M andela, who died last week, was also a freedom fighter who won equal rights for blacks in South Africa. He started with non-violent civil disobedience but used violence after South African police opened fire on black protesters, massacring 69 people in 1960. The word massacre means the violent killing of a large number of people for no reason. For example, many people say the June 4 1989 Tiananmen Square incident was a massacre. Although Mandela spent 27 years in jail, his supporters continued fighting against apartheid in South Africa. The word apartheid means the separation of different races. During minority rule by whites, the South African government used apartheid to take away the rights of blacks, who were forced to live in the worst areas. But when South Africa won majority rule after years of struggle by the blacks, Mandela, who was elected president, forgave the whites and united the country. That is why I admire him.
Bill Gates, the world's second richest man, is not a freedom fighter but has donated all of his money to fight against world poverty and diseases. I met him several times during media functions at the Microsoft headquarters while I was working in Seattle. Unlike rich men in Hong Kong and the mainland, he does not show off （boast about） his wealth with expensive cars or clothes. When I worked in Washington DC, I also met some mainland human rights activists who were allowed to leave China. I must admit I do not admire them because once they came to the US they cared more about money and enjoying life than human rights in China.
＊ ＊ ＊
有三個人，是我最敬仰的：莫罕達斯．甘地、納爾遜．曼德拉和比爾．蓋茲。這三個人都改善了數以百萬計的人的生活。甘地是個自由鬥士，用非暴力（non-violent）公民抗命，將英國人趕離印度。即使他於1948年被行刺（assassinated），因着他為印度爭取到自治，他仍然得到萬千印度人尊崇（revered）。Assassinate這個字解作重要人物因為政治或宗教理由被暗殺。
上星期去世的曼德拉，亦是自由的鬥士，為南非的黑人贏取平權。他開始的時候用非暴力（non-violent）公民抗命，但當南非警察於1960年向黑人示威者開火，屠殺（massacring）了69個人之後，他便轉用暴力了。Massacre解作沒緣由地屠殺大量的人，例如，許多人稱1989年6月4日的天安門事件為大屠殺（massacre）。即使曼德拉在監獄裏坐了27年，他的支持者仍然繼續對抗南非的種族隔離政策（apartheid）。Apartheid就是種族隔離。南非政府當時被少數白人管治，便以種族隔離政策（apartheid）去奪取黑人的權利，令他們住在惡劣的地區。但經歷多年鬥爭，黑人最終奪得南非的主權後，被選為總統的曼德拉，卻能饒恕白人而令全國合一。這是我敬仰他的因由。
比爾．蓋茲是世界上第二富有的人，他非自由鬥士，卻捐出所有金錢去對抗世界貧窮及疾病。當我在西雅圖工作時，在招待傳媒的場合，我在微軟的總部見過他幾次。他不會以名貴房車和衣飾去炫耀（show off）財富，絲毫不像香港和內地的有錢人。當我在華盛頓工作時，我也遇見過某些獲准離開中國的內地人權運動人士。我得承認，我並不尊敬他們，因為當他們一到美國，關心的是金錢和享受人生，更甚於中國的人權。mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=266381§ion_name=wtt&kw=126