Chapter 11

Haw decided¹ to go back and see if Hem² was ready to join him.
As he retraced³ his steps, he stopped and wrote on the wall:
The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Find New Cheese.

After a while Haw made his way back to Cheese Station C and found Hem.  He offered Hem bits of New Cheese, but was turned down.

Hem appreciated his friend’s gesture but said, “I don’t think I would like New Cheese.  It’s not what I’m used to.  I want my own Cheese back and I’m not going to change until I get what I want.”

Haw just shook his head in disappointment and reluctantly went back out on his own.  As he returned to the farthest point he had reached in the maze⁴, he missed his friend, but realized he liked what he was  discovering.  Even before he found what he hoped would be a great supply of New Cheese, if ever, he knew that what made him happy wasn’t just having Cheese.

He was happy when he wasn’t being run by his fear.  He liked what he was doing now.

Know this, Haw didn’t feel as weak as he did when he stayed in Cheese Station C with no Cheese.  Just realized he was not letting his fear stop him and knowing that he had taken a new direction nourished⁵ him and gave him strength.

Now he felt that it was just a question of time before he found what he needed.  In fact, he sensed he had already found what he was looking for.

He smiled as he realized:
It Is Safer To Search In The Maze Than Remain In A Cheesless Situation.
Haw realized again, as he had once before, that what you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine.  The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.
He’d been so afraid of never finding New Cheese that he didn’t even want to start looking.  But since his journey he had enough Cheese in the corridors to keep him going.  Now he looked forward to finding more.  Just looking ahead was becoming exciting.
His old thinking had been clouded by his worries and fears.  He used to think about not having enough Cheese, or not having it last as long as he wanted.  He used to think more about what could go wrong than what could go right.

But that had changed in the days since he had left Cheese Station C.

He used to believe that Cheese should never be moved and that change wasn’t right.

Now he realized it was natural for change to continually occur, whether you expect it or not.  Change could surprise you only if you didn’t expect it and weren’t looking for it.

When he realized he had changed his beliefs, he paused to write on the wall:
Old Beliefs Do Not Lead You To New Cheese.
Haw hadn’t found any Cheese yet but, as he ran through the maze, he thought about what he had already learned.

Haw now realized that his new beliefs were encouraging new behaviors.  He was behaving differently that when he kept returning to the same cheeseless station.

He knew when you change what you believe, you change what you do.

You can believe that a change will harm you and resist it.  Or you can believe that finding New Cheese will help you to embrace the change.

It all depends on what you choose to believe.
He wrote on the wall:
When You See That You Can Find And Enjoy New Cheese, You Change Course.

Haw knew he would be in better shape now if he had embraced the change much sooner and left Cheese Station C earlier.  He would feel stronger in body and spirit and he could have coped better with the challenge of finding New Cheese.  In fact, he probably would have found it by now if he had expected change, rather than wasting time denying that the change had already taken place.

He gathered his will and decided to keep proceeding⁶ into the newer parts  of the maze.  He found little bits of Cheese here and there and began to regain⁷ his strength and confidence.
As he thought back on where he had come from, Haw was glad he had written on the wall in many places.  He trusted it would serve as a marked trail for Hem to follow through the maze, if he choose to leave Cheese Station C.

He just hoped he was heading in the right direction.  He thought about the possibility that Hem would read The Handwriting On The Wall and find his way.

He wrote on the wall what he had been thinking about for some time:

Noticing Small Changes Early Helps You Adapt To The Bigger Changes That Are To Come

By now, Haw had let go of the past and was adapting to the future.

He continued on through the maze with greater strength and speed.  And before long, it happened. 
 

 

唧唧决定回去，看看哼哼是否愿意和他一起行动。

　　在返回的路上，他停下来，在墙上写道：

　　越早放弃旧的奶酪，

　　你就会越早发现新的奶酪。

　　不久，唧唧就回到了奶酪C站，找到了哼哼。他给哼哼一些新的小块奶酪，但被拒绝了。

　　哼哼很感激朋友的心意，但是他说：“我不喜欢新奶酪，这不是我习惯吃的那一种。我只要我自己的奶酪回来。除非可以得到我想要的东西，否则我是不会改变主意的。”

　　唧唧失望地摇了摇头，不情愿地一个人踏上了自己的旅程。当走到他到达过的迷宫最深处时，他怀念起他的朋友来，但他明白，他喜欢的还是他的探险过程。虽然以前他想自己希望的是得到充足的新奶酪，但现在他清楚使自己快乐的并不仅仅是奶酪而已。

