生活靠能力也靠運氣

作者林天德

假如你問我一句話「人生的際遇靠什麼」？那我可不毫猶豫地回答你說「能力和運氣」。本來我是不相信運氣只相信能力的人，尤其是在年青的時後。可是在退休後，看看過去的自己和同學，總是覺得除了能力外，運氣也不容忽視。也就是說，英雄造時勢，但時勢也造英雄。有再好的時勢，沒有能力，終究還是一個輸家。但有再好的能力，沒有適時的時勢配套，也輝煌騰達不起來。我在美國的生活由留學到移民，似乎也印證了這道理。

一九六三年在台灣申請留學美國時，申請好多所大學，都被拒絕，只有密蘇里州東北師院 (Northeast Missouri State Teachers College) 接受我，並給我足以含蓋學費的獎學金。我接受前往，可是畢業後，又因沒學校可讀幾乎落空就讀博士學位的機會。我不相信我這料子不會沒學校唸，就自個兒硬頭皮鑽進洛杉磯加大（圖一UCLA）心理系主任辦公室。這大膽作風使我取得了臨時入學許可，可是身邊沒錢，只好放棄就讀。我打工，隔年轉教育系攻讀諮商心理，就這樣在一九七○年，我取得博士學位。

洛杉磯氣候溫和又住區優美，加大又是個名校，叫我每天走在校園裡，就好像走在時代的前頭。在學校裡除了課業外，我學電腦；在課餘，我遊山玩水，東至拉斯維加賭城，北至著名的水杉國家公園 (Sequoia National Park)，南至聖地牙哥海軍城。這裡有日本城，中國城，墨西哥城，而各城提供自有的文化特色，增添不少生活樂趣。還有，眾所周知的好萊屋影城和迪斯耐遊樂園就在隔壁。如是在洛杉磯，我邊學邊住了豐盛的五年。

然在取得博士學位之後，正值美國從越戰撤退之際，加州工作難找，最後找到東海岸佛州邁亞密社區學院 (Miami-Dade Junior College, Miami, Florida)充當Educational Research Specialist，職位是Assistant Professor。自個兒從加州連夜趕路，一週間就開車到職就任。佛羅里達州是個以旅遊出名的州而邁亞密又是避暑勝地，每年十二月至二月最宜人，但夏天可熱得很，跟屏東氣候相像。在那個地方，我訝異我竟然可以吃到芒果，荔枝，與楊桃，但可還沒有釋枷與蓮霧。我遊覽過以鱷魚和沼澤出名的Everglade National Park、Cypress Garden、和Parrot Jungle〈圖二〉，發射人造衛星的Kennedy Space Center，大人小孩均宜的Disney world遊樂園，深富科學幻想與科技的Epcod Center，以及水上表演出名的Sea World。不過最讓我念念不忘的是那釣不完的海魚。我只要站在橋邊走道或海岸Fishing pier就可垂釣，撘商用海釣船更不用說了。

佛州的工作輕鬆，但兩年後，因學生人數減少被退職，只好找到在南卡哥倫比亞城（Columbia, SC）的州政府心理衛生部（department of mental health）充當director of research，後又充當psychology coordinator，職銜是psychologist IV。這時牽手也經營餐館業務，使我在南卡足足住了二十八年，在一間佔地四英畝的大屋上（圖三）。南卡地居美國東南部，四季氣候分明，春秋兩季略嫌短些。秋霜十月中就來臨，凍死蔬菜；早春晨冰，也一樣凍死花瓣，都對農作物造成損傷。所以，南卡是個貧窮的農林業州，居民黑白各半，作風保守。從我在業務上發出問卷都要被公司阻擋，和南卡居民一直連選Strom Thurmond充當參議員直到他百歲老死，就可見其一斑。

然住在哥倫比亞城不像住在邁亞密城，我沒有被逼在角落的感覺。我可北上也可南下，更可西走。所以有空，就外出透透氣。北上北卡與維基尼亞兩州，可觀賞華聖頓首都；西向北卡與田納西兩州，可觀賞Blue ridge mountain上的楓葉與Smokey mountain上的印第安人保留區；南下喬治亞與佛羅里達兩州，可觀賞Stone mountain和迪斯耐樂園。南卡本州出名的遊樂場所是以高爾夫球場出名的Hilton Head island、英式建築出名的Charleston港、和以沙灘出名的myrtle beach最為人知。

