“At some level, we all depend upon one another. Sometimes that requires us simply to refrain from doing something. And sometimes it requires us to act cooperatively, with allies or even with strangers.”
One night recently, I was driving down a two-lane highway at about 60 miles an hour. A car approached from the opposite direction at about the same speed. As we passed each other, I caught the other driver’s eye for only a second.
I wondered whether he might be thinking, as I was, how dependent we were on each other at that moment. I was 1)relying on him not to fall asleep, not to be 2)distracted by a cell phone conversation, not to cross over into my lane and bring my life to a sudden end. And though we had never spoken a word to one another, he relied upon me in just the same way.
3)Multiplied a million times over, I believe that is the way the world works. At some level, we all depend upon one another. Sometimes that dependence requires us simply to 4)refrain from doing something like crossing over the 5)double yellow line. And sometimes it requires us to act cooperatively, with 6)allies or even with strangers.
Back in 1980, I was 7)negotiating for the release of the 52 Americans held 8)hostage in 9)Iran. The Iranians refused to meet with me face to face, insisting instead that we send messages back and forth through the government of 10)Algeria. Although I had never before worked with the Algerian foreign minister, I had to rely on him to receive and transmit, with absolute 11)accuracy, both the words and 12)nuances of my messages. With his 13)indispensable help, all 52 Americans came home safely.
As technology 14)shrinks our world, the need increases for cooperative action among nations. In 2003, doctors in five nations were quickly 15)mobilized to identify the 16)SARS 17)virus, an action that saved thousands of lives. The threat of international terrorism has shown itself to be a similar problem; one requiring coordinated action by police and 18)intelligence forces across the world. We must recognize that our fates are not ours alone to control.
In my own life, I’ve
put great stock in personal responsibility. But, as the years have passed, I’ve also come to
believe that there are moments when one must rely upon the 19)good
faith and judgment of others.
So, while each of us facesÑat one time or anotherÑthe prospect of
driving alone down a dark road, what we must learn with experience is that the
approaching light may not be a threat, but a shared moment of trust.
最近的一个晚上，我驾车行驶在一条双车道的高速公路上，当时我的车速是每小时六十英里（约每小时97公里）。那时候，在另一条行车道上，有另一辆车正以大约相同的速度从反方向开过来。当我们两辆车并排而过时，我跟对面车的司机交换了一个眼神，仅仅是一秒钟的时间。
我猜想他是否和我一样—正在想在那一瞬间我们是何等依赖对方。我多么地依赖他，希望他千万不要睡着，千万不要因为打手机而分神，千万不要越界冲进我的行车道而让我一命呜呼。尽管我们从来没有说过只言片语，但他也同样依赖我做到这些。
这种互相依赖的情况不断重复，我相信这是世界运作的一种方式。在某些层面，我们所有人都是互相依赖的。有时候，这种依赖只是需要我们克制，不要去做某些事情，例如不要越过分隔车道的双黄线。有时候，这种依赖需要我们互相合作—跟盟友甚至和陌生人。
回想在1980年爆发伊朗人质危机时，我负责跟伊朗方面谈判，要求释放被胁持的五十二名美国人质。伊朗人拒绝跟我面对面谈判，他们坚持我们透过阿尔及利亚政府传递信息。虽然之前我从没跟阿尔及利亚外长共事过，但我必须依赖他把我信息里的遣词用字，绝对准确无误地接收及传送。在他不可或缺的协助下，五十二名人质最后全部被安全释放。
当科技拉近了人与人之间的距离时，国与国之间的合作也急需加强。2003年，五个国家的医生们被迅速召集到一起，共同努力，鉴别“非典”病毒，这一行动及时拯救了数以千计的生命。国际恐怖主义的威胁也显示出类似的问题—需要全球警察及情报人员的通力合作。我们必须要意识到，我们的命运并不是我们可以单独控制的。
以前在我的个人生活里，我十分看重个人的责任心。但随着阅历的增加，我开始相信在某些时刻，我们需要依赖别人的善意和判断。所以，当我们不时面临在黑暗的路上孤独开车时，我们必须从经验中学习，知道前面反方向的行车线上，迎面而来的汽车发出的灯光，可能不是一个威胁，而是互信的一刻。