Charles Krauthammer是一位作家,获得过普利策奖。作为政治评论家,他的理论影响了几任总统。
年轻时他是自由派,后来的理念越发趋向保守。他的名字在媒体界如雷贯耳,坚持在华盛顿邮报发表专栏30多年,也是福克斯新闻的常驻嘉宾。他的时政分析理性,温和,精准。在这个两极分化的社会,他的观点经常得罪人,但是如果说还有谁能得到左右两派一致的尊重,他必定是其中之一。
2010年,民主党总统比尔克林顿称他是“一个卓越的人”(a brilliant man)。身为共和党的Charles开玩笑说,这下可好,他的政治生涯结束了。
Charles在哈佛学医的第一年,因为跳水出事,自此终身瘫痪。但是他完成了学业,毕业后成了一名心理医生。他喜欢开车,而且是开快车,驾驶着为残疾人特制的面包车,在人生路上一刻不停。
今天一早,Charles写了封信告诉大家,他和癌症抗争了一年,终于败下阵来。
这封信符合他的一贯风格,平和,朴实,没有丝毫的煽情。在生命的最后几周,能有如此心态,也不多见。特此翻译出来,与大家一起欣赏一个勇士的坦然:
作者:Charles Krauthammer
翻译:千里走单骑
2018年6月8号
在过去的十个月里,我一直很沉默,这和我的个性一点也不一样。 我原来以为沉默即将结束,但恐怕我现在必须告诉你们,命运已经为我安排了一条不同的路。
去年八月,我接受了手术,切除腹部肿瘤。 手术被认为是成功的,但它导致了一系列并发症,以至于我一直在医院跟病魔抗争。 这是一场漫长而艰苦的战斗,伴随着许多挫折,但是慢慢地,我一直在稳步克服每一个障碍,并逐渐恢复健康。
可是,最近的体检却显示,癌症又复发了。 一个月前还没有任何迹象,这表明它是恶性的而且在迅速蔓延。 我的医生告诉我,他们最好的估计是我只剩下几个星期的时间。 这是最终的裁决。 我的战斗结束了。
我想感谢我的医生和护理人员,他们竭尽了全力。 还有我亲爱的朋友们,他们给了我一生的回忆,他们的支持帮我度过了艰难的几个月。 还有我在华盛顿邮报,福克斯新闻和皇冠出版社的所有合作伙伴。
最后,我要感谢我的同事,读者和观众。正是因为你们,我才有了自己的事业,也能看到我一辈子的努力带来的成果。 我始终相信,通过诚实的辩论和严格的论证来追求真理和正确的观念是一项崇高的事业。 这些对话帮助引导了这个伟大国家的命运,我很欣慰自己在其中扮演了一个小角色。
即将离开这个世界,我无怨无悔。这是一段美好的人生,充满了伟大的爱和不懈的追求,一切都是值得的。 对于远行我还是很难过,但我知道我过了自己想要的生活。
June 8, 2018 
I have been uncharacteristically silent these past ten months. I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end, but I’m afraid I must tell you now that fate has decided on a different course for me. 
In August of last year, I underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in my abdomen. That operation was thought to have been a success, but it caused a cascade of secondary complications which I have been fighting in hospital ever since. It was a long and hard fight with many setbacks, but I was steadily, if slowly, overcoming each obstacle along the way and gradually making my way back to health. 
However, recent tests have revealed that the cancer has returned. There was no sign of it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly. My doctors tell me their best estimate is that I have only a few weeks left to live. This is the final verdict. My fight is over. 
I wish to thank my doctors and caregivers, whose efforts have been magnificent. My dear friends, who have given me a lifetime of memories and whose support has sustained me through these difficult months. And all of my partners at The Washington Post, Fox News, and Crown Publishing. 
Lastly, I thank my colleagues, my readers, and my viewers, who have made my career possible and given consequence to my life’s work. I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking. I am grateful to have played a small role in the conversations that have helped guide this extraordinary nation’s destiny.
 I leave this life with no regrets. It was a wonderful life full and complete with the great loves and great endeavors that make it worth living. I am sad to leave, but I leave with the knowledge that I lived the life that I intended.
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