The Answer Is Right There above You

If you put a buzzard① in a pen② six to eight feet square and entirely open at the top， the bird， in spite of its ability to fly， will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten to twelve feet. Without space to run， as is its habit， it will not even attempt to fly， but remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night， who is a remarkable nimble③ creature in the air， cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground， all it can do is to shuffle④ about helplessly and， no doubt， painfully， until it reaches some slight elevation⑤ from which it can throw itself into the air. Then， at once， it takes off like a flash.

A bumblebee⑥ if dropped into an open tumbler⑦ will be there until it dies， unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top， but persists⑧ in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists， until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways， there are lots of people like the buzzard， the bat and the bumblebee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations⑨， not realizing that the answer is right there above them.

是的，盡管禿鷲會飛，可是被放在圍欄里時，也只能成為欄中之囚；蝙蝠本很敏捷，但是在平坦的地面上，也只能無助地挪動；一只大黃蜂如果掉進(jìn)了敞口的玻璃杯里，它也不知道可以從杯口逃出，只是堅持試圖從杯底的四壁尋找出路。

太多的時候，我們總認(rèn)為光明就在腳下，就在不遠(yuǎn)的前方，于是忘了去仰望頭頂?shù)哪瞧臁?9829;

① buzzard：禿鷹

② pen：圍欄，圍圈

③ nimble：敏捷的

④ shuffle：拖著腳走，慢吞吞地走

⑤ elevation：高地，海拔

⑥ bumblebee：大黃蜂

⑦ tumbler：（平底）玻璃杯

⑧ persist：堅持，持續(xù)

⑨ frustration：失敗，挫折