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风靡全球的漫画人物呆伯特，道出了上班族的心声，也宣泄了员工不满的情绪，美国读者更视呆伯特为工程师的代言人。而让大家看了能会心一笑的漫画的创作者却是个拥有MBA硕士学位的工程师，那么他是如何走上画漫画的道路的呢？他在遇到挫折泄气的时候受到谁的鼓舞而坚持下来并最终获得成功的呢？且听听作者怎么说。
In 1968 I was “surfing1” TV channels when I caught the closing credits of a PBS telecast called “Funny Business”. I had long wanted to get into the cartooning business, but had no idea where to begin. I copied down the address and wrote to the host of the show, Jack Cassady, asking for his professional advice.
A few weeks later I got an encouraging letter, in his own handwriting, answering all my questions about drawing materials and requirements for submission2. He went on to warn me that there would be a lot of rejections at first. on’t get discouraged!” he warned. Jack went further, saying that my sample cartoons were good and worthy of publication.
I got excited and sent in some of my best work to two nationally known magazines. My reward was the receipt of two form rejection letters, so I gave it up as a bad job and forgot about any further attempts at cartooning.
19 years later I was shocked to get a second letter—out of the blue—from Jack Cassady. It read as follows:
Dear Scott,
I was reviewing my “Funny Business” mail file when I ran across you letter and copies of your cartoons. I remember answering your letter. The reason I’m dropping this note is to again encourage you to submit your ideas to various publications. Sometimes encouragement in the funny business of graphic3 humor is hard to come by. I am encouraging you to hang in there and keep drawing. I wish you lots of luck, sales, and good drawing.
I hadn’t even thanked him for that first letter! Again, I dragged out my art brushes and set to work on the sample strips now known as “Dilbert”. It finally caught on.
As “Dilbert” became more successful, I came to appreciate the enormity4 of Jack’s simple act of kindness. I did eventually thank my friend, but I could never shake the feeling that I had been given a gift that simply was too big to ever pay back.
How can you ever return or repay a kindness like that? Just reach out to some person who is in position to use your encouragement, and pass it on. There’s no such thing as a small and great act of kindness in the world.
1968年，我正“游弋”于各个电视频道的节目，这时，公共广播公司的一档名叫“滑稽行当”的节目深得我的喜爱。我一直都想迈入卡通业，但却不知该从何处入手。我抄下地址，写信给这档节目的主持人杰克·卡斯蒂，向他征询专业的建议。
几星期后，我收到了一封充满鼓励的信件。信是他亲笔写的，回答了我所有有关绘画原料及投稿要求方面的问题。他还提醒我，最初的时候可能会遭到很多拒绝。“别泄气！”他告诫道。杰克进一步指出，我的那些样品卡通画真的很棒，值得发表。
我兴奋不已，将最好的一些作品寄给了两家全国有名的杂志。我收到了两封退稿信。于是，我认为自己画得不好，就放弃了，没再在卡通画上做进一步的努力。
19年后，我非常突然地收到了杰克·卡斯蒂寄来的第二封信，这让我很惊诧。他在信中写道：
亲爱的斯科特：
我在整理“滑稽行当”信件档案时，偶然看到了你的信和卡通画。我记得给你回信了。我写这封短信的原因是想再次鼓励你将想法画出来投给各个出版物。在这个绘画幽默的滑稽行当，鼓励有时是可遇而不可求的。我希望你能坚持不懈，一直画下去。我祝你好运连连，作品畅销，杰作多多。
而我甚至没有为他的第一封信向他道谢呢！我又拿出画笔，开始创作现在广为人知的“呆伯特”漫画系列。它最终流行起来。
随着“呆伯特”越来越成功，我也越来越感激杰克的朴实而深厚的善意之举。我终于向我的朋友表达了谢意，但我永远没法表达我的心情，因为我得到的是一份尽管朴素却巨大到永远无法偿还的礼物。
对于这样的善意，你如何报答或者偿还呢？只须伸出双手，递给那些正需要鼓励的人们，将它传递下去。世上再也没有比这更小、更伟大的善举了。
尹玉生 摘译自 Positive Thinking
In 1968 I was “surfing1” TV channels when I caught the closing credits of a PBS telecast called “Funny Business”. I had long wanted to get into the cartooning business, but had no idea where to begin. I copied down the address and wrote to the host of the show, Jack Cassady, asking for his professional advice.
