English Original
In an adult class I teach, I recently gave what some might consider an "unpardonable" assignment: homework. The task was to go to someone you love within the next week and tell them you love you. It had to be someone you had never said those words to before, or at least hadn't shared them with for a long time.
This might not sound difficult until you consider that most of the men in the class were over 35, raised in a generation that considered expressing emotions "unmacho." Showing feelings or crying was simply not done. For some, this assignment felt very threatening.
At the start of our next class, I asked if anyone wanted to share their experience. I fully expected a woman to volunteer, as was usual. But that evening, a man raised his hand.
He seemed deeply moved and somewhat shaken. As he stood up (all 6'2" of him), he began, "Dennis, I was quite angry with you last week when you gave us this assignment. I didn't feel I had anyone to say 'I love you' to, and besides, who were you to tell me to do something so personal?"
"But as I began driving home, my conscience started speaking to me. It told me I knew exactly who needed to hear those words. You see, five years ago, my father and I had a vicious disagreement and never truly resolved it. Since then, we've avoided each other except when absolutely necessary, like at Christmas or family gatherings. Even then, we hardly spoke."
"So, by the time I got home last Tuesday, I had convinced myself: I was going to tell my father I loved him."
中文翻译
在我教授的一个成人班级里，我最近布置了一项可能被一些人视为“不可饶恕”的作业。任务是：在一周内去找一个你爱的人，告诉他/她你爱他/她。这个人必须是你从未对其说过“我爱你”的人，或者至少是很久没有说过的人。
这听起来或许不难，但考虑到班上大多数男性都超过35岁，他们成长的那一代人认为表达情感是“不够男子气概”的。流露感情或哭泣是根本不被允许的。对一些人来说，这个作业令他们感到非常不安。
在下一次课开始时，我问是否有人愿意分享他们的经历。我完全以为会像往常一样，有一位女性自愿分享。但那天晚上，一位男士举起了手。
他看起来深受感动，也有些颤抖。当他站起身来（他身高6英尺2英寸）时，他开口说道：“丹尼斯，上周你布置这个作业时，我非常生你的气。我觉得我没有人可以对他说‘我爱你’，而且，你凭什么让我做这么私人的事情？”
“但当我开车回家时，我的良心开始对我说话。它告诉我，我清楚地知道谁需要听到这些话。你看，五年前，我和父亲发生了一次激烈的争执，从那以后就再也没有真正解决过。自那以后，我们彼此回避，除非绝对必要，比如在圣诞节或家庭聚会上。即使在那时，我们也几乎不说话。”
“所以，到上周二我回到家时，我已经说服了自己：我要去告诉父亲我爱他。”