遲到的頓悟

金姍姍

Recently， I have been thinking a lot about the value of work and how it relates to the so-called “purpose” of life， if we can really call it that. My mom and I have had many lengthy discussions on why it is important to have obstacles in the course of ones life in order to feel like one has had a meaningful existence. I have been fortunate enough to have been born to two intelligent individuals who have strived to make a difference in the world. Consequently， I have been able to live comfortably off of their hard work and accomplishments. Moreover， I have been able to attend a wonderful school without any financial worries that may prevent others from having the same privilege. The gift my parents have given me is the opportunity to receive a fantastic education， but it is up to me to make my own decisions and work hard after that.

近來，我一直在思考關(guān)于工作的價值以及它與所謂的生活“目標(biāo)”之間的關(guān)系，假設(shè)真能這么表達的話。關(guān)于一個人只有在生活中經(jīng)歷種種磨難才能使自己的生命變得更有意義的原因，我和媽媽進行過多次深入探討。我的父母都才華橫溢，他們通過自己的努力來改變這個世界，出生在這樣的家庭我真是太幸運了。由于她們的辛勤勞動和豐碩成果，我才能夠過上富足的生活。而且，我還能沒有任何后顧之憂地進入一所好學(xué)校，而學(xué)費問題可能剝奪很多人的這項權(quán)利。父母賜予我的禮物就是給我機會讓我接受最好的教育，但之后就該由我自己做決定，然后為之努力奮斗。

One of my friends here at school is very wealthy. Her father is a hedge fund manager on Wall Street， and quite obviously makes a substantial amount of income each year. She told me that when she turns 30， she is set to receive a very hefty trust fund from her family. I thought about this for a while， and eventually I decided that this is one of the worst things a parent can do for their children. Essentially， I think he is denying her the ability to motivate herself into creating her own identity and path separate from her parents. As my mom told me， the reason why video games are fun is the obstacles you have to overcome to get to the next level. Sometimes you fail， but you always want to try again. Similarly， life is meaningful when you have something to achieve and work for. My parents started out with very little， but they continued working hard because they believed that there was always something to work for. I think this type of hope is essential to human life， and to deny your child that right is ruining their life. Of course， my friend can always choose not to use that trust fund—but at this age， it is far easier to choose what we think is the “comfortable” path and make wrong decisions. And， it is never the same when you know you have a squashy trust fund to fall back upon when you fail.

我學(xué)校的一個朋友超級有錢。她的父親是華爾街的一位對沖基金經(jīng)理，顯然每年都會有一大筆收入。她告訴我，等到三十歲時，她就能得到家里的一筆巨額信托基金。我思考了片刻，最后我認(rèn)為這是父母為孩子們做的最愚蠢的一件事。關(guān)鍵是，我認(rèn)為她父親忽略了女兒脫離父母之后，完全依靠自己來開創(chuàng)自我身份和人生道路的能力。正如媽媽告訴我的那樣，電子游戲之所以好玩就是由于我們必須攻克難關(guān)才能進入下一階段。有時我們失敗了，但卻總想再試一次。同樣，只要我們擁有想實現(xiàn)和為之奮斗的目標(biāo)，生活就會充滿意義。我的父母幾乎是白手起家，但卻一直兢兢業(yè)業(yè)，因為他們認(rèn)為自己總有奮斗的目標(biāo)。我認(rèn)為這種希望對于人生來說至關(guān)重要，而剝奪孩子的這項權(quán)利無異于毀掉他們的人生。當(dāng)然，我的朋友也可能會選擇不動用那筆信托基金，但在這個時代，我們往往更傾向于選擇一條“舒坦的”人生之路，從而做出一些錯誤的抉擇。而且，我們遭遇失敗時，如果清楚自己有一筆豐厚的信托基金可用，情況也會截然不同。

Human life is defined by experience and the social connections you make. The value of life isnt in breathing and functioning. Although this might seem like a rather ill-conceived example， I always thought that the purpose of the dementors in Harry Potter illustrated this concept quite well. The Dementors Kiss is described to be “worse than death” because the dementor sucks out your soul， leaving you to be an empty shell of a human. Thus， the soul is what matters the most—and the soul can only be created through the experience of life itself. And I think if you take the ability for someone to truly experience all of the hardships and happiness that comes with overcoming those respective hardships， you are denying them a bit of their soul. And no matter what they do， they will never be one-hundred percent happy.