　　他高兴的是，他不再受自己的恐惧感的驱使。他喜欢自己正在做的事情。

　　明白了这一点，唧唧不再像在奶酪C站时，在没有奶酪的日子里感到那样虚弱了。他知道，他不会再让恐惧感阻碍自己。他选择了一个新的方向，他的身心得到了滋养，体力得到加强。

　　现在，他觉得，找到自己想要的东西只是一个时间问题。事实上，他感到他已经找到了他一直在寻找的东西。

　　当他认识到这一点的时候，他不禁微笑起来，并在墙上写道：

　　在迷宫中搜寻

　　比停留在

　　没有奶酪的地方更安全。

　　唧唧还认识到，就像他曾经体会过的那样，你所害怕的东西根本没有你想像的那样糟糕，在你心里形成的恐惧比你的实际处境要更坏。他曾经是如此害怕找不到新的奶酪，以致于他根本不想开始去寻找。然而一旦开始寻找的旅程，他就发现迷宫的走廊中有足够的奶酪使他继续找下去。现在，他期待着找到更多的奶酪。只要朝前看，他就会因为有所期待而兴奋起来。

　　他过去的思想被恐惧和忧虑蒙蔽了。过去考虑的总是没有奶酪，或者没有可以维持足够长时间的奶酪。以前总是觉得会把事情做错，而不是考虑把事情做好。

　　在离开奶酪C站以后的日子里，一切都改变了。

　　过去他习惯于认为，奶酪绝不会被拿走，改变总是不对的。

　　现在，他知道，变化会不断地发生，这是很自然的事情，不管你是否希望如此。只有当你不希望变化，也不想追寻变化的时候，变化才会让你感到吃惊。

　　当唧唧认识到自己的信念发生了改变时，他停下来，在墙上写道：

　　陈旧的信念

　　不会帮助你

　　找到新的奶酪。

　　唧唧还没有找到奶酪，但在迷宫中穿行的时候，唧唧在想自己从中学到了什么。

　　他意识到，他的新的信念鼓舞着他采取新的行动。他的行为再不同于以往，再也不是总要回到同一个没有奶酪的地方。

　　他知道，当你改变了自己的信念，你也就改变了自己的行为。

　　你可以相信，变化对你有害，你可以拒绝它；或者，你会相信寻找新奶酪对你有好处，你会拥抱这种变化。

　　这些都取决于你选择相信什么。

　　他在墙上写道：

　　当你发现

　　你会找到新的奶酪

　　并且能够享用它时，

　　你就会改变你的路线。

　　唧唧知道，如果他能够早一些离开奶酪C站，早一点应对这些变化，他现在的状况就会更好一些。他的身体会更强壮，精神也会更坚强，会更好地去迎接挑战——寻找新奶酪的挑战。事实上，如果他不是浪费时间，否认已经发生了的变化，如果他能够期待改变，也许他已经找到奶酪了。

　　他再一次运用自己的想像力，看见自己正在发现和品尝新奶酪。他决定到更多的地方去，去迷宫中那些他还没有到过的地方。在这些地方，他偶尔找到一些小块的奶酪。唧唧又开始恢复了体力和信心。

　　当他回顾自己是怎么走过来的时候，他很高兴他在很多经过的地放的墙上都留下了字迹。他相信如果哼哼决定离开奶酪C站的话，这就是留给哼哼的路标，能帮助哼哼穿过迷宫。

　　唧唧只是希望自己在朝着正确的方向前进。他还想到了这种可能性——哼哼将会读到墙上的字迹，并且循着它找到出路。

　　于是他又把这段时间以来他一直在思索着的心得写在了墙上：

　　尽早注意细小的变化，

　　这将有助于你

　　适应即将来临的更大的变化。

　　此时此刻，唧唧早已把过去抛在脑后，正在适应现在。

　　他继续以更充沛的体力和更快的速度穿越迷宫。不久，期待已久的事情终于发生了

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 hem   

n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制

参考例句：

• The hem on her skirt needs sewing.她裙子上的褶边需要缝一缝。
• The hem of your dress needs to be let down an inch.你衣服的折边有必要放长1英寸。

3 retraced   

v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯

参考例句：

• We retraced our steps to where we started. 我们折回我们出发的地方。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We retraced our route in an attempt to get back on the right path. 我们折返，想回到正确的路上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

5 nourished   

adj.滋养的v.养育( nourish的过去式和过去分词 )；喂养；保持；增长（情绪等）

参考例句：

• All the children were well nourished and in good physical condition. 所有这些孩子都营养良好，身体健康。
• That's a well-nourished baby. 那个婴儿营养很好。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

7 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。