團結合作，共抗疫情

文/馬克·力文（Mark Levine） 譯/史聰一

2020年年初，我原計劃同我的一位中國同事及其家人共度新春佳節。回首數載，我便曾同包括她在內的一些同事們歡度過春節。彼時，她向我發出除夕夜的邀約，我便欣然應允。

然而，新冠病毒的消息使我重新審視了這一計劃。于是我謝絕了她的邀約，索性決定留在家里。其實，那便是我開始“定點隔離”的時間。我堅持了近3個月，每隔3—4天才會去15分鐘左右路程的超市。

突如其來的疫情影響著大多數人的計劃。就我個人而言，疫情通過“多種方式”影響著我新書完成的進度。

第一，我意識到：如果不在書中涉及病毒及其后果，這本書的創作將難以完成。眾所周知，盡管我相信對于那些拒絕承認此次疫情的人而言，我在書中其實無須提及他們的姓名，但這次疫情畢竟是一件驚天動地的大事，對每個人的生活產生了巨大的影響。那么，我怎能不講呢？然而，現在談及這一切仍然為時尚早。我需要看看接下來會發生什么？疫情如何防控？其影響又是什么？而非僅僅談論這場疫情的發生。

第二，我很快便接到通知：一個月后開始春學期，課程全部網上進行。然而，我并沒有這方面的經驗。我的課程包括辯論、公共演講和英國文化，雖然我已教授多年，且每年都會進行一些改動，但我仍需要弄懂如何作出調整，以適應在線教學。然后，還需要熟悉網絡教學或會議平臺，當時我甚至不知道這些平臺的名稱，更不用講其操作方式了。幸運的是，我有一位助教，以及諸多能夠求助的學生。這些都成為整個學期的重點，因而我專注于寫作的精力變得非常有限。

一旦開啟線上教學，電腦或網絡信號方面的技術問題便接踵而至，但這些僅是我與學生們所面臨的困難之一。因為學生們全部在家，家庭的期望或義務轉變為阻礙的情況并不少見。其中幾位學生告訴我，當他們坐在電腦前上課時，媽媽會告訴他們吃午飯。

珍妮弗是我公共演講課程的一名學生，她在家里的汽車上完成了這門課程的最后一次演講。“馬克老師，我對此深表歉意。我的父母說我們需要去鄉下，不能及時趕回來。”

顏坡是我的另一名學生，藏族人，住在四川境內的山區。我們通過騰訊的在線會議平臺進行授課，并且我時常要求學生們開啟攝像頭。有一天，我注意到顏坡關掉了他的攝像頭。“顏坡，請你打開攝像頭。”但是他沒有回復。我先是通過會議平臺發信息給他，然后又通過微信，但還是沒有回復。最后，在下課約30分鐘后，他給我發了一段騎在牦牛背上的視頻。接著他又發了一條語音信息：“馬克老師，我很抱歉，我們全家都是牧民，因為有一頭牦牛跑了，所以我必須去把它找回來。”

兩天后，我與在安徽省一所大學教書的美國人戴夫·埃比（Dave Eby）進行了交談。幾年前，我們曾在一次公開演講比賽中初次見面，并在此后保持聯系。我向戴夫講述了顏坡的故事，他也向我講述了其學生的故事。

“近期，一名學生加入了我的班級，在授課過程中，她那邊的風聲非常大。她很抱歉并告訴我，她的父母都是茶農，他們一起在外面采茶，因為天氣預報說次日會有大風暴，所以家里需要將所有的茶葉都收好，這樣茶葉才不會損毀。”

盡管我們要花時間和精力去理解如何在這些環境下工作，但是通過這種方式可以更好地了解到學生們的生活環境。此外，我相信，這將幫助我們所有擁有這種寶貴經驗的人，成為更加出色的教師。至少，對于我及與我交談過的人來說，應是如此。

第三，在開課之前，我一直忙著同在中國各地及國外認識的朋友們保持聯系。有時我聯系他們，有時他們聯系我。我們關切彼此的健康與家庭，分享中國不同地區正在發生的事情。通過微信（大部分情況下），我與許多人保持著聯絡，有現在及之前的學生和同事，在許多講座中訪問過學校的師生，在評判演講比賽時第一次遇到的人，全國各地許多參加過我音樂表演的人。在我開始教學前的一個月里，我經常同200多人保持溝通，等到一個月后我開始上課，這個數字仍在持續增長。