人生的獨特之處就在于我們的生活經(jīng)歷和社交人脈。生活的價值并不在于生存和發(fā)揮作用。我一直認(rèn)為《哈利波特》中攝魂怪的作用就恰如其分地證實了這一看法，雖然這個例子似乎有些拙劣。人們將“攝魂怪之吻”描述成“比死更可怕”的東西，因為它會吸走你的靈魂，只留下一具空皮囊。因此，靈魂對于人來說才是最重要的東西，并且靈魂只能通過生活的經(jīng)歷來塑造。所以，我認(rèn)為如果你奪走了某個人真正經(jīng)歷各種困難以及克服這些困難所帶來的喜悅的能力，就等于奪走了他們的部分靈魂。無論他們在干什么，卻無法得到百分之百的快樂。

Weve seen so many examples where celebrities have completely fallen off the wheel due to their hard-partying lifestyles as a result of the money they have to burn. Young celebrities， in particular， are especially prone to this trap. If you take the hardships of life away and replace it with buckets and buckets of money， people become bored and seek other thrills for stimulation—and in many cases， that stimulation comes in the form of artificial injections， such as drugs and alcohol. Self-medication ends up being the cure， and very ironically， their demise.

許多名人喜歡揮金如土，習(xí)慣了奢侈糜爛的生活方式，結(jié)果最后徹底地腐化墮落了，這樣的例子我們已經(jīng)見過太多太多。尤其是年輕的社會名流，他們特別容易落入這樣的陷阱之中。如果你去掉了生活中的艱難困苦，取而代之的是一桶一桶的金子，人們厭倦了這樣的生活，便開始尋找其它的刺激，并且多數(shù)情況下，這種刺激來自于服用一些人造物品，比如毒品和酒精。只有自我療法才是解藥，但諷刺的是，他們的解藥卻是死亡。

Last week， I watched a movie called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It documents the backstory of one of the most famous sushi chefs in the world， Jiro Ono. Jiro is now 86 years old， yet he continues to work each day， unfailingly striving for ultimate perfection. A few years ago， he received the perfect rating of three Michelin stars， becoming the first restaurant of its kind to be bestowed with that honor. Yet， he still continues to improve his technique day by day. Of course， this kind of work ethic is most likely unmatchable， but it is still inspiring to see that that type of hope and motivation exists in people. The biggest woe that Jiro will have is that four Michelin stars will never exist. As he said himself in the movie， he will always aim to reach the top. The trouble is： who really knows where the top is？

上周，我看過一部名為《壽司之神》的電影。這部電影講述了一位世界有名的壽司大師小野二郎的故事。如今小野已經(jīng)八十六歲了，卻依舊每天堅持工作，為的是不斷努力把壽司做到十全十美。幾年前，他贏得了米其林三星的評級（米其林三星是其對餐廳評級的最高級，“輪胎業(yè)巨擘”米其林公司于1900年發(fā)行的紅色小冊子《米其林指南》是一百多年來銷量最大、收錄最齊全的全球一流餐館、旅館大全年鑒，目前在全球超過7億的發(fā)行量，眾多大廚把贏得米其林星作為畢生追求），成為獲此殊榮的第一家壽司餐館。盡管如此，他仍然夜以繼日地不斷提升自己的廚藝。當(dāng)然，這種敬業(yè)精神確實難以超越，但見識到人身上的這股強大的希望和動力仍然十分鼓舞人心。小野最大的苦惱就是米其林四星根本就不存在。正如他在影片中說的那樣，他一直志在達到頂級水平。但問題是：誰又真的知道頂級水平是怎樣的呢？

Its quite possible that my opinion here is fairly limited， or maybe naive， since I dont have the experience that many much older and wiser than I do. These past weeks I have been studying very hard for my upcoming tests and， like any person of my age， have been complaining. But after having a good， long conversation with my mom， I realize that there is a reason why I complain yet dont quit—because I know that there is something to work for. Even though at times I may dislike working， I will never have the desire to quit.

我的這些想法可能相當(dāng)有限，甚至可能有些幼稚，因為我的生活經(jīng)歷比許多前輩和智者的要少得多。過去的幾周，我一直在用功學(xué)習(xí)備戰(zhàn)即將到來的考試，跟同齡人一樣，我也會抱怨。但與媽媽深入地談?wù)摿艘环螅野l(fā)現(xiàn)自己雖然抱怨但卻從未放棄學(xué)習(xí)的一大原因，那就是我知道自己的奮斗目標(biāo)。盡管有時候我可能討厭工作，但卻從未想過放棄。