人常常会陷于幽暗的人生胡同不能自拔．

People often drop into a gloomy life and are unable to extricate¹ themselves.

有个生活比较潦倒的销售员，每天都埋怨自己＂怀才不遇，命运在捉弄他＂．

There once was a poor and frustrated² salesman complaining every day that there was no platform for him to display his ability and the fate was often pulling his legs.

圣诞节前夕，家家户户张灯结彩，充满佳节的热闹气氛．他坐在公园里的一张椅子上，开始回顾往事．去年的今天，他也是孤单一人，以醉酒度过他的圣诞节，没有新衣，没有新鞋，更甭谈新车子，新房子．

At Christmas Eve, every family decorated their houses with lanterns and streamers and it was very festive³ everywhere. But he was alone sitting in a bench in a park and recalling the past. It was on the same day last year when he was also alone drinking his Christmas day away, without new clothes, new shoes, let alone a new car and a new house.

＂唉，今年我又要穿着这双旧鞋子度过圣诞节了！＂说着准备脱掉这旧鞋子．这时候，他突然看见一个年轻人自己滑着轮椅从他身边超过．他顿悟：＂我有鞋子穿是多么幸福！他连穿鞋子的机会都没有啊！＂之后，推销员做任何一件事都心平气和，珍惜机会，发奋图强，力争上游．数年之后，他终于改变了自己的生活，成了一名百万富翁．

“Damn! I have to spend this Christmas day with these old shoes again.” he signed and began to take off the old shoes. Suddenly, he glanced a young man in a wheel chair passing by him with his hands arduously⁴ pushing the wheel forward. It dawned on him that he was so lucky to have shoes to wear while that man did not even have the chance. Afterwards, the sales man did anything with a calm mood and cherished every opportunity to improve himself. He worked hard and tried his best to make a progress every day. Several years later, he eventually changed his life totally and became a millionaire

环顾四周，我们会发觉社会上有许多天生残缺的人，他们对生活充满信心，从不抱怨上天对他们的不公平，不也不乞求他人救济，反而自立自强，脱颖而出，成为有用之才．与他们相比，我们会觉得很惭愧．我们生来五官端正，手脚齐全，却为何厌倦生活厌倦人生，抱怨同事，不满意自己的工作．

If you look all around, you will find there are so many people who were born disabled in the society but they are confident in life and never complain about the unfair destiny. They are also not to beg others’ almsgiving. Instead, they constantly strive to make themselves stronger and more excellent to serve the society. By contrast, we should feel ashamed. We are born healthy, but we are fed up with life; we complain about our colleagues and dissatisfy with our jobs.

也许我们每个人对陷入这种幽暗的人生胡同都感到可怕，但更可怕的是，当你陷入这种危险的境地却浑然不知．

Maybe all of us would feel afraid when we realize we have fallen into such frustrating⁵ state of life, but worse is you even do not realize you have fallen into such a jeopardous situation.