第四，在網絡教學的消息發布后，便有幾家媒體聯系我，希望我能夠談談自己前期的準備工作。然后，他們表示開課后，也希望我可以談談我們這群人取得的進展和經歷的困難，以及我們如何通過實踐來克服這些困難。這便有了一系列的電話采訪與視頻采訪。

第五，當中國新冠肺炎疫情非常嚴峻時，我知道必須再譜寫一首歌曲，通過音樂充實我在中國的生活。

然而，在那時，我尚未準備進行創作。因為我不是忙于備課，便是忙于上課，但這并不是唯一的原因。因為，我需要更多的信息：我希望知道中國政府將如何應對這次疫情；我希望知道中國人民會如何對政府的行為作出回應；此外，我還希望知道政府與人民聯手應對疫情的結果。所以，除了同中國各地的人民進行交流，我每天也會花時間關注國內外的新聞，去了解這些事情。

因此，我了解到中國的行動，以及在戰勝病毒方面取得的成功。通過與學生們及他人的交流，我了解到在早期危急情況下，我曾看到的和所描繪的那種集體精神再次發揮有利作用。在中國各地，那些與我交談過的人們，尤其是來自湖北及武漢的人們，都意識到這將會是每一個人的苦難，盡管倍感不安，且犧牲在所難免，但那些殺不死你的一切，終將讓你變得更強大。

不僅如此，我還了解到，對于中國抗擊疫情所采取的措施，世界衛生組織給予了積極的評價。

當我得知，一些人特別是美國人將病毒歸咎于中國，而不是承認這是一個需要國際社會共同努力才能克服的普遍問題時，我感到非常沮喪。事實上，我不僅在媒體報道中看到了這一點，還從在美國的中國朋友那里也聽說了這一點，他們自己也被指控將病毒帶到美國，而這不過是2000多起與此相關的反對亞裔事件中的幾起罷了。

第六，盡管我起初并未意識到這些，但我已然準備好譜寫我的新歌。我對歌詞的創作過程各不相同。有時當我決定寫一些東西，便會來到筆記本或臺式機前坐下，開始琢磨歌詞。而有些歌曲則不然，我所創作關于新冠病毒的歌，便是其中之一。

3月份的第三周，我走在前往超市的路上，腦子里滿是關于新冠病毒的歌詞。實際上，就像我來到中國后發生的許多事情一樣，這本不在我的計劃之列，但我就是無法停止思考。回到家時，我已在腦海中完成了約一半的歌詞，并迅速拿起筆記本，在我忘記它們之前將其記錄下來。

同時，第二天午后旋律也開始浮現在我的腦海中。下課后，我拿出吉他，坐下來唱完這首歌。我嘗試了許多旋律、節奏、和弦和吉他技巧，在那一天結束時，我的歌《團結合作，共同抗擊新冠病毒》便完成了。

我將歌曲發送給國內外的朋友們，得到了他們的積極反響。許多人表示：他們欣賞歌曲的精神，并在回復我的短信中重復著歌曲的最后兩句話。一些人把這首歌發布在他們自己的社交網站上，幾天后，便有更多的中國媒體聯系到我，他們希望通過采訪我了解這首歌曲背后的故事。我十分清楚，雖然我寫了很多關于中國的歌曲，但迄今為止，這首歌無疑最為重要。

I had planned to spend Spring Festival in 2020 at the home of one of my Chinese colleagues, and her family. I had spent Spring Festival with them a few years ago and she invited me to return on Spring Festival Eve.And then it happens.

News of the novelcorona virus causes me to rethink my plan. I thank her for the invitation and decide to simply stay home. That is when I begin my “sheltering in place.” Lasting for almost three months, I only venture outside of my apartment to take a 15-minute walk to a nearby supermarket which I do about every 3-4 days.

The arrival of the virus effects most people’s plans and in my own case, it affects my plan to finish my new book in multiple ways.

