欧美人文风情第137篇:我们是为生活工作,还是为工作而活?

 I read a study yesterday. It said that last year, more than half of us actually chose not to take our full vacations from our jobs. 我昨天读了一篇研究。上面显示去年，我们之中超过一半的人竟然选择不远离工作把自己的假期用完。

Question: Don't you think it's crazy that so many of us go into work even when we don't need to be there? 问题是：你不觉得我们之中这么多人就算不需要也还是要去工作很疯狂吗？

Times we could be on the beach buried in sand or traveling the earth, 我们可以待在沙滩上被埋在沙里或环游世界的时光，

we spend it in the office, traveling from desk to desk, buried in paperwork. 我们把它耗在办公室里，环游在办公桌间，被文件资料掩埋。

See, in this chaotic¹ world, everything goes so fast. 瞧，在这纷乱的世界里，一切都进行得如此快速。

We're so busy—seems like everyone's middle name is "Multitask." 我们如此忙碌－－就好像每个人的中间名都是“一心多用”。

But now, now before you go and act all holier-than-thou, 但现在，在你表现得自以为高人一等前，

how many extra tabs do you have open on your computer right now? 你的电脑上目前开着几个多余的分页？

See, we all need time to get away from the race, for our family, friends, for the sake² of our mental state, 听着，我们都需要时间来从这竞赛中逃离，为了我们的家人、朋友，为了我们自己的心灵，

time to rewind, recharge, and reconnect—not reporting to the office on emails that should be on redirect. 我们需要倒带、重新充电还有重新连结的时间－－而不是花时间回覆办公室那些应该要被转寄出去的邮件。

Because life, ladies and gentlemen, is all about moments. 因为人生，女士和先生们，全是关于各个时刻。

No one in history has ever been able to hold on to one—not a single soul. 历史上从未有人能够紧握一个时刻－－没有任何人。

And you never get them back. 而且你永远无法重拾那些瞬间。

See, there one goes! No do over, no rewind, no DVD root menu to skip to a previous scene. 你瞧，那里消失一个了!不能重做、不能倒带、没有 DVD 选单可以跳回前一幕。

Ask yourself, How many trips did you almost take? 问问你自己，你几乎踏上了多少旅途？

How many sights have you almost seen? How many moments have you lost thinking about the next one? 你差点就看见了多少风景？你遗失了多少时刻，思考着下一刻？

Thinking that once you get this or get there, maybe that will be the best one? 想着一旦你得到了这个或去到了那里，或许那会是最棒的？

Life has taught me that all we will ever have is "now." 人生教会我，我们始终能拥有的就是“现在”。

But let me be perfectly³ clear, I'm not saying to quit your job, even though I know you deserve⁴ a six-month vacation, twice a year. 但让我说清楚，我不是说要辞掉你的工作，即便我知道你们值得放一个六个月的长假，一年放两次。

But how about small steps? Short trips with long dances, no distractions⁵. 但踏出小小几步如何呢？享受美好时光的小旅行，没有让人分心的事物。

Spend time with family instead of coworkers, meditation⁶ instead of aggravation⁷. 花时间陪伴家人而非同事、花时间沉思而非气恼。

Replace our screensavers with sunrises, Palm Pilots with palm trees, jammed copy machines with 用日出景色取代我们的荧幕保护程式、用棕榈树取代掌上型电脑、卡纸的影印机用

- man,I really hate jammed copy machines. - 老天，我真的超讨厌卡纸的影印机。

The most precious thing we have in life are moments. 我们在人生中所拥有最宝贵的事物就是各个时刻。

Let's make the most of them before they disappear. 让我们在它们消逝前好好利用它们。

Let's see the world while we still can and cherish⁸ those while they're still here. 让我们在还有能力时好好看世界，并在那些人事物还存在这时好好珍惜他们。

Because when our lives are almost over, it won't matter how much money we made, or hours we worked, or times we got Employee of the Month. 因为在我们的人生几乎走到尽头时，我们赚了多少钱，或我们工作了几个小时，或我们得到了几次当月最佳员工都不重要。

What we will look back on are the memories we made, the hours we spent with those we loved, 我们会回顾的是我们创造的回忆、我们和所爱的人度过的时光，

and were we Father of the Month, Mother of the Year, Friend of a Lifetime. 以及我们是不是当月模范父亲、年度模范母亲、一生最佳好友。

Holidays should be a time where we go away and come together. 假期应该是个我们出走并聚首的时光。

From now on, let's take our whole vacation and be fully⁹ present—creating memories that will last forever. 从现在起，让我们好好把握所有假期并彻底享受－－创造出永不消逝的回忆。

 

1 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

2 sake   

n.缘故，理由

参考例句：

• He loves poetry for beauty's sake.他因为爱美而喜欢诗歌。
• We can't risk big things for the sake of small ones.我们不能因小失大。

3 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

4 deserve   

vt.应受，值得；vi. 应受报答，值得受赏

参考例句：

• You really deserve a good beating,you naughty boy.你这个调皮孩子真该打。
• I do not deserve all the praises bestowed upon me.我不配得到这些赞扬。

5 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

7 aggravation   

n.烦恼，恼火

参考例句：

• She stirred in aggravation as she said this. 她说这句话，激动得过分。
• Can't stand the aggravation, all day I get aggravation. You know how it is." 我整天都碰到令人发火的事，你可想而知这是什么滋味。” 来自教父部分

8 cherish   

vt.抱有，怀有（希望等），爱护，抚育，珍爱

参考例句：

• I cherish for you the liveliest feeling of affection and gratitude.我对你怀有最强烈的爱和感激之情。
• We must cherish experience acquired at the cost of blood.我们必须珍惜用鲜血换来的经验。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。