同一屋檐下 Under the Same Roof

同一屋檐下Under the Same RoofWe have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not yet learnedthe simple art of living together as brothers.-- Martin Luther King, Jr.坦白说吧，我们不可能和地球上每个人都那么合得来。

Let’s be honest. We are never going to get along with every single person on the planet.说到关系，我们都有自己的界限。

When it comes to relationships, we all have our limits.（就我而言，我会和那些不欣赏巧克力之美的人划清界限。

）(For me, I draw the line at people who don’t appreciate the beauty of chocolate.)但是，和我们有着不同信念的人并不会阻止我们去了解他们。

But someone sharing different beliefs doesn’t have to stop us from getting to know them.如果我们想要真正地赋予自己的生命以意义，至关重要的是要消除我们和我们所认为的“陌生人”之间的界限。

If we want to truly give our lives meaning, it is vital that we erase the borders that distance us from those we consider “strangers.”这个月，我们移步到几处虽不同却将庇护我们一生的屋檐下。

This month, we step under a number of different roofs that will house us throughout life.毫无疑问，最熟悉的屋檐是假的屋檐。

Undoubtedly, the most familiar roof is the shelter of family.然而，家庭里常常会存在分界线，阻碍我们切实地了解彼此。

However, there are often boundaries that exist inside a family preventing us from getting to know each other on a substantial level.在《再见，我的“野蛮”婆婆》一文中，我们看到，一个女人“回放”她生命中的关键片段，并渐渐意识到，分歧其实微不足道，爱才是最重要的。

In Saying Goodbye to My Mother-in law, we watch a woman replay the moments in life as she comes to realize that differences mean nothing and love means everything.我们可能会遇到的另一个屋檐是我们和室友分享的——不论好坏，我们都要相互扶持，至少直到租约到期或者学期结束。

Another roof we are likely to encounter is the one we share with roommates – stuck together for better or worse, at least until the lease is up or the semester ends.《亲爱的室友》一文是让新室友有心理准备的坦率自白。

Dear Roommate is an honest expression of some of the things a new roomie can expect.从更高层面来看，我们都生活在同一屋檐下，无论是作为邻居，还是地球村的居民。

Higher still, the roofs that connect us as neighbors and global citizens cover us all.然而，悲哀的是，我们筑起了一道道围墙来阻止外人进入。

But, sadly, we built walls to stop “outsiders” from getting in.《边界那头的陌生人》一文更深入地探究了我们这一举动背后的缘由。

The Strange People across the Border takes a closer look at our reasoning behind this.我们不仅常常很容易忽略那些外人，而且也很容易去忽视那些和我们仅一墙之隔的人们。

And while it is often so easy to overlook the outsiders, we find it just as easy to ignore those who live a stone’s throw away.《门后的秘密》就呈现了那些发生在我们的门阶之上的精彩故事。

The fascinating stories that lie right on our doorstep are explored in Secrets I Found behind Closed Doors.我们完全可以坚持自己的个人观点（如坚守自己对巧克力的喜爱），但同时也要允许他人不同的见解和阅历来丰富我们的生活。

We can all hang on to our personal opinions (and love for chocolate) while still allowing different views and backgrounds into our lives.聆听并不需要付出什么代价，对不对？It costs nothing to listen, right?说不定你们会变得更亲近，说不定你会对他们，对自己有更深的了解。

There is no telling how close you could become or what you will learn about them, and yourself.我们都生活在同一屋檐下。

We are all under the same roof.Let’s be honest. We are never going to get along with every single person on the planet. When it comes to relationships, we all have our limits. (For me, I draw the line at people who don’t appreciate the beauty of chocolate.) But someone sharing different beliefs doesn’t have to stop us from getting to know them. If we want to truly give our lives meaning, it is vital that we erase the borders that distance us from those we consider “strangers.”This month, we step under a number of different roofs that will house us throughout life. Undoubtedly, the most familiar roof is the shelter of family. However, there are often boundaries that exist inside a family preventing us from getting to know each other on a substantial level. In Saying Goodbye to My Mother-in law, we watch a woman replay the moments in life as she comes to realize that differences mean nothing and love means everything.Another roof we are likely to encounter is the one we share with roommates – stuck together for better or worse, at least until the lease is up or the semester ends. Dear Roommate is an honest expression of some of the things a new roomie can expect.Higher still, the roofs that connect us as neighbors and global citizens cover us all. But, sadly, we built walls to stop “outsiders” from getting in. The Strange People across the Border takes a closer look at our reasoning behind this. And while it is often so easy to overlook the outsiders, we find it just as easy to ignore those who live a stone’s throw away. The fascinating stories that lie right on our doorstep are explored in Secrets I Found behind Closed Doors.We can all hang on to our personal opinions (and love for chocolate) while still allowing different views and backgrounds into our lives. It costs nothing to listen, right? There is no telling how close you could become or what you will learn about them, and yourself. We are all under the same roof.。