First, I realize that there is no way that I can possibly complete the book without at least a little discussion about the virus and its consequences. As the entire world knows, although some whose names I do not believe I need to mention refuse to admit, it is an earth-shattering event and at the time is beginning to play a major role everyone’s lives.So how could I not speak about it? But, it is too early. I need to see what happens. How is it dealt with? What is its impact? I can’t just talk about its arrival.

Second, I am soon informed that my spring semester classes, which are to begin in one month, are to be conducted online. I have zero experience with this. My classes include debate, public speaking and British culture. I have been teaching all of these classes for many years and while I make some changes from year-to-year, I need to figure out how to adjust these for online teaching. Then, I need to become familiar with online teaching or conference platforms which, at the time,I do not even know the names let alone how they work. Fortunately,I have a teaching assistant and many students who I can turn to for assistance. As all of this becomes a preoccupation both before and throughout the semester, my ability to focus on writing becomes quite limited.

Once the online teaching begins, both my students and I have ongoing technical problems with computers or internet reception but those are just part of the difficulties that we face. Because my students are all at home, it is not uncommon for family expectations or obligations to get in the way. Several of my students tell me that while they are sitting in class at their computer their mother will tell them to come eat lunch.

Jennifer, one of my public speaking students, gives her final speech while riding in their family car. “Mark, I am sorry about this. My parents said we had to go to the countryside for something and we didn’t get back in time.”

Yanpo, another one of my students is Tibetan and he lives in the mountainous area in Sichuan Province. We are using the Tencent Meeting online conference platform and I always ask students to keep their cameras on. One day I notice that Yanpo has turned his camera off. “Yanpo, please turn on your camera,” but he doesn’t answer. I send him messages first through the conference platform and then through WeChat, but again no answer. Finally about 30 minutes after the class is over, he sends me a video clip of him riding on the back of a yak. He follows this up with a voice message. “I’m sorry Mark but my family are herders and one of our yaks ran away and I had to go get it.”

Two days later I am speaking with Dave Eby, an American who is teaching at a university in Anhui Province. First meeting several years ago at a public speaking competition, we periodically keep in touch. I tell Dave Yanpo’s story and he responds with one of his own.

“Recently one of my students joined our class and apologized for the noise of the strong wind in the background. She tells me her parents are tea growers and she is outside with them picking the tea because a big storm was forecast for the next day and they needed to get it all harvested so that it would not be ruined.”

Although it takes time and attention to understand how we can work around or even with these circumstances it is really good to learn more about the circumstances of our students’ lives. Furthermore, I am confident that it helped all of us who had this experience become better teachers. I know that’s the case for me and others I speak with.

Third, beginning even before my classes start, I am busy working to maintain ongoing communication with people I know across China,as well as some abroad. Sometimes I contact them and sometimes they contact me. We check on each other’s health, families and share information about what is happening in different parts China. Mostly through WeChat, I stay in contact with current and former students and colleagues. I stay in contact with students and faculty from schools I have visited through my many lectures. I speak with people I who I first meet during the many speaking competitions I have judged. I stay in contact with people who have attended my many musical performances around the country. During the month before I start teaching I am regularly in touch with easily more than 200 people and once my classes start one month later, that number continues to grow.

Fourth, once with announcement of online teaching is made, I am contacted by several media outlets to talk about my preparations. Then,once classes begin, they want me to talk about the progress we are making, the difficulties we are experiences and what we are doing to overcome them. This results in a number of telephone interviews and video interviews.

Fifth, once China is struck by the novel coronavirus, I know that I have to write another song to add to my musical stories of my life in China.

At the time however, I am not ready to write it. One reason is because I am busy preparing for or teaching classes that is not the sole reason.I need for more information. I need to know how the Chinese government will address this epidemic. I need to know how Chinese people will respond to the government actions. And, I need to have some idea of the results of these joint responses by the government and the people. So, in addition to communicating with people all over China,I also spend time everyday paying attention to news from both inside and outside of China to learn about these things.

