雙語閱讀：金錢買不到幸福或許時間可以
摘要：當人們去遠方度假時，往往會發現時間過得與平時很不一樣。熱帶地區悠閒的節奏讓我們習慣於“島上的時間”，過得更加放鬆。去大城市令人興奮，卻也被充滿活力的快節奏生活弄得筋疲力盡。
While on vacation in distant locales, people often find that time moves quite differently than inthe places they’re used to. In the tropics, we settle into the grooves of “island time” and relaxthanks to a more leisurely rhythm. A trip to a big city can leave us exhilarated but alsodrained by the energetic whir of life there.
The different paces of different communities also seem to be connected to other culturalcharacteristics. Robert Levine and his colleagues have studied the speed of life in cities aroundthe world and across the U.S. In a series of experiments they measured how fast solitarypedestrians in a downtown core covered a distance of 60 feet (being careful to exclude thosewho are obviously window shopping), timed how long it took to complete a simple commercialtransaction, and recorded the accuracy of randomly selected clocks in the downtownbusiness area. They found that places with a faster pace of life also had more robust economies(as measured by GDP per capita, average purchasing power, and average caloric intake), andthat people in larger cities tended to move faster than those in less populated areas. They alsofound truth to the stereotype that people move slower in hotter places.
金錢買不到幸福 或許時間可以
據科技雜誌Nautilus報道，當人們去遠方度假時，往往會發現時間過得與平時很不一樣。熱帶地區悠閒的節奏讓我們習慣於“島上的時間”，過得更加放鬆。去大城市令人興奮，卻也被充滿活力的快節奏生活弄得筋疲力盡。
羣體間不同的生活節奏是與他們的文化有關的。羅伯特?萊文和他的同事們對全球各個城市和美國各地的生活節奏做了一個調查。通過一系列的實驗，他們計算出了每個城市裏的人走過60英尺需要的時間(他們仔細地將其中明顯是在逛街的人排除在外)，計算了一樁買賣成交需要的時間，並且記錄了在中心商業區隨機挑選的時鐘的準確性。他們發現節奏快的地方往往是那些經濟更加發達的地方(通過對比人均GDP、平均購買力還有平均熱量攝入)，並且人們在大城市裏比在人口少的地方走得更快。他們也發現了人們在熱的地方走得更慢這一慣例。
So as you might expect, fast-moving people are associated with fast-moving economies. Butdoes that faster life translate into greater happiness? In faster places (specifically, economicallydeveloped areas of North America, Western Europe, and Asia), people were more likely tosmoke, less likely to take the time to help strangers in need, and more likely to die fromcoronary heart disease. Yet Levine and his colleagues found that residents in faster placestended to report feeling somewhat happier with their lives than those who lived in slower places.A city’s pace of life was indeed “significantly related” to the physical, social, and psychologicalwell-being of its inhabitants.
正如你所想象的那樣，快節奏的人們和高速增長的經濟相關。但是快節奏的生活就意味着幸福麼?在快節奏的地方(尤其是經濟發達地區，如北美、西歐和亞洲)，更多的人抽菸，更少的人會去幫助那些需要幫助的人，並且更容易死於冠心病。但是萊文和他的同事們發現，在快節奏城市生活的人覺得自己比那些生活在慢節奏城市的人更加幸福。一個城市的生活節奏明顯與居民的身體健康、社會意識和心理狀態息息相關。
Perhaps the higher reported rates of happiness simply reflect the fact that faster places havemore robust economies. But the relationship between income and reported happiness is farfrom obvious. According to the “Easterlin paradox” (named after economist Richard Easterlin),once people have enough money to meet their basic needs, having more money is notnecessarily correlated with higher self-reported happiness. Easterlin’s claims are controversialand not universally accepted; even if his theory is correct, wealthier nations might be happieroverall if they address the basic needs to more of their people. In any case, the ongoingdebate indicates that we need to tread carefully when making connections between happinessand overall economic factors.
