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Life in a Violin Case

In order to tell what I believe, I must briefly sketch something of my personal history.
The turning point of my life was my decision to give up a promising business career and study music. My parents, although sympathetic, and sharing my love of music, disapproved of it as a profession. This was understandable in view of the family background. My grandfather had taught music for nearly forty years at Springhill College in Mobile and, though much beloved and respected in the community, earned barely enough to provide for his large family. My father often said it was only the hardheaded thriftiness of my grandmother that kept the wolf at bay. As a consequence of this example in the family, the very mention of music as a profession carried with it a picture of a precarious existence with uncertain financial rewards. My parents insisted upon college instead of a conservatory of music, and to college I went – quite happily, as I remember, for although I loved my violin and spent most of my spare time practicing, I had many other interests.
Before my graduation form Columbia, the family met with severe financial reverses and I felt it my duty to leave college and take a job. Thus was I launched upon a business career – which I always think of as the wasted years.
Now I do not for a moment mean to disparage business. My whole point I is that it was not for me. I went into it for money, and aside from the satisfaction of being able to help the family, money is all I got out of it. It was not enough. I felt that life was passing me by. From being merely discontented I became acutely miserable. My one ambition was to save enough to quit and go to Europe to study music. I used to get up at dawn to practice before I left for “downtown”, distracting my poor mother by bolting a hasty breakfast at the last minute. Instead of lunching with my business associates, I would seek out some cheap café, order a meager meal and scribble my harmony exercises. I continued to make money, and finally, bit by bit, accumulated enough to enable me to go abroad. The family being once more solvent, and my help no longer necessary, I resigned from my position and, feeling like a man released from jail, sailed for Europe. I stayed four years, worked harder than I had ever dreamed of working before and enjoyed every minute of it.
“Enjoyed” is too mild a word. I walked on air. I really lived. I was a free man and I was doing what I loved to do and what I was meant to do.
If I had stayed in business, I might be a comparatively wealthy man today, but I do not believe I would have made a success of living. I would have given up all those intangibles, those inner satisfactions, that money can never buy, and that are too often sacrificed when a man’s primary goal is financial success.
Money is a wonderful thing, but it is possible to pay too high a price on it.

小提琴上的人生

为了阐明我的信仰，我必须简单介绍一下我的经历。
当我决定放弃前程似锦的工作而去学音乐时，我的人生就出现了转折。尽管父母因为同我一样热爱音乐而懂我的心，但每每听到我想把音乐当做谋生手段时，他们还是直摇头。对于我的家庭背景来说，这一点完全可以理解。我的祖父在莫比尔市的斯普林希尔学院教了将近四十年的音乐，尽管他在社区里深受尊敬和爱戴，但微薄的收入却难以养活一大家人。父亲常说多亏祖母把一分钱掰成两半花，全家人才不至于有了上顿没下顿。正因为这前车之鉴，所以现在只要一提到把音乐当饭碗，大家的脑海里就会立即浮现那些朝不保夕的日子。父母一门心思让我上大学而不是什么音乐学院，于是我上了大学——印象中我那时还是蛮开心的，因为我虽然把大部分课余时间花在练习心爱的小提琴上，但也培养了许多其他爱好。
在我还没来得及从哥伦比亚大学毕业前，家里遭遇了严重的经济困难。我深知作为家中一员，自己有责任帮助家里摆脱困境，于是退学去找了一份工作。我这才开始在职场拼搏。
现在，我一点也没有要诋毁职场的意思，只是觉得工作不适合我而已。我完全是为了挣钱而从商的。能帮家里分忧，我感到很满足，但除此之外，我能得到的只有钱了。这远远不够，我感觉自己的生命在迅速流逝。刚开始，只是觉得有点儿不得志，但后来竟发展成极度痛苦了。我有一个梦想——等攒够钱后，辞掉工作去欧洲学音乐。那时我常常“闻鸡起舞”，赶在去城区上班前先练一会儿琴，然后囫囵吞下几口早餐就冲出门，这让我可怜的母亲很担心。我一般不和生意上的伙伴一起吃午饭，而是找一家便宜的小餐馆，简单吃一点，然后练几首曲子。我不断努力赚钱，一点一滴，最后终于凑够了出国学习的钱。这时，恰好家中境况也有所好转，不再需要我帮忙，我便辞了职奔赴欧洲，感觉自己像从监狱获释一样自由。在欧洲学习的四年，我的付出与努力超乎想象，但却始终甘之如饴，享受着分分秒秒。
“享受”这个词还远远不能表达出我的心情。我好似漫步云端，快乐的忘乎所以，真正感觉到自己活着，自由自在，做着自己喜欢做的事，做着自己命中注定要做的事。
如果当初我没有辞职的话，或许现在会相对宽裕一些。但我不觉得那样的生活会比现在更精彩。因为我可能要为此放弃那梦幻般的理想，放弃那金钱永远也买不到的心灵满足感。如果一个人把金钱视为人生的首要追求，那这些东西只能被抛诸脑后了。
金钱是好，但在得到它的同时，你往往要付出更高的代价。
附注：
亚历山大•布洛奇：是佛罗里达西海岸交响乐团指挥。从事指挥生涯之前，他曾涉足音乐的许多领域，他赴俄国师从奥坡尔德•奥尔并留下来成为一个俄国交响乐团的音乐总监——或许，他是唯一担任该职的美国人。他是个腼腆的人，音乐是他唯一的嗜好

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