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Dr.
Jim Boren, a former U.S. State Department official from Whitesboro,
Texas, wanted to promote worldwide peace. He chose a strategy based on
his observation that laughter has no accent. When you think about it,
Boren was absolutely right: You can never tell in which language people
laugh.
Dr. Jim Boren曾是美國國務院的官員，來自德州懷布羅市，想要提倡世界的和平。他想出了一套方法來落實他的理想，而這方法就是根據他的的「笑言笑語是無國界的」心得而來的。說起來，Dr.
Jim Boren 是完全正確的，因你無法從–個人笑言笑語的裡，聽出他是從那裡來的。
“Laughter has no accent” became the theme for Boren’s creation of a
comedic cultural connection between the United States and what was then
the Soviet Union. In the midst of the not-so-funny tension between the
two nations, Boren wanted to use humor to build bridges between American
and Soviet people and cultures – a positive kind of “global warming”
intended to melt the Cold War.
當美蘇兩國的關係還不是很融洽時，「笑言笑語是無國界」這個理念，就成為Boren
主導有關幽默文化交流計劃的主題。他要以幽默的方式，耒化解美蘇兩國間的寒冰，在兩國間來造一座橋，這也算是一種另類的「地球暖化」吧!
In the spring of 1989, I had the good fortune to be one of five American
humor professionals who traveled to Moscow to start a three-week
exchange program promoting goodwill through humor. Before we left, when
I told friends about this trip, they were incredulous and wondered
aloud, “Do Russians have a sense of humor?”
1989
年春季，我很辛運的成為，由五個美國幽默專家所組成，友誼交流訪問團的成員，前往莫斯科，開始三星期的旅程，以幽默和笑語，來促進兩國人民間的友誼。 啟程前，朋友們都不看好我的計畫，他們都很驚奇的大聲說：「那些俄國佬！有幽默感嗎？」
I was tickled when
we arrived in Moscow and one of the first questions from the Soviets
was, “Do Americans have a sense of humor?”
說起來好笑，當我們抵達莫斯科時，老蘇問我們的第一件事，也是：「你們老美們，怎麼可能會有幽默感呢?」
I am happy to report the mutual, mirthful, meaningful discovery that a
sense of humor was a quality that we shared. We all realized that we had
a lot more in common as “humor beings” than we had differences.
很興奮的向您報告，我們都有的。
一個很有趣的發覺，原來幽默感，是人們共有的特質。以這樣來說的話，人類的相同點，其實是比相異點還多呢。
I was delighted that this comedic cultural exchange continued on our
side of the ocean. In September 1989, five professional Soviet humorists
arrived at the home of The HUMOR Project in Saratoga Springs, New York.
We arranged a variety of events for the Soviets – a public forum
attended by hundreds of people in our community, a visit to an
elementary school and a trip to a local hospital at which we had set up
a humor room to help lift the patients’ spirits.
高興的是，我們的「幽默文化交流計劃」，繼續在我國辦理。1989
年秋季，五個蘇俄的幽默專家，來到我們在美國紐約Saratoga
Springs「幽默文化交流計劃」總部。我們特別安排了許多的迎賓活動，其中包括了社區裡數百人的公開論壇；訪問一個小學；以及參訪當地的醫院，在醫院裡，還設了個所謂的「歡笑(幽默)教室」，以鼓舞病人們的精神。
We were especially excited about a peak experience that we had planned
as a surprise for our visitors: a hot-air balloon festival at the height
of the glorious fall foliage in the nearby Adirondack Mountains over
Lake George (“the queen of American lakes”). Each of five balloons
included one American, one Soviet and a balloonist. I was in the balloon
with Andrey Benyukh, a frizzy-haired and mustachioed editor at
KROKODIL (a Russian humor magazine).