也許更高的幸福指數反應出了這樣一個事實：快節奏的城市擁有更好的經濟發展。但是收入與幸福指數間的關係並不明顯。根據伊斯特林悖論(以經濟學家理查德?伊斯特林的名字命名)，一旦人們擁有足夠的錢滿足基本的生活需求，收入與幸福指數關聯得並不緊密。伊斯特林悖論存在着爭議也沒有被普遍接受，儘管他的理論是對的，在滿足了更多人們的基本生活需求時，總的來說更富有的國家幸福指數會高些。無論如何，依舊持續着的爭議告訴我們將幸福指數和整體經濟因素進行關聯時需要多加小心。
Among individuals in a society, busyness—or the feeling of busyness—seems to be animportant factor in well-being. That feeling of busyness—of having a lot to do and too littletime in which to do itis often associated with stress and anxiety. However in many contextsbeing “busy” is badge of honor: Busy parents are seen as devoted to their children’s well-being, the busy real estate agent must be closing lots of sales, and the busy lawyer can chargea premium hourly rate. In US studies, the happiest people reported that they were busy, in thesense that they had little excess time, yet did not feel rushed. Like big-city dwellers, theyseemed to thrive at a faster pace.
對社會中的個體來說，忙碌——或者感覺忙碌——似乎是影響狀態的重要因素。忙碌的感覺——有很多的事情要做，卻沒有多少時間的感覺經常帶來壓力與焦慮。但在很多的情況下，忙碌是一個光榮的標誌：忙碌的父母被認爲是爲了讓孩子過得好;忙碌的房地產經紀人則與客戶更加親密;忙碌的律師的時薪也更高。在美國的調查發現，幸福指數最高的人都很忙，也就意味着他們沒有多餘的時間，也不覺得匆忙。就好像大城市的居民們，他們似乎喜歡更快的生活節奏。
Levine’s work raises the intriguing possibility that an individual’s feelings about their use oftime contribute as much or more to their happiness as does economics. Now the bigchallenge is to find out which way the causal chain works: Does the feeling of being active, yetnot rushed, contribute to happiness? Or does happiness allow people to perceive their use oftime in positive ways?
萊文的研究顯示了對時間利用的個人感覺可能比經濟更加影響幸福指數。現在的問題時需要找出這樣的影響是怎樣發生的：是因爲充實並不匆忙的感覺令人幸福?還是幸福讓人們更加積極地利用他們的時間?
你是我的幸福
She was dancing. My crippled grandmother wasdancing. I stood in the living room doorwayabsolutely stunned. I glanced at the kitchen tableand sure enough-right under a small, framed drawingon the wall-was a freshly baked peach pie.
她在跳舞。我那身有殘疾的祖母居然在跳舞。我站在客廳的門口,被徹底驚呆了。我掃了一眼廚房的餐桌,果不其然,在餐桌上——牆上那幅小小的鑲框畫像的正下方——有一塊新鮮出爐的烤蜜桃派。
I heard her sing when I opened the door but did notwant to interrupt the beautiful song by yelling I hadarrived, so I just tiptoed to the living room. I looked at how her still-lean body bent beautifully,her arms greeting the sunlight that was pouring through the window. And her legs… Those legsthat had stiffly walked, aided with a cane, insensible shoes as long as I could remember. Nowshe was wearing beautiful dancing shoes and her legs obeyed her perfectly. No limping. Nostiffness. Just beautiful, fluid motion. She was the pet of the dancing world. And then she’d hadher accident and it was all over. I had read that in an old newspaper clipping.
當我推門進屋的時候,我聽到了她在唱歌,但我不想大喊自己回來了,不想打斷那美妙的歌聲,於是我踮着腳尖走到客廳。我看着她那依然消瘦的身體優雅地彎下,她的手臂迎向從窗口傾瀉而入的陽光。而她的腿……自我能記事以來,她總是拄着柺杖,穿着便鞋,走起路來腿腳僵硬。可現在,她正穿着美麗的舞鞋,而她的雙腿完全聽從着她的支配。不再蹣跚,不再僵硬。只有優美、流暢的動作。她曾是舞蹈界的寵兒。可是後來她遭遇了一場意外,舞蹈生涯因此而結束。我是從一張老舊的剪報中讀到這個的。
She turned around in a slow pirouette and saw me standing in the doorway. Her song ended,and her beautiful movements with it, so abruptly that it felt like being shaken awake from abeautiful dream. The sudden silence rang in my ears. Grandma looked so much like a kidcaught with her hand in a cookie jar that I couldn’t help myself, and a slightly nervous laughterescaped. Grandma sighed and turned towards the kitchen. I followed her, not believing myeyes. She was walking with no difficulties in her beautiful shoes. We sat down by the table andcut ourselves big pieces of her delicious peach pie.
