Solitude 獨(dú)處
I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. A man thinking or working is always alone, let him be where he will. Solitude is not measured by the miles of space that intervene between a man and his fellows. The really diligent student in one of the crowded hives of Cambridge College is as solitary as a dervish in the desert. The farmer can work alone in the field or the woods all day, hoeing or chopping, and not feel lonesome, because he is employed; but when he comes home at night he cannot sit down in a room alone, at the mercy of his thoughts, but must be where he can :see the folks,:” and recreate, and, as he thinks, remunerate himself for his day’s solitude; and hence he wonders how the student can sit alone in the house all night and most of the day without ennui and :the blues:; but he does not realize that the student, though in the house, is still at work in his field, and chopping in his woods, as the farmer in his, and in turn seeks the same recreation and society that the latter does, though it may be a more condensed form of it.
Society is commonly too cheap. We meet at very short intervals, not having had time to acquire any new value for each other. We meet at meals three times a day, and give each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are. We have had to agree on a certain set of rules, called etiquette and politeness, to make this frequent meeting tolerable and that we need not come to open war. We meet at the post-office, and at the sociable, and about the fireside every night; we live thick and are in each other’s way, and stumble over one another, and I think that we thus lose some respect for one another. Certainly less frequency would suffice for all important and hearty communications. Consider the girls in a factory---never alone, hardly in their dreams. It would be better if there were but one inhabitant to a square mile, as where I live. The value of a man is not in his skin, that we should touch him.
I have a great deal of company in my house; especially in the morning, when nobody calls. Let me suggest a few comparisons, that some one may convey an idea of my situation. I am no more lonely than the loon in the pond that laughs so loud, or than Walden Pond itself. What company has that lonely lake, I pray?
And yet it has not the blue devils, but the blue angels in it, in the azure tint of its waters. The sun is alone, except in thick weather, when there sometimes appear to be two, but one is a mock sun. god is alone---but the devil, he is far from being alone; he sees a great deal of company; he is legion. I am no more lonely than a single mullein or dandelion in a pasture, or a bean leaf, or sorrel, or a horse-fly, or a bumblebee. I am no more lonely than the Millbrook, or a weathercock, or the north star, or the south wind, or an April shower, or a January thaw, or the first spider in a new house.
譯文：
獨(dú)處
我發(fā)現(xiàn)人若大部分時(shí)間用于獨(dú)處，將有益身心。與人為伴，即使是摯友，也很快會(huì)有厭煩或虛度光陰的感覺。我愛獨(dú)處，我發(fā)現(xiàn)沒有比獨(dú)處更好的伴侶了。出國(guó)，身在熙攘人群中，要比退守陋室更讓人寂寞。心有所想，身有所系的人總是孤身一人，不論他身處何地。獨(dú)處與否也不是由人與人之間的距離來確定。在劍橋苦讀的學(xué)子雖身處蜂巢般擁擠的教室，實(shí)際上卻和沙漠中的苦行僧一樣，是在獨(dú)處。家人終日耕于田間，伐于山野，此時(shí)他雖孤單但并不寂寞，因他專心于工作;但待到他日暮而息，卻未必能忍受形影相吊，空有思緒做伴的時(shí)光，他必到“可以看見大伙兒”的去處去找樂子，如他所認(rèn)為的那樣以補(bǔ)償白日里的孤獨(dú);因此他無法理解學(xué)子如何能竟夜終日獨(dú)坐而不心生厭倦或倍感凄涼;然而他沒意識(shí)到，學(xué)子雖身在學(xué)堂，但心系勞作，但是耕于心田，伐于學(xué)林，這正和農(nóng)人一樣，學(xué)子在尋求的無非是和他一樣的快樂與陪伴，只是形式更簡(jiǎn)潔罷了。
與人交往通常都因唾手可得而毫無價(jià)值，在頻繁的相處中，我們無暇從彼此獲取新價(jià)值。我們每日三餐相聚，反復(fù)讓彼此重新審視的也是依舊故我，并無新奇之處。為此我們要循規(guī)蹈矩，稱其為懂禮儀，講禮貌，以便在這些頻繁的接觸中相安無事，無須論戰(zhàn)而有辱斯文。我們相遇在郵局，邂逅在社交場(chǎng)所，圍坐在夜晚的爐火旁，交情甚篤，彼此干擾著，糾纏著;實(shí)際上我認(rèn)為這樣我們都或多或少失去了對(duì)彼此的尊重。對(duì)于所有重要的傾心交流，相見不頻。想想工廠里的女孩，她們雖從不落單，但也少有夢(mèng)想。像這樣方圓一英里僅一人居住，那情況會(huì)更好。人的價(jià)值非在肌膚相親，而在心有靈犀。
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我的房子里有很多伙伴，尤其在無人造訪的清晨。我把自己和周圍事物對(duì)比一下，你或許能窺見我生活的一斑。比起那湖中長(zhǎng)笑的潛鳥，還有那湖，我并不比它們孤獨(dú)多少。你看：這孤單的湖又何以為伴呢?然而它那一灣天藍(lán)的湖水里有的卻是天使的純凈，而非魔鬼的憂郁。太陽(yáng)是孤獨(dú)的，雖然時(shí)而在陰郁的天氣里會(huì)出現(xiàn)兩個(gè)太陽(yáng)，但其中之一為幻日;上帝是孤獨(dú)的 – 魔鬼才從不孤單，他永遠(yuǎn)不乏伙伴，因從他都甚眾。比起牧場(chǎng)上的一朵毛蕊花，一支蒲公英，一片豆葉，一束酢漿草，一只牛虻或大黃蜂來，我并不孤單多少;比想密爾溪，風(fēng)標(biāo)，北極星，南風(fēng)，四月春雨，正月融雪，或者新房中的第一只蜘蛛，我也并不更加孤單。
Giving Life Meaning 給生命以意義
Have you thought about what you want people to say about you after you’re gone? Can you hear the voice saying, “He was a great man.” Or “She really will be missed.” What else do they say?
