I believe that my main responsibility as a teacher is to set a good example.Whether in a Japanese high school or a Chinese university, I have always hoped to bring a positive influence. I often gave students stories that I felt addressed their weak points, such as the story of the Millionaire's Joy.

    作为老师，我认为树立好的榜样是我主要的责任。不管是在日本的中学还是在中国的大学，我总希望带给学生良好的影响。我往往讲故事的内容是针对学生的弱点，百万富翁快乐的故事就是其中之一。

There was a manager in a large publishing house in the east of America who wanted to start his company in a new direction. However, the other managers would not go along. He in turn left the company and invested in his own plan. It did not take long for him to realize his childhood dream of becoming filthy rich. In order to manage the growth of the business, he happened to hire a relative of mine. He personally saw this man get married and buy amansion, one with three cars in the garage. Several years later on an evening when they were both working late. this man suddenly stopped what he was doing and with a forlorn face confessed. "I have everything, but why am I still so unhappy?" He did not know how to respond.

    有个人在美国东部的一家大出版社当经理，他想开发新的生意，但其他领导接受不了他的意见。他辞职了，自己去投资他的计划。不久后他实现了他发财的梦想。为了控制新公司的发展，他刚好雇了我的一个亲戚。我的亲戚目睹了这个百万富翁结婚并购买宅第的全过程。车库里有3辆车。几年来他们一直在加班，一天晚上他俩都加班的时候，似乎显得有些孤苦伶仃的富翁突然停下来吐露了心里话：“我得到了一切，那到底为什么还是不快乐呢?”我的亲戚无言以对。

I told this story to my students because I constantly hear them saying how much they want to strike it rich. I want them to think about what would really make them happy, but instead a young girl in the graduating class was the one who made me stop and think. Her grades were poor and her chances to a good job were just as bad. After a studen gathering in one night,she suddenly stopped and confessed to me,"My parents are so poor. They are counting on me to succeed and find a good job.just have to find a way to get rich. I'm so nervous. What am I going to do?" I did not know how to respond.

    因为经常听到学生想发财的想法，我告诉他们这个故事是希望他们想想是什么使自己能真正快乐。让我想到的是一位即将毕业的女生。她的成绩一般，获得一份好工作的机会不大。在一个学生的晚会后她突然对我实话实说： “我的父母那么穷，他们都期待我成功，但我的成绩那么差。我必须想个办法发财，我太着急了，我怎么办呢?”我回答不了这个问题。

Even though I was her teacher, I simply did not understand where she and her classmates were coming from. The story I originally told was from the perspective of a developed society and the problems we have encountered, namely many rich people who are not truly rich.The question of what makes us truly happy is still a worthy one to consider.However, I just wish I understood my students better. In this way, I am a typical American, because most of us have no idea what life is like in the countryside of China. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest obstacles to genuine understanding between our cultures.

    尽管我是她的老师，但是我根本不了解她和她的同学的背景。我原来的故事是从一个发达社会碰到的问题的角度来讲的，也就是说美国不少的富人事实上并不富裕。使人真正快乐的问题还是值得考虑，不过我就想更好地理解我的学生。在这方面我确实是一个普通的美国人，我们根本不理解中国农村的条件，这是我们的文化差异，也是我们之间真正相互了解的最大障碍之一。