她緩緩地轉身做了一個足尖旋轉,見到我站在門口。她的歌聲嘎然而止,還有她那優美的動作,一切停止得如此突然,感覺像是從一場美夢中被人搖醒了。突如其來的寂靜衝擊着我的耳朵。祖母看起來很像是一個伸手從餅乾罐裏偷吃卻被抓了個正着的小孩,我不禁發出了一陣略帶一絲緊張的大笑。祖母嘆了口氣,轉身走向廚房。我跟在她身後,還是不敢相信自己的眼睛。她穿着那雙美麗的舞鞋,行走自如。我們坐在了桌邊,從她那美味的蜜桃派中切出了大大的幾塊,倆人一起吃。
“So…” I blurted, “How did your leg heal?”
“那麼……”我脫口而出道,“你的腿是怎麼好了的?”
“To tell you the truth—my legs have been well all my life,” she said.
“跟你說實話吧——我的腿一直都挺好的,”她說。
“But I don’t understand!” I said, “Your dancing career… I mean… You pretended all theseyears?
“可是我不明白!”我說,“你的舞蹈事業……我是說……難道這些年來你一直在假裝?”
“Very much so,” Grandmother closed her eyes and savored the peach pie, “And for a very goodreason.”
“的確如此,”祖母閉上眼睛,品嚐着蜜桃派,“而且是因爲一個非常好的理由。”
“What reason?”
“什麼理由?”
“Your grandfather.”
“你的祖父。”
“You mean he told you not to dance?”
“你是說,他讓你不要再跳舞了?”
“No, this was my choice. I am sure I would have lost him if I had continued dancing. I weighedfame and love against each other and love won.”
“不,這是我自己的選擇。我確信如果我再繼續跳舞的話,我就會失去他了。我權衡名利和愛情孰輕孰重之後,選擇了愛情。”
She thought for a while and then continued. “We were talking about engagement when yourgrandfather had to go to war. It was the most horrible day of my life when he left. I was soafraid of losing him, the only way I could stay sane was to dance. I put all my energy and timeinto practicing—and I became very good. Critics praised me, the public loved me, but all I couldfeel was the ache in my heart, not knowing whether the love of my life would ever return. Then Iwent home and read and re-read his letters until I fell asleep. He always ended his letters with‘You are my Joy. I love you with my life’ and after that he wrote his name. And then one day aletter came. There were only three sentences: ‘I have lost my leg. I am no longer a whole manand now give you back your freedom. It is best you forget about me.’”
她想了一下,然後接着說道:“當你祖父不得不去從軍參戰的時候,我們已經到了談婚論嫁的階段了。他離開的那段日子是我一生中度過的最可怕的時期。我很害怕會失去他,能讓我不至於瘋掉的唯一方法就是跳舞。我把我所有的精力和時間都投入到了練習之中,於是我成爲了很棒的舞者。評論家對我好評連連,公衆對我鍾情有嘉,可我唯一能感覺到的卻是我心中的痛,因爲不知道我一生的摯愛是否能平安歸來。然後我回到家裏,一遍又一遍地讀着他的來信,直到睡去。他總是在信的結尾寫着:‘你是我的幸福。愛你一生。’然後纔是他的簽名。但有一天我又收到了他的來信。信中只有三句話:‘我失去了一條腿。我不再是一個完整的人了,所以現在我將自由歸還給你。你最好還是把我忘掉吧。’”
“I made my decision there and then. I took my leave, and traveled away from the city. When Ireturned I had bought myself a cane and wrapped my leg tightly with bandages. I told everyoneI had been in a car crash and that my leg would never completely heal again. My dancing dayswere over. No one suspected the story—I had learned to limp convincingly before I returnedhome. And I made sure the first person to hear of my accident was a reporter I knew well. ThenI traveled to the hospital. They had pushed your grandfather outside in his wheelchair. Therewas a cane on the ground by his wheelchair. I took a deep breath, leaned on my cane andlimped to him. ”
“於是我立刻做出了決定。我向衆人告別,離開了這個城市。當我再度歸來的時候,我爲自己買了一副柺杖,並用繃帶把我的腿包得緊緊的。我告訴每一個人,說我遭遇了一場車禍,我的腿再也不可能完全復原了。我的舞蹈生涯就此結束了。沒有人懷疑這個故事——我在回家之前已經學會如何惟妙惟肖地跛行。我確保第一個聽說我出車禍的是一位我熟知的記者。接着我來到了你祖父所在的醫院。他們用輪椅把他推了出來。在他輪椅旁邊的地上有一副柺杖。我深深吸了一口氣,靠在我的柺杖上,一瘸一拐地向他走去。”
By now I had forgotten about the pie and listened to grandma, mesmerized. “What happenedthen?” I hurried her when she took her time eating some pie.
