Lesson2 Parent-children relationship by Bertrand Russell
The value of parental affection to children lies largely in the fact that it is more reliable than any other affection. One's friends like one for one's merits, one's lovers for one's charms; if the merits or the charms diminish, friends and lovers may vanish. But it is in times of misfortune that parents are most to be relied upon, in illness, and even in disgrace if the parents are of the right sort.
We all feel pleasure when we are admired for our merits, but most of us are sufficiently modest at heart to feel that such admiration is precarious. Our parents love us because we are their children and this is an unalterable fact, so that we feel safer with them than with anyone else. In times of success this may seem unimportant, but in times of failure it affords a consolation and a security not to be found elsewhere.
precarious adj. 不稳定的
unalterable adj. 不能变更的
consolation n. 安慰 , 起安慰作用的人或事物
父母和子女的关系
父母对子女的爱比其他任何感情都稳定可靠，在很大程度上这是其价值所在。朋友喜欢我们是因为我们的美德，爱人爱我们是因为我们的魅力。如果这些美德或者魅力减弱了，我们可能会失去朋友和爱人。但是在我们遭遇不幸时，父母是我们最可依赖的。如果遇到好的父母，即使我们声名扫地，也是如此。
有人敬仰我们的美德时，我们都会感到快乐，但是我们大多数人的内心都知道，这种敬仰是不可靠的。我们的父母爱我们是因为我们是他们的子女，这是不可改变的事实，所以和父母在一起时我们会感到比和其他任何人在一起时都安全。我们功成名就时，这可能显得并不重要。但是在我们失意的时候，父母给予我们的安慰和安全感是通过其他任何途径都无法得到的。 |