英語(yǔ)美文摘抄：我的世界觀
摘要:我們這些肉體凡胎是多么奇怪啊!每個(gè)人來(lái)到這個(gè)世上都只作短暫停留，究竟為了什么目的卻無(wú)從知曉，雖然有時(shí)覺(jué)得自己好像有所感悟。但是，無(wú)需深入思考，僅從日常生活就可明白，人是為他人而存在的——首先是為這樣一些人：他們的歡笑、健康和福祉與我們的幸福息息相關(guān);其次是為那些為數(shù)眾多的陌生人，因?yàn)橥樗麄儯沟梦覀兣c他們的命運(yùn)聯(lián)系在了一起。
The World as I See It 我的世界觀
By Albert Einstein
How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people—first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. I am strongly drawn to a frugal life and am often oppressively aware that I am engrossing an undue amount of the labor of my fellowmen. I regard class distinctions as unjustified and, in the last resort, based on force. I also believe that a simple and unassuming life is good for everybody, physically and mentally.
我們這些肉體凡胎是多么奇怪啊!每個(gè)人來(lái)到這個(gè)世上都只作短暫停留，究竟為了什么目的卻無(wú)從知曉，雖然有時(shí)覺(jué)得自己好像有所感悟。但是，無(wú)需深入思考，僅從日常生活就可明白，人是為他人而存在的——首先是為這樣一些人：他們的歡笑、健康和福祉與我們的幸福息息相關(guān);其次是為那些為數(shù)眾多的陌生人，因?yàn)橥樗麄儯沟梦覀兣c他們的命運(yùn)聯(lián)系在了一起。每一天，我都上百次地提醒自己，我的精神和物質(zhì)生活都是建立在他人(包括生者和死者)的勞動(dòng)基礎(chǔ)上，對(duì)于我已經(jīng)得到和正在得到的一切，我必須盡力給以相同程度的回報(bào)。我深深向往一種儉樸的生活，由于經(jīng)常意識(shí)到自己占用了同胞太多的勞動(dòng)而心有不安。我認(rèn)為階級(jí)區(qū)分是不正當(dāng)?shù)模渥罱K的達(dá)成方式常常訴諸暴力。我還認(rèn)為，無(wú)論是在身體上還是心理上，過(guò)一種簡(jiǎn)單而不鋪張浪費(fèi)的生活對(duì)每個(gè)人都有好處。
I do not at all believe in human freedom in the philosophical sense. Everybody acts not only under external compulsion but also in accordance with inner necessity. Schopenhauer’s saying, “A man can do what he wants, but not want what he wants,” has been a very real inspiration to me since my youth; it has been a continual consolation in the face of life’s hardships, my own and others’, and an unfailing wellspring of tolerance. This realization mercifully mitigates the easily paralyzing sense of responsibility and prevents us from taking ourselves and other people all too seriously; it is conducive to a view of life which, in particular, gives humor its due.
我完全不相信哲學(xué)意義上的人的自由。每個(gè)人的行為不僅受外在力量的約束，還要與內(nèi)在需求協(xié)調(diào)一致。叔本華說(shuō)：“人可以任意而為，卻不能心想事成。”這句話從我年輕時(shí)起就一直深深地啟發(fā)著我。在面對(duì)生活的艱辛?xí)r——無(wú)論是我自己還是他人的艱辛，這句話總能不斷地給我安慰，成為永不枯竭的忍耐的源泉。這一認(rèn)識(shí)能夠仁慈地緩和那份令人幾欲崩潰的責(zé)任感，并防止我們太把自己或者他人當(dāng)回事，還有助于形成一種尤其幽默的人生觀。
To inquire after the meaning or object of one’s own existence or that of all creatures has always seemed to me absurd from an objective point of view. And yet everybody has certain ideals which determine the direction of his endeavors and his judgments. In this sense I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves—this ethical basis I call the ideal of a pigsty. The ideals which have lighted my way and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. Without the sense of kinship with men of like mind, without the occupation with the objective world, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific endeavors, life would have seemed to me empty. The trite objects of human efforts—possessions, outward success, luxury—have always seemed to me contemptible.
客觀地說(shuō)，探求自己或者其他所有生命存在的意義或者目標(biāo)，我一直都認(rèn)為是荒.唐之舉。然而，每個(gè)人多少都有自己的理想，決定著他的奮斗目標(biāo)和他對(duì)事情的看法。從這個(gè)意義上說(shuō)，我從來(lái)都不會(huì)把安逸和幸福看作終極目標(biāo)——我將這種倫理道德的基礎(chǔ)稱之為“豬圈理想”。一直以來(lái)，是對(duì)真、善、美的追求照亮了我的道路，一次又一次給我以新的勇氣，讓我愉快地面對(duì)生活。如果沒(méi)有對(duì)志同道合者的那種親近感，如果沒(méi)有對(duì)客觀世界——那個(gè)藝術(shù)和科學(xué)研究永遠(yuǎn)也無(wú)法窮極的世界——的孜孜以求，生命對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)就是一場(chǎng)空。那些向來(lái)為世人競(jìng)相追求的目標(biāo)——財(cái)產(chǎn)、奢華和外在的成功——我對(duì)此不屑一顧。