English Original
If you put a buzzard in a pen six to eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten to twelve feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and painfully until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists until it completely destroys itself.
In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. They are struggling with all their problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above them.
中文翻译
如果你把一只秃鹰放进一个六到八英尺见方、顶部完全敞开的围栏里，尽管这只鸟有飞翔的能力，它也会成为一个绝对的囚徒。原因是秃鹰总是需要在地面上助跑十到十二英尺才能起飞。由于没有助跑的空间，按照它的习惯，它甚至不会尝试飞翔，而是终生困在这个没有顶盖的小监狱里。
夜间飞行的普通蝙蝠，在空中是一种异常敏捷的生物，却无法从平坦的地方起飞。如果把它放在地板或平地上，它只能无助而痛苦地拖着脚四处移动，直到到达某个稍高的地方，才能将自己抛向空中。然后，它立刻就会像一道闪电般起飞。
一只大黄蜂如果掉进一个敞口的平底玻璃杯里，除非被拿出来，否则它会在那里直到死亡。它永远看不到顶部的逃生途径，而是执着地试图在靠近底部的杯壁寻找出路。它会在没有出路的地方寻找出路，直到彻底毁灭自己。
在许多方面，有很多人就像秃鹰、蝙蝠和大黄蜂一样。他们挣扎于所有的问题和挫折之中，却没有意识到答案就在他们的上方。