A few weeks later I got an encouraging letter, in his own handwriting, answering all my questions about drawing materials and requirements for submission2. He went on to warn me that there would be a lot of rejections at first. on’t get discouraged!” he warned. Jack went further, saying that my sample cartoons were good and worthy of publication.
I got excited and sent in some of my best work to two nationally known magazines. My reward was the receipt of two form rejection letters, so I gave it up as a bad job and forgot about any further attempts at cartooning.
19 years later I was shocked to get a second letter—out of the blue—from Jack Cassady. It read as follows:
Dear Scott,
I was reviewing my “Funny Business” mail file when I ran across you letter and copies of your cartoons. I remember answering your letter. The reason I’m dropping this note is to again encourage you to submit your ideas to various publications. Sometimes encouragement in the funny business of graphic3 humor is hard to come by. I am encouraging you to hang in there and keep drawing. I wish you lots of luck, sales, and good drawing.
I hadn’t even thanked him for that first letter! Again, I dragged out my art brushes and set to work on the sample strips now known as “Dilbert”. It finally caught on.
As “Dilbert” became more successful, I came to appreciate the enormity4 of Jack’s simple act of kindness. I did eventually thank my friend, but I could never shake the feeling that I had been given a gift that simply was too big to ever pay back.
How can you ever return or repay a kindness like that? Just reach out to some person who is in position to use your encouragement, and pass it on. There’s no such thing as a small and great act of kindness in the world.
1968年，我正“游弋”于各个电视频道的节目，这时，公共广播公司的一档名叫“滑稽行当”的节目深得我的喜爱。我一直都想迈入卡通业，但却不知该从何处入手。我抄下地址，写信给这档节目的主持人杰克·卡斯蒂，向他征询专业的建议。
几星期后，我收到了一封充满鼓励的信件。信是他亲笔写的，回答了我所有有关绘画原料及投稿要求方面的问题。他还提醒我，最初的时候可能会遭到很多拒绝。“别泄气！”他告诫道。杰克进一步指出，我的那些样品卡通画真的很棒，值得发表。
我兴奋不已，将最好的一些作品寄给了两家全国有名的杂志。我收到了两封退稿信。于是，我认为自己画得不好，就放弃了，没再在卡通画上做进一步的努力。
19年后，我非常突然地收到了杰克·卡斯蒂寄来的第二封信，这让我很惊诧。他在信中写道：
亲爱的斯科特：
我在整理“滑稽行当”信件档案时，偶然看到了你的信和卡通画。我记得给你回信了。我写这封短信的原因是想再次鼓励你将想法画出来投给各个出版物。在这个绘画幽默的滑稽行当，鼓励有时是可遇而不可求的。我希望你能坚持不懈，一直画下去。我祝你好运连连，作品畅销，杰作多多。
而我甚至没有为他的第一封信向他道谢呢！我又拿出画笔，开始创作现在广为人知的“呆伯特”漫画系列。它最终流行起来。
随着“呆伯特”越来越成功，我也越来越感激杰克的朴实而深厚的善意之举。我终于向我的朋友表达了谢意，但我永远没法表达我的心情，因为我得到的是一份尽管朴素却巨大到永远无法偿还的礼物。
对于这样的善意，你如何报答或者偿还呢？只须伸出双手，递给那些正需要鼓励的人们，将它传递下去。世上再也没有比这更小、更伟大的善举了。
尹玉生 摘译自 Positive Thinking