最讓訪客驚喜的，活動的高峰是一個「高空熱氣球逍遙遊(飛)活勳」。這活動是在一個充滿秋葉風情的，Adirondack山旁的喬治湖舉行。總共有五個熱氣球在空中遨遊，每個熱氣球下面的吊籃，乘客包括有一個美國人、一個蘇俄人、和一個熱氣球操作者。和我共乘者，是個鬈髮、有鬚的老俄，他叫Andrey
Benyukh，在蘇俄一家叫KROKODIL的幽默雜誌當編輯。
As we ascended above the breathtaking grandeur of Lake George, I
realized that Andrey was out of breath for another reason. In a
trembling voice, he confessed with a shiver, “I am deathly afraid of
heights!”
熱氣球開始緩緩的往上升，一直上升到，可以俯瞰到整個喬治湖，令人驚心動魄的美景時。我才察覺Andrey
好像快要上氣不接下氣。他以顫抖聲音對我說：「其實， 我怕高怕死了。 」
This was not a great discovery for me to make at two thousand feet above
the color-splashed mountains. In the snug space of our balloon basket,
Andrey was holding on to me for dear life.
這句話聽起來，
一點都不順耳。尤其是當你在二千英呎高空上，正在俯瞰彩色繽紛的山景時。.
而同時，怕死的Andrey
以把我抱的緊緊的，就怕小命沒有了！
It was during this time aloft that we began kidding around. We moved
from “grim and bear it” to “grin and share it.” Before long, Andrey’s
trembling with fear morphed into shaking with laughter. Our
guess-you-had-to-be-there banter ranged from spontaneous satire (“Being
in this balloon, it’s clear that politicians aren’t the only ones filled
with hot air!”) to playing with the situation (“Being in a hot air
balloon with a fear of heights...is the height of silliness”).
就在那一剎那，當我們倆人都高高在上時，不知怎的，我倆反而開始互相逍遣起對方來了。此時Andrey忘了他的懼高症，從心驚膽顫，轉成了逆來順受。開始與我談笑風生起來了。此時，本來是彼此諧謔，卻反而變成了一起諷剌當下；一個有極度懼高症的人，卻在一個高飛的熱氣球裡，不知在做啥，也實在是有夠傻了！
In the midst of our comedic camaraderie, I also learned that Andrey’s
daughter’s name is Alica. I told him that my daughter is Alyssa. In that
moment, we both knew in our hearts that we were doing this humor
exchange program to provide a safe, loving, laughing legacy for our
children. The balloon became the metaphor – that we were in this world
together (literally and figuratively) and that we would either crash or
rise to the occasion together.
而就在我們惺惺相惜之際，我才知道原來Andrey女兒，名字叫愛麗絲。我告訴他，我女兒叫愛麗莎。就在這個時侯，我倆心裡已經漸漸有譜了。因為我們已經知道，這個「幽默文化交流計劃」，將會因為我們的和諧相處，而為我們的下一代，帶來了一個充滿了愛心和歡笑的世界，和一個和平的世界。
In the cozy confines of the balloon basket, I appreciated again that
levity defies gravity… and that laughter has no accent. I was also
reminded of the late Erma Bombeck’s wonderful wit and wisdom: “When
humor goes, there goes civilization!” My up-close-and-personal
experience with Andrey reinforced the idea that “Laughter is the
shortest distance between two people... and between two peoples.”
如同一個隱喻般，這個「熱氣球逍遙遊」的經驗，我感謝輕鬆地克服地心引力的影響，笑是沒有國界的。Erma
Bombeck
提醒了我們一件事情：「當幽默來臨，產生了文明！」這次與Andrey
近距離的個人的經驗，加深了我的想法，那就是「笑是兩個人之間最短的距離，也是兩個民族之間的最短距離。」
Joel Goodman,
Ed.D., is the
recipient of the International Lifetime of Laughter Achievement Award
and the author of eight books, including Laffirmations: 1,001
Ways to Add Humor to Your Life and Work. He is the founder and
director of The HUMOR Project, Inc. in Saratoga Springs, New York, and
can be reached at
www.HumorProject.com.
作者：Joel
Goodman,
教育博士，獲幽默終身成就獎，八本書的作者，包括: 1001種把幽默帶入生活及職場的方法。位於紐約州Saratoga
Springs市幽默機構的創始人及負責人。網址為
www.HumorProject.com
譯者：許斯雄
Shawn Hsu, Nantou Toastmasters Club |
