青年人的四種選擇
Lesson 2 Four Choices for Young People
在畢業(yè)前不久，斯坦福大學(xué)四年級(jí)主席吉姆？賓司給我寫了一封信，信中談及他的一些不安。
Shortly before his graduation， Jim Binns， president of the senior class at Stanford University， wrote me about some of his misgivings.
他寫道：“與其他任何一代人相比，我們這一代人在看待成人世界時(shí)抱有更大的疑慮……同時(shí)越來(lái)越傾向于全盤否定成人世界?！?BR> “More than any other generation，” he said， “our generation views the adult world with great skepticism… there is also an increased tendency to reject completely that world.”
很明顯，他的話代表了許多同齡人的看法。
Apparently he speaks for a lot of his contemporaries.
在過(guò)去的幾年里，我傾聽過(guò)許多年輕人的談話，他們有的還在大學(xué)讀書，有的已經(jīng)畢業(yè)，他們對(duì)于成人的世界同樣感到不安。
During the last few years， I have listened to scores of young people， in college and out， who were just as nervous about the grown world.
大致來(lái)說(shuō)，他們的態(tài)度可歸納如下：“這個(gè)世界亂糟糟的，到處充滿了不平等、貧困和戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)。對(duì)此該負(fù)責(zé)的大概應(yīng)是那些管理這個(gè)世界的成年人吧。如果他們不能做得比這些更好，他們又能拿什么來(lái)教育我們呢？這樣的教導(dǎo)，我們根本不需要?！?BR> Roughly， their attitude might be summed up about like this： “The world is in pretty much of a mess， full of injustice， poverty， and war. The people responsible are， presumably， the adults who have been running thing. If they can't do better than that， what have they got to teach our generation？ That kind of lesson we can do without.”
我覺(jué)得這些結(jié)論合情合理，至少?gòu)乃麄兊慕嵌葋?lái)看是這樣的。
There conclusions strike me as reasonable， at least from their point of view.
對(duì)成長(zhǎng)中的一代人來(lái)說(shuō)，相關(guān)的問(wèn)題不是我們的社會(huì)是否完美（我們可以想當(dāng)然地認(rèn)為是這樣），而是應(yīng)該如何去應(yīng)付它。
The relevant question for the arriving generation is not whether our society is imperfect （we can take that for granted）， but how to deal with it.
盡管這個(gè)社會(huì)嚴(yán)酷而不合情理，但它畢竟是我們惟一擁有的世界。
For all its harshness and irrationality， it is the only world we've got.
因此，選擇一個(gè)辦法去應(yīng)付這個(gè)社會(huì)是剛剛步入成年的年輕人必須作出的第一個(gè)決定，這通常是他們一生中最重要的決定。
Choosing a strategy to cope with it， then， is the first decision young adults have to make， and usually the most important decision of their lifetime.
根據(jù)我的發(fā)現(xiàn)，他們的基本選擇只有四種：
So far as I have been able to discover， there are only four basic alternatives：
1）脫離傳統(tǒng)社會(huì)
1）Drop Out
這是最古老的方法之一，任何年齡的人無(wú)論在任何地方，也無(wú)論是否使用迷幻劑都可以采用。
This is one of the oldest expedients， and it can be practiced anywhere， at any age， and with or without the use of hallucinogens.
那些認(rèn)為這個(gè)世界殘酷、復(fù)雜得令人難以忍受的人通常會(huì)選擇這個(gè)辦法。
It always has been the strategy of choice for people who find the world too brutal or too complex to be endured.
實(shí)質(zhì)上，這是一種寄生式的生活方式，采取此策略的人通過(guò)這樣或那樣的方式寄生于這個(gè)他們蔑視的社會(huì)，并且拒絕對(duì)這個(gè)社會(huì)承擔(dān)責(zé)任
By definition， this way of life is parasitic. In one way or another， its practitioners batten on the society which they scorn and in which they refuse to take any responsibility.
我們中的一些人對(duì)此很厭惡——認(rèn)為這種生活方式很不光彩。
Some of us find this distasteful – an undignified kind of life.
但對(duì)于那些卑微、懶惰又缺乏自尊的人來(lái)說(shuō)，這也許是可行的最可以忍受的選擇了。
But for the poor in spirit， with low levels of both energy and pride， it may be the least intolerable choice available.
2）逃避現(xiàn)實(shí)社會(huì)
2） Flee
這個(gè)策略早在遠(yuǎn)古就有先例。
This strategy also has ancient antecedents.