公元二○○一年，我搬回加州，在舊金山東灣買屋住下（圖四），決定在此退休。如是離開加州四十年，我發現那些留在加州的同鄉，家產都比我高出三倍。並不是他們的薪資比我高，買得起貴房屋，而是他們的老屋增值，因這裡房地產值大漲。你說人生際遇靠能力還是靠運氣？我問我自己，我不否認運氣。

Living depends on both ability and luck

If you ask me what life depends on? I would not hesitate to answer, “ability and luck.” I used to believe in ability only, particularly when I was young. Since I retired, I got chance to reflect on myself and my classmates, I found that both ability and luck are equally important. In other words, hero rides on tide, but tide carries hero too. Even there is a good tide, if you have no ability; you still can’t make use of tide. You will be a loser after all. On the contrary, even you great ability, but there is no good tide for you to ride on, you can’t make any headway either. My life at United States seems to testify this truth.

In 1963, I applied to several colleges in United States. I was not accepted by any one except Northeast Missouri State Teachers College, Kirksville, Missouri, which even granted me a small amount of scholarship. Surprisingly, it was enough to cover the cost of tuition. In 1964, I entered the Guidance for Secondary School Program, and graduated in 1966. I then applied to several universities for doctoral study in Clinical Psychology, and I did not get acceptance again. I believe I do have ability to pursue further study. I went to see the head of psychology department at UCLA, since it was one of school that I applied. Surprisingly I got temporarily admission, as they felt I need to take some undergraduate course such as physics, calculus, and chemistry. I could force my way to study, but I had no money and I gave up. I decided to work one more year. I then got accepted to the Education Department instead. So in 1967, I entered UCLA to pursue my doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology at the Education Department, and was graduated in December, 1970.

I thoroughly enjoyed my study at UCLA. It is because I liked the cool climate of the LA weather, also I felt I was at the front of the time, since UCLA was a first class university situated at first class city. In addition to educational courses, I studied very hard on computer programming. I played hard too. I went westward for deep sea fishing, eastward to Las Vegas for fun, southward to San Diego for sightseeing, and northward to Sequoia National Park for camping. There were three major ethic communities, namely China Town, Japanese Town, and Mexican Town, and I enjoyed them all, and so did the Hollywood and Disney World. I got a lot from my five years of studying and living in Los Angeles.

Even I got a doctoral degree, I found it was hard to find a job, as it was the time of military retreat from Vietnam War. I was lucky to get a position of assistant professor at Miami-Dade Junior College. I acted as an Educational Research Specialist. I myself drove from Los Angels to Miami in a week. Miami is a tourist city. People loved to go down there for sunbath during December through February. It is vey hot in summer, and it is just hot like my hometown, Ping Tung, Taiwan. I got to each quite a bit of tropical fruits here such as leeches, mongo, and star fruit, but no lienwu and shejia. I enjoyed touring places such as Everglade National Park, Cypress Garden, Parrot Jungle (Picture II), Kennedy Space Center, Disney World, Epcod Center, and Sea World. I enjoyed fishing the most. I could either go deep sea fishing, or on shore fishing by standing on pier or cat walk. My work at Miami-Dade Junior College is just a piece of cake. Two years later, due to student enrollment drop, I was laid off. I got another job at South Carolina Department of Mental Health. My title at first is Research Director, then Psychology Coordinator, but my official position is Psychologist IV. At this time, my wife also worked as manager for Egg Roll Station. We resided in a house with four acres for almost 28 years (Picture III).

South Carolina situated at the southeastern part of United States. It has four distinct seasons, but spring and autumn are relatively short. Summer is hot, and winter is cold with occasional snow. It freezes around the middle of October and early part of April, therefore, it killed most vegetables and fruit buds. South Carolina is poor agricultural state, half white half black, and is conservative too. The reason is my institutional review board even attempted to stop me from mailing out questionnaire, and the people continued to elect Strom Thurmond as senator until he passed away at age of 100.

To live in Columbia not like to live in Miami, I did not feel been boxed in. I could go out in any direction, and that’s what I did. I went north to North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington D.C. I went west to North Carolina and Tennessee. I toured Blue Ridge Mountain and Indian reservation at Smokey Mountain. I went south to Georgia and Florida, and toured Stone Mountain and Disney World. Within the State of South Carolina, I toured Hilton Head, Charleston, and Myrtle Beach.

In 2001, I moved back to California. I bought a house in Antioch, California, and decided to retire here. At this time, I realized my homelanders who resided in California; their house value was triple of mine at South Carolina. It is not because they had higher income and lived in a better house. It is purely because house value here is triple. At this junction, I deeply felt life is swung by both ability and luck.

就讀洛杉磯加大UCLA 1967