Most toxins are naturally excreted from the body. 大部分毒素被自然排出体外。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

18 detrimental   

adj.损害的，造成伤害的

参考例句：

• We know that heat treatment is detrimental to milk.我们知道加热对牛奶是不利的。
• He wouldn't accept that smoking was detrimental to health.他不相信吸烟有害健康。

19 bleached   

漂白的，晒白的，颜色变浅的

参考例句：

• His hair was bleached by the sun . 他的头发被太阳晒得发白。
• The sun has bleached her yellow skirt. 阳光把她的黄裙子晒得褪色了。

20 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

21 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

22 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

23 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

24 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

25 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

26 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。