One of the strangest phenomena of life is to engage in a work that will last long after death. Isn’t that a lot like investing all your money so that future generations can bare interest on it? Perhaps, yet if you look deep in your own heart, you’ll find something drives you to make this kind of contribution---something drives every human being to find a purpose that lives on after death.
Do you hope to memorialize your name? Have a name that is whispered with reverent awe? Do you hope to have your face carved upon 50 ft of granite rock? Is the answer really that simple? Is the purpose of lifetime contribution an ego-driven desire for a mortal being to have an immortal name or is it something more?
A child alive today will die tomorrow. A baby that had the potential to be the next Einstein will die from complication is at birth. The circumstances of life are not set in stone. We are not all meant to live life through to old age. We’ve grown to perceive life3 as a full cycle with a certain number of years in between. If all of those years aren’t lived out, it’s a tragedy. A tragedy because a human’s potential was never realized. A tragedy because a spark was snuffed out before it ever became a flame.
By virtue of inhabiting a body we accept these risks. We expose our mortal flesh to the laws of the physical environment around us. The trade off isn’t so bad when you think about it. The problem comes when we construct mortal fantasies of what life should be like. When life doesn’t conform to our fantasy we grow upset, frustrated, or depressed.
We are alive; let us live. We have the ability to experience; let us experience. We have the ability to learn; let us learn. The meaning of life can be grasped in a moment. A moment so brief it often evades our perception.
What meaning stands behind the dramatic unfolding of life? What single truth can we grasp and hang onto for dear life when all other truths around us seem to fade with time?
These moments are strung together in a series we call events. These events are strung together in a series we call life. When we seize the moment and bend it according to our will, a will driven by the spirit deep inside us, then we have discovered the meaning of life, a meaning for us that shall go on long after we depart this Earth.
譯文：
給生命以意義
你有沒有想過，你希望人們?cè)谀闼篮笤鯓釉u(píng)論你?你能否聽到這樣的說，“他是個(gè)偉大的人”或“人們的確會(huì)懷念她”，他們還會(huì)說些什么?
人生最奇異的現(xiàn)象之一就是，你從事的事業(yè)在你死后仍將長(zhǎng)久存在。這和你用所的錢進(jìn)行投資以便后人能從中獲益不是如出一轍嗎?也許，如果你審視自己的內(nèi)心深處，你就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)促使你做出這種貢獻(xiàn)的驅(qū)動(dòng)力-一種驅(qū)使每個(gè)人尋找在自己死后仍能繼續(xù)存在的事業(yè)的驅(qū)動(dòng)力。
你希望自己的名字被人記住嗎?你希望別人提起你的名字時(shí)心懷敬畏嗎?你希望自己的面容被雕刻在50英尺高的花崗巖上嗎?答案真的那么簡(jiǎn)單嗎?貢獻(xiàn)一生的目的難道終將一死之人想要獲得不朽名聲的自我鞭策的欲望?抑或是其他更偉大的事物?