此刻,我已經忘記了那塊蜜桃派,入迷地聽着祖母說話。“然後發生了什麼事情呢?”當她停下來吃了幾口派時,我追問道。
“I told him he was not the only one who had lost a leg, even if mine was still attached to me. Ishowed him newspaper clippings of my accident. ‘So if you think I’m going to let you feel sorryfor yourself for the rest of your life, think again. There is a whole life waiting for us out there! Idon’t intend to be sorry for myself. But I have enough on my plate as it is, so you’d bettersnap out of it too. And I am not going to carry you-you are going to walk yourself.’” Grandmagiggled, a surprisingly girlish sound coming from an old lady with white hair.
“我告訴他,他並不是唯一失去了一條腿的人,儘管我的腿沒給截掉。我給他看了關於我發生車禍的剪報。‘所以,如果你覺得我會讓你在餘生自怨自艾,想都別想。在外面還有全新的生活在等待着我們!我不打算爲此而顧影自憐。而眼下我要做的事情已經夠多的了,所以你最好也趕緊給我振作起來。而且你可別想我會揹你——你要自己向前走。’”祖母咯咯地笑着,這位滿頭銀髮的老婦人令人吃驚地發出了少女般的笑聲。
“I limped a few steps toward him and showed him what I’d taken out of my pocket. ‘Now showme you are still a man,’ I said, ‘I won’t ask again.’ He bent to take his cane from the groundand struggled out of that wheelchair. I could see he had not done it before, because he almostfell on his face, having only one leg. But I was not going to help. And so he managed it on hisown and walked to me and never sat in a wheelchair again in his life.”
“我一瘸一拐地走開了幾步,然後讓他看我從口袋裏掏出的一樣東西。‘現在讓我看看,你還是個男子漢。我可不會說第二次。’他彎下腰從地上拿起他的柺杖,掙扎着從那副輪椅中站出來。可以看得出他之前從未這樣做過,現在只有一條腿的他差點撲倒在地。但我沒打算幫他。接着他設法自己站穩了,向我走來,而且在他的後半生裏再也沒有坐回到輪椅上。”
“What did you show him?” I had to know. Grandma looked at me and grinned. “Twoengagement rings, of course. I had bought them the day after he left for the war and I wasnot going to waste them on any other man.”
“你給他看了什麼東西呢?”我一定要知道。祖母看着我咧嘴而笑,說道:“當然是一對訂婚戒指了。在他從軍參戰的第二天我就買了這對戒指,我可不想把戒指浪費在任
何其他男人身上。”
I looked at the drawing on the kitchen wall, sketched by my grandfather’s hand so many yearsbefore. The picture became distorted as tears filled my eyes. “You are my Joy. I love you withmy life.” I murmured quietly. The young woman in the drawing sat on her park bench and withtwinkling eyes smiled broadly at me, an engagement ring carefully drawn on her finger.
我看着廚房牆壁上的那幅畫像,那是多年前我祖父親手繪就的。我眼中滿含淚水,眼前的畫像變得模糊起來。“你是我的幸福。愛你一生。”我輕聲低語道。畫像中的年輕女人坐在公園長椅上,眼神清亮,笑容可掬地看着我,她的手指上被精心地畫有一枚訂婚戒指。
