文/ 塞繆爾 · 厄爾曼
德裔美籍人塞繆爾 · 厄爾曼70多年前寫的一篇只有四百多字的短文，首次在美國發表的時候，引起全美國轟動效應，成千上萬的讀者把它抄下來當作座右銘收藏，許多中老年人把它作為安排後半生的精神支柱。
美國的麥克阿瑟將軍在指揮整個太平洋戰爭期間，辦公桌上始終擺著裝有短文《年輕》複印件的鏡框，文中的許多的詞句常被他在談話或開會作報告時引用。松下公司的創始人松下幸之助說：多年來，《年輕》始終是我的座右銘。
《年輕》
年輕，並非人生旅程的一段時光，也並非粉頰紅唇和體魄的矯健。
它是心靈中的一種狀態，是頭腦中的一個意念，是理性思維中的創造潛力，是情感活動中的一股勃勃的朝氣，是人生春色深處的一縷東風。
年輕，意味著甘願放棄溫馨浪漫的愛情去闖蕩生活，意味著超越羞澀、怯懦和慾望的膽識與氣質。而60歲的男人可能比20歲的小伙子更多地擁有這種膽識與氣質。沒有人僅僅因為時光的流逝而變得衰老，只是隨著理想的毀滅，人類才出現了老人。
歲月可以在皮膚上留下皺紋，卻無法為靈魂刻上一絲痕跡。憂慮、恐懼、缺乏自信才使人佝僂於時間塵埃之中。
無論是60歲還是16歲，每個人都會被未來所吸引，都會對人生競爭中的歡樂懷著孩子般無窮無盡的渴望。
在你我心靈的深處，同樣有一個無線電台，只要它不停地從人群中，從無限的時間中接受美好、希望、歡欣、勇氣和力量的信息，你我就永遠年輕。一旦這無線電台坍塌，你的心便會被玩世不恭和悲觀失望的寒冷酷雪所覆蓋，你便衰老了—即使你只有20歲。但如果這無線電台始終矗立在你心中，捕捉著每個樂觀向上的電波，你便有希
望在八十高齡告別塵寰時仍覺得年輕。
所以只要勇於有夢，敢於追夢，勤於圓夢，我們就永遠年輕！
千萬不要動不動就說自己老了，錯誤引導自己！年輕就是力量，有夢就有未來！
英文全文
Youth
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees. It is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep spring of life.
Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exits in a man of 60, more than a boy of 20.nobody grows merely by the number of years; we grow old by deserting our ideas. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust1 bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.
Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonders, the unfailing childlike appetite of what’s next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from infinite, so long as you are young.
When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with the snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you』ve grown old, even at 20, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there’s hope you may die young at 80.
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind. It is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep spring of life. These are what I have and what we have at this period of life. So, I'm still young, yes, definitely ! Come on my fellow friends, show your energy and passion to this god damn world ! Let the universe hear our voice, see our cheek, hug our enthusiasm and witness our maturity. We're going to create a brand new future!
作者簡介
塞繆爾·厄爾曼(1840.4.13-1924.3.21)，美國作家，1840年生於德國，兒時隨家人移居美利堅，參加過南北戰爭，之後定居伯明翰，經營五金雜貨，年逾70開始寫作。他的散文《年輕》因麥克阿瑟將軍的喜愛而出名。
