漫漫自由路

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漫漫自由路

作者：By Nelson Mandela

来源：《新东方英语·中学版》2014年第02期

I was not born with a hunger to be free. I was born free—free in every way that I could know. Free to run in the fields near my mother's hut， free to swim in the clear stream that ran through my village， free to roast mealies1） under the stars and ride the broad backs of slow-moving bulls. As long as I obeyed my father and abided by2） the customs of my tribe， I was not troubled by the laws of man or God.

It was only when I began to learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion， when I discovered as a young man that my freedom had already been taken from me， that I began to hunger for it. At first， as a student， I wanted freedom only for myself， the transitory3） freedoms of being able to stay out at night， read what I pleased， and go where I chose. Later， as a young man in Johannesburg， I yearned for the basic and honorable freedoms of achieving my potential， of earning my keep， of marrying and having a family—the freedom not to be obstructed4） in a lawful life.

But then I slowly saw that not only was I not free， but my brothers and sisters were not free. I saw that it was not just my freedom that was curtailed5）， but the freedom of everyone who looked like I did. That is when I joined the African National Congress， and that is when the hunger for my own freedom became the greater hunger for the freedom of my people. It was this desire for the freedom of my people to live their lives with dignity and self-respect that animated my life， that transformed a frightened young man into a bold one， that drove a law-abiding attorney6） to become a criminal， that turned a family-loving husband into a man without a home， that forced a life-loving man to live like a monk. I am no more virtuous or self-sacrificing than the next man， but I found that I could not even enjoy the poor and limited freedoms I was allowed when I knew my people were not free. Freedom is indivisible； the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them， the chains on all of my people were the chains on me.

It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of my own people became a hunger for the freedom of all people， white and black. I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed. A man who takes away another man's freedom is a prisoner of hatred， he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's freedom， just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.

When I walked out of prison， that was my mission， to liberate the oppressed and the oppressor both. Some say that has now been achieved. But I know that that is not the case. The truth is