I learn of China’s actions and about the success that is being achieved in overcoming the virus. My communications with my students and others show me that the collective spirit I’ve seen and written about during earlier critical situations is once again predominant. Those I speak with all over China, especially people from Hubei Province and Wuhan, recognize that this is everyone’s problem and regardless of discomfort, sacrifice is necessary and will ultimately benefit all.

I also learn about the World Health Organization’s positive evaluation of the steps taken by China to combat the virus.

Furthermore, it was with great dismay that I learn of the effort of a few, particularly in the U.S., to blame China for the virus rather than recognizing this as a universal problem that requiring an international effort to overcome. I see this not only in media reports but, in fact,hear from Chinese friends in the U.S. who themselves are accused of bringing the virus there as just a few of the more than 2000 anti-Asian incidents connected to it.

Finally, although I don’t actually realize it at first, I am ready to write my song. My process of writing songs varies from one to another.Sometimes I decide to write something and I sit down with a notebook or at my computer and start figuring out the lyrics. Some songs are different and my song about the coronavirus was one of those.

On one of my walks to the supermarket during the third week of March, my mind is occupied as I start to think of potential song lyrics about the coronavirus. Actually, like much of what has happened since I have been in China, this is not my plan but, I just can’t stop thinking about it. By the time I get home I have about half of the lyrics done and I quickly grab my notebook to write them down before I can forget them. I keep thinking, I move the lyrics from my notebook to my computer and before the day is over the lyrics are done.

Coming up with a melody also begins in my mind but on the following afternoon. After my classes, I pull out my guitar and sit down to finish the song. I try a number of melodies, rhythms, chord progressions and guitar techniques and by the end of that day, my song, “Together We Must Take a Stand - Defeat the Novelcorona Virus” is done.

I send it to friends both inside and outside of China and get a great response. Many say they appreciate its spirit and repeat the last two lines in their messages to me. Some post it on their own social media sites and within a few days I am contacted by more Chinese media outlets who now want to interview me the story behind the song. As a result, it becomes clear to me that although I have written many songs about China, this one is by far the most important.

Near the end of the year 2-0-1-9,

we thought that everything was so fine.

But we didn’t know the troubles we’d soon face.

Coronavirus came around.

No quick solution could be found.

Health workers treated patients case-by-case.

And Hubei Province was shut down,

every city and every town.

People sacrificed to stop the illness’ flow.

The novel virus still did spread,

and left so many people dead.

Until its growth in China did finally slow.

But soon the virus did appear,

in many countries far and near.

WHO praised China’s fight through and through.

But some countries didn’t know what they should do.

Fear and hatred spread so fast.

We all hope it doesn’t last.

Panicking will do no good,

but common effort surely would.

Coronavirus, we will defeat,

around the world it must be beat.

So here and there in every land,

together we will take a stand.

Fear and hatred spread so fast.

We all hope it doesn’t last.

Panicking will do no good,

but common effort surely would.

Coronavirus, we will defeat,

around the world it must be beat.

So here and there in every land,

together we will take a stand.

接近2019年的年底，

我們沉浸在美好里，

絲毫不知厄運將至；

冠狀病毒悄然來襲，

所有人都束手無策；

醫護人員身先士卒，

義無反顧靠上救治。

整個湖北省封門閉戶，

無論是城鎮還是農村；

人們為阻止疾病傳播而隔離自己；

這種新冠病毒仍在傳播，

許多鮮活的生命因此殞歿,

直到它屈服于中國人民的奮戰。

但狡猾的病毒已在多國發生感染，

無論是遠在天涯還是咫尺之遙；

世衛組織稱贊了中國的抗疫做法，

但有些國家依然不知該如何去做。

恐懼和怨恨蔓延得如此之快,

我們都希望這不會持續下去。

驚慌失措沒有什么作用，

但共同的努力一定可以。

冠狀病毒，我們一定要戰勝它，

而且要在全世界范圍消滅它。

所以無論在哪一個地方，

我們都要站在一起。

恐懼和怨恨蔓延得如此之快,

我們都希望這不會持續下去。

驚慌失措沒有什么作用，

但共同的努力一定可以。

冠狀病毒，我們一定要戰勝它，

而且要在全世界范圍消滅它。

所以無論在哪一個地方，

我們都要站在一起。