自文明誕生以來(lái)，就有人企圖逃避文明社會(huì)，希望尋求一種更為樸素、更富田園風(fēng)情、更為寧?kù)o的生活。
Ever since civilization began， certain individuals have tried to run away from it in hopes of finding a simpler， more pastoral， and more peaceful life.
與那些脫離傳統(tǒng)社會(huì)的人不同，這些人不是寄生者。他們?cè)敢庾允称淞?，愿意為社?huì)作出貢獻(xiàn)，可是他們就是不喜歡這個(gè)文明世界的環(huán)境。確地說(shuō)，不喜歡這充滿丑惡和緊張的大都市。
Unlike the dropouts， they are not parasites. They are willing to support themselves and to contribute something to the general community， but they simply don't like the environment of civilization； that is， the city， with all its ugliness and tension.
這種方法的問(wèn)題在于無(wú)法大規(guī)模地進(jìn)行實(shí)踐。
The trouble with this solution is that it no longer is practical on a large scale.
不幸的是，在我們的地球上，高尚的野蠻人和未被破壞的自然景色已越來(lái)越少；除了兩極地區(qū)以外已經(jīng)沒(méi)有未開發(fā)的土地了。
Our planet， unfortunately， is running out of noble savages and unsullied landscaped； except for the polar regions， the frontiers are gone.
少數(shù)富有的鄉(xiāng)紳還可以逃避現(xiàn)實(shí)去過(guò)田園生活——但總的說(shuō)來(lái)，遷移的潮流是向相反的方向流動(dòng)。
A few gentleman farmers with plenty of money can still escape to the bucolic life – but in general the stream of migration is flowing the other way.
3）策劃革命
Plot a Revolution
在對(duì)民主進(jìn)程單調(diào)乏味的運(yùn)作方式毫無(wú)耐心或相信只有武力才能改變基本社會(huì)制度的那些人中，這一策略頗受歡迎。
This strategy is always popular among those who have no patience with the tedious working of the democratic process or who believe that basic institutions can only be changed by force.
它吸引了每一代年輕人中那些更為活躍和更具理想主義的人。
It attracts some of the more active and idealistic young people of every generation.
對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō)，這種策略具有浪漫的吸引力，通常以某位魅力非凡且令人振奮的人物為其象征。
To them it offers a romantic appeal， usually symbolized by some dashing and charismatic figure.
這一策略簡(jiǎn)單明了并具有更大的吸引力：“既然這個(gè)社會(huì)已經(jīng)無(wú)可救藥，那就讓我們?cè)宜樗?，在它的廢墟上面建一個(gè)更好的社會(huì)?！?BR> It has the even greater appeal of simplicity： “Since this society is hopelessly bad， let's smash it and build something better on the ruins.”
我的朋友中有些是革命者，他們中的一些人過(guò)得相當(dāng)滿足。
Some of my best friends have been revolutionists， and a few of them have led reasonably satisfying lives.
這部分人其實(shí)是那些革命并未成功的人，他們可以繼續(xù)興高采烈地策劃*，直至老態(tài)龍鐘。
These are the ones whose revolutions did not come off； they have been able to keep on cheerfully plotting their holocausts right into their senescence.
另外一些人年紀(jì)輕輕就死了，死在監(jiān)獄里或街壘旁。
Others died young， in prison or on the barricades.
但最不幸的是那些革命成功的人。
But the most unfortunate are those whose revolutions have succeeded.
他們極度失望，看到他們*的權(quán)力機(jī)構(gòu)又被新機(jī)構(gòu)所替代，而新機(jī)構(gòu)依舊是那樣冷酷，那樣毫無(wú)生機(jī)。
They lived in bitter disillusionment， to see the establishment they had overthrown replaced by a new one， just as hard-faced and stuffy.
當(dāng)然，我并不是說(shuō)革命一無(wú)所成。
I am not， of course， suggesting that revolutions accomplish nothing.
一些革命（美國(guó)革命，法國(guó)革命）確實(shí)將事情變得越來(lái)越好。
Some （The American Revolution， the French Revolution） clearly do change things for the better.
我只是想說(shuō)革命無(wú)論成敗，那些策劃革命的革命者們都注定要失望。
My point is merely that the idealists who make the revolution are bound to be disappointed in either case.
因?yàn)閯倮氖锕鉄o(wú)論如何也不會(huì)照耀在他們夢(mèng)想中的那個(gè)擺脫了人類一切卑劣的燦爛的新世界上。
For at best their victory never dawns on the shining new world they had dreamed of， cleansed of all human meanness.
相反，它照在了一個(gè)熟悉的平庸的地方，這個(gè)地方仍舊需要食品雜貨和污水排放。
Instead it dawns on a familiar， workaday place， still in need of groceries and sewage disposal.