今天活著的孩子明天就會(huì)死去。一個(gè)有可能成為下一個(gè)愛因斯坦的嬰兒會(huì)死于出生并發(fā)癥。生命的情形并不是固定不變的。我們并沒有注定都要活到老年。我們已經(jīng)認(rèn)識(shí)到，生命是一個(gè)周期，其時(shí)間長(zhǎng)度是特定的。如果這些時(shí)間沒有被充分利用，那就是個(gè)悲劇，因?yàn)槿说臐撃苓�未實(shí)現(xiàn)，因?yàn)榛鸹ㄟ�沒形成火焰就被補(bǔ)滅。
由于存在于肉體之中，所以我們接受這些風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。我們使易朽的肉體服從周圍物理環(huán)境的法則。你仔細(xì)想一想就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，這種交易并不是那么糟糕。當(dāng)我們幻想生命應(yīng)該如何時(shí)，問題就來了。當(dāng)生命和我們的幻想不一致時(shí)，我們就變得煩惱，無奈或沮喪。
我們活著，那我們就要活得精彩;我們有能力體驗(yàn)，那我們就要體驗(yàn)人生甘苦;我們有能力學(xué)習(xí)，那我們就要在學(xué)海徜徉。生命的意義可以在一瞬間抓住-一個(gè)經(jīng)常被我們忽略的短暫瞬間。
當(dāng)生命戲劇般地一幕幕拉開時(shí)，其中隱含的意義是什么?當(dāng)我們周圍所有其他都似乎隨著時(shí)間而消逝時(shí)，我們能夠掌握哪個(gè)真理并依靠它來生活呢?
這些瞬間串聯(lián)在一起，我們稱之為事件。這些事件串聯(lián)系在一起， 我們稱之為生活。當(dāng)我們抓住那個(gè)瞬間并按照我們的意志來改變它-這意志受到我們內(nèi)心深處的精神的驅(qū)使，我們就發(fā)現(xiàn)了生命的意義-這意義將在我們離開地球之后長(zhǎng)久存在。
Relish the Moment 品位現(xiàn)在
Tucked away in our subconsciousness is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the moment. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn ad wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering---waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
“When we reach the station, that will be it!” we cry. “When I’m 18.” “When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz!” “When I put the last kid through college.” “When I have paid off the mortgage!” “When I get a promotion.” “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!”
Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.
譯文：
品味現(xiàn)在
我們的潛意識(shí)里藏著一派田園詩(shī)般的風(fēng)光! 我們仿佛身處一次橫貫大陸的漫漫旅程之中! 乘著火車, 我們領(lǐng)略著窗外流動(dòng)的景色：附近高速公路上奔馳的汽車、十字路口處招手的孩童、遠(yuǎn)山上吃草的牛群、源源不斷地從電廠排放出的煙塵、一片片的玉米和小麥、平原與山谷、群山與綿延的丘陵、天空映襯下城市的輪廓, 以及鄉(xiāng)間的莊園宅第!
然而我們心里想得最多的卻是最終的目的地! 在某一天的某一時(shí)刻, 我們將會(huì)抵達(dá)進(jìn)站! 迎接我們的將是樂隊(duì)和飄舞的彩旗! 一旦到了那兒, 多少美夢(mèng)將成為現(xiàn)實(shí), 我們的生活也將變得完整, 如同一塊理好了的拼圖! 可是我們現(xiàn)在在過道里不耐煩地踱來踱去, 咒罵火車的拖拖拉拉! 我們期待著, 期待著, 期待著火車進(jìn)站的那一刻!
"當(dāng)我們到站的時(shí)候, 一切就都好了! "我們呼喊著! "當(dāng)我18歲的時(shí)候! ""當(dāng)我有了一輛新450SL奔馳的時(shí)候! ""當(dāng)我供最小的孩子念完大學(xué)的時(shí)候! ""當(dāng)我償清貸款的時(shí)候! ""當(dāng)我官升高任的時(shí)候! ""當(dāng)我到了退休的時(shí)候, 就可以從此過上幸福的生活啦! "
可是我們終究會(huì)認(rèn)識(shí)到人生的旅途中并沒有車站, 也沒有能夠"一到永逸"的地方!生活的真正樂趣在于旅行的過程, 而車站不過是個(gè)夢(mèng), 它始終遙遙于我們!
真正令人發(fā)瘋的不是今日的負(fù)擔(dān), 而是對(duì)昨日的悔恨及對(duì)明日的恐懼! 悔恨與恐懼是一對(duì)孿生竊賊, 將今天從你我身邊偷走!
那么就不要在過道里徘徊吧, 別老惦記著你離車站還有多遠(yuǎn)! 何不換一種活法, 將更多的高山攀爬, 多吃點(diǎn)兒冰淇淋甜甜嘴巴, 經(jīng)常光著腳板兒溜達(dá), 在更多的河流里暢游, 多看看夕陽(yáng)西下, 多點(diǎn)歡笑哈哈, 少讓淚水滴答! 生活得一邊過一邊瞧! 車站就會(huì)很快到達(dá)!
