It scares us more than anything except death being alone.

 

享受独处除了了死亡，我们最害怕的就是孤独。

Our fear of aloneness is so ingrained that given the choice of being by ourselves or being with others we opt for safety in numbers, even at the expense of lingering in painful, boring, or totaling unredeeming company. And yet more of us than ever are alone.

以至于让我们选择是独处还是跟别人一起时，我们会选择后者以寻求安全感，甚至不惜付出如此多的代价：长久的痛苦、烦闷或完全无益的陪伴。然而，现在，我们却感受到了从未感受过的强烈孤独。

While many Americans have their solo lifestyles thrust on them people ,people go away-a huge and growing population is choosing to be alone.

当许多美国人开始单身生活时- 因为身边的人去世或者离开-一个日益增加的庞大人群开始选择独身。

In 1955, one in ten U.S. households consisted of one person. By 1999, the proportion was one in three. Single men and women accounted for 38.9 million of the nation’s 110.5 million households.

1955年，美国家庭有1/10 的单亲家庭。到1999年，这个比例扩大到1/3.在这个国家里，110 000 000个家庭中单亲家庭占了38 900 000 。

By 1999, single parents with children under the age of eighteen made up 27.3 percent of the nation’s 70.9 million family households.

到1999年，带着一个18岁以下小孩的单亲家庭已经占到了这个国家70 900 000 个家庭的27.3%

Meanwhile, many more Americans are discovering. In less than three decades, the number of divorced men and women has more than quadrupled- to a total of 18.3 million in 1996, compared to 4.3 million in 1970.

同时更多的美国人离婚了。不到三十年之间，离婚的人数增加为原来的4倍- 到1996 年这一数字已经达到18 300 000 ，而1970年只有4 300 000人。

Never before in American history has living alone been the predominant lifestyle.

独居史无前例地成为美国主流的生活方式。

Nonetheless, we persist in the conviction that a solitary existence Is the harshest penalty life can mete out. We loathe being alone- anytime, anytime, anywhere, for whatever reason. From childhood we’re conditioned to accept that when alone we instinctively ache for company.

然而，我们坚持认为，独居是组残酷的生活方式。我们讨厌独处-无论何时何地，出于何种原因。我们从孩提时就习惯认同，独处时的我们会本能地渴望有人陪伴，认为孤独者都是渴望加入群体生活，而非欣然独处的。