Lesson 2 Four Choices for Young People
在畢業(yè)前不久，斯坦福大學(xué)四年級(jí)主席吉姆？賓司給我寫了一封信，信中談及他的一些不安。
Shortly before his graduation， Jim Binns， president of the senior class at Stanford University， wrote me about some of his misgivings.
他寫道：“與其他任何一代人相比，我們這一代人在看待成人世界時(shí)抱有更大的疑慮……同時(shí)越來(lái)越傾向于全盤否定成人世界?！?BR> “More than any other generation，” he said， “our generation views the adult world with great skepticism… there is also an increased tendency to reject completely that world.”
很明顯，他的話代表了許多同齡人的看法。
Apparently he speaks for a lot of his contemporaries.
在過(guò)去的幾年里，我傾聽過(guò)許多年輕人的談話，他們有的還在大學(xué)讀書，有的已經(jīng)畢業(yè)，他們對(duì)于成人的世界同樣感到不安。
During the last few years， I have listened to scores of young people， in college and out， who were just as nervous about the grown world.
大致來(lái)說(shuō)，他們的態(tài)度可歸納如下：“這個(gè)世界亂糟糟的，到處充滿了不平等、貧困和戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)。對(duì)此該負(fù)責(zé)的大概應(yīng)是那些管理這個(gè)世界的成年人吧。如果他們不能做得比這些更好，他們又能拿什么來(lái)教育我們呢？這樣的教導(dǎo)，我們根本不需要?！?BR> Roughly， their attitude might be summed up about like this： “The world is in pretty much of a mess， full of injustice， poverty， and war. The people responsible are， presumably， the adults who have been running thing. If they can't do better than that， what have they got to teach our generation？ That kind of lesson we can do without.”
我覺(jué)得這些結(jié)論合情合理，至少?gòu)乃麄兊慕嵌葋?lái)看是這樣的。
There conclusions strike me as reasonable， at least from their point of view.
對(duì)成長(zhǎng)中的一代人來(lái)說(shuō)，相關(guān)的問(wèn)題不是我們的社會(huì)是否完美（我們可以想當(dāng)然地認(rèn)為是這樣），而是應(yīng)該如何去應(yīng)付它。
The relevant question for the arriving generation is not whether our society is imperfect （we can take that for granted）， but how to deal with it.
盡管這個(gè)社會(huì)嚴(yán)酷而不合情理，但它畢竟是我們惟一擁有的世界。
For all its harshness and irrationality， it is the only world we've got.
因此，選擇一個(gè)辦法去應(yīng)付這個(gè)社會(huì)是剛剛步入成年的年輕人必須作出的第一個(gè)決定，這通常是他們一生中最重要的決定。
Choosing a strategy to cope with it， then， is the first decision young adults have to make， and usually the most important decision of their lifetime.
根據(jù)我的發(fā)現(xiàn)，他們的基本選擇只有四種：
So far as I have been able to discover， there are only four basic alternatives：
1）脫離傳統(tǒng)社會(huì)
1）Drop Out
這是最古老的方法之一，任何年齡的人無(wú)論在任何地方，也無(wú)論是否使用迷幻劑都可以采用。
This is one of the oldest expedients， and it can be practiced anywhere， at any age， and with or without the use of hallucinogens.
那些認(rèn)為這個(gè)世界殘酷、復(fù)雜得令人難以忍受的人通常會(huì)選擇這個(gè)辦法。
It always has been the strategy of choice for people who find the world too brutal or too complex to be endured.
實(shí)質(zhì)上，這是一種寄生式的生活方式，采取此策略的人通過(guò)這樣或那樣的方式寄生于這個(gè)他們蔑視的社會(huì)，并且拒絕對(duì)這個(gè)社會(huì)承擔(dān)責(zé)任
By definition， this way of life is parasitic. In one way or another， its practitioners batten on the society which they scorn and in which they refuse to take any responsibility.
我們中的一些人對(duì)此很厭惡——認(rèn)為這種生活方式很不光彩。
Some of us find this distasteful – an undignified kind of life.
但對(duì)于那些卑微、懶惰又缺乏自尊的人來(lái)說(shuō)，這也許是可行的最可以忍受的選擇了。
But for the poor in spirit， with low levels of both energy and pride， it may be the least intolerable choice available.
2）逃避現(xiàn)實(shí)社會(huì)
2） Flee
這個(gè)策略早在遠(yuǎn)古就有先例。
This strategy also has ancient antecedents.
自文明誕生以來(lái)，就有人企圖逃避文明社會(huì)，希望尋求一種更為樸素、更富田園風(fēng)情、更為寧?kù)o的生活。
Ever since civilization began， certain individuals have tried to run away from it in hopes of finding a simpler， more pastoral， and more peaceful life.
與那些脫離傳統(tǒng)社會(huì)的人不同，這些人不是寄生者。他們?cè)敢庾允称淞?，愿意為社?huì)作出貢獻(xiàn)，可是他們就是不喜歡這個(gè)文明世界的環(huán)境。確地說(shuō)，不喜歡這充滿丑惡和緊張的大都市。
Unlike the dropouts， they are not parasites. They are willing to support themselves and to contribute something to the general community， but they simply don't like the environment of civilization； that is， the city， with all its ugliness and tension.
這種方法的問(wèn)題在于無(wú)法大規(guī)模地進(jìn)行實(shí)踐。
The trouble with this solution is that it no longer is practical on a large scale.
不幸的是，在我們的地球上，高尚的野蠻人和未被破壞的自然景色已越來(lái)越少；除了兩極地區(qū)以外已經(jīng)沒(méi)有未開發(fā)的土地了。
Our planet， unfortunately， is running out of noble savages and unsullied landscaped； except for the polar regions， the frontiers are gone.
少數(shù)富有的鄉(xiāng)紳還可以逃避現(xiàn)實(shí)去過(guò)田園生活——但總的說(shuō)來(lái)，遷移的潮流是向相反的方向流動(dòng)。
A few gentleman farmers with plenty of money can still escape to the bucolic life – but in general the stream of migration is flowing the other way.
3）策劃革命
Plot a Revolution
在對(duì)民主進(jìn)程單調(diào)乏味的運(yùn)作方式毫無(wú)耐心或相信只有武力才能改變基本社會(huì)制度的那些人中，這一策略頗受歡迎。
This strategy is always popular among those who have no patience with the tedious working of the democratic process or who believe that basic institutions can only be changed by force.
它吸引了每一代年輕人中那些更為活躍和更具理想主義的人。
It attracts some of the more active and idealistic young people of every generation.
對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō)，這種策略具有浪漫的吸引力，通常以某位魅力非凡且令人振奮的人物為其象征。
To them it offers a romantic appeal， usually symbolized by some dashing and charismatic figure.
這一策略簡(jiǎn)單明了并具有更大的吸引力：“既然這個(gè)社會(huì)已經(jīng)無(wú)可救藥，那就讓我們?cè)宜樗?，在它的廢墟上面建一個(gè)更好的社會(huì)?！?BR> It has the even greater appeal of simplicity： “Since this society is hopelessly bad， let's smash it and build something better on the ruins.”
我的朋友中有些是革命者，他們中的一些人過(guò)得相當(dāng)滿足。
Some of my best friends have been revolutionists， and a few of them have led reasonably satisfying lives.
這部分人其實(shí)是那些革命并未成功的人，他們可以繼續(xù)興高采烈地策劃*，直至老態(tài)龍鐘。
These are the ones whose revolutions did not come off； they have been able to keep on cheerfully plotting their holocausts right into their senescence.
另外一些人年紀(jì)輕輕就死了，死在監(jiān)獄里或街壘旁。
Others died young， in prison or on the barricades.
但最不幸的是那些革命成功的人。
But the most unfortunate are those whose revolutions have succeeded.
他們極度失望，看到他們*的權(quán)力機(jī)構(gòu)又被新機(jī)構(gòu)所替代，而新機(jī)構(gòu)依舊是那樣冷酷，那樣毫無(wú)生機(jī)。
They lived in bitter disillusionment， to see the establishment they had overthrown replaced by a new one， just as hard-faced and stuffy.
當(dāng)然，我并不是說(shuō)革命一無(wú)所成。
I am not， of course， suggesting that revolutions accomplish nothing.
一些革命（美國(guó)革命，法國(guó)革命）確實(shí)將事情變得越來(lái)越好。
Some （The American Revolution， the French Revolution） clearly do change things for the better.
我只是想說(shuō)革命無(wú)論成敗，那些策劃革命的革命者們都注定要失望。
My point is merely that the idealists who make the revolution are bound to be disappointed in either case.
因?yàn)閯倮氖锕鉄o(wú)論如何也不會(huì)照耀在他們夢(mèng)想中的那個(gè)擺脫了人類一切卑劣的燦爛的新世界上。
For at best their victory never dawns on the shining new world they had dreamed of， cleansed of all human meanness.
相反，它照在了一個(gè)熟悉的平庸的地方，這個(gè)地方仍舊需要食品雜貨和污水排放。
Instead it dawns on a familiar， workaday place， still in need of groceries and sewage disposal.