我们这个时代的的尴尬
荷叶/译
我们居住的房子越来越宽敞,家庭却越来越小;可以享受的生活便利日益增多,属于自己的时间却越来越少;我们获得的学位证书越来越多,常识却越来越少;我们掌握的知识越来越多,判断力却越来越差;专家越来越多,问题也越来越多;药越吃越多,健康却每况愈下……
我们花钱太大手大脚,笑得太小,车速太快,太容易生气,睡得太晚,起床太累,读书太少,看电视太多,祈祷太少。
我们的财产成倍地增长,价值观却在贬值。我们说得太多,爱得太少,撒谎太频繁。我们学会了谋生,却没学会生活;我们的生活徒增岁月,却没有给岁月增添活力。
我们的建筑越来越高,脾气却越来越暴躁;高速公路越来越宽,眼界却越来越窄。花钱越来越多,拥有却越来越少;购物越来越多,享受却越来越少。
我们已能成功地往返月球,但走过马路见见新邻居却有困难。我们征服了外层空间,却没有征服自己的内心世界。我们能够分离原子,却不能减少偏见;我们写得越来越多,学得却越来越少;我们计划得越来越多,完成得却越来越少。
我们学会了忙碌,却没学会等待;我们的收入越来越高,道德却越来越差。我们制造了更多的电脑来贮存更多的信息,拷贝更多的东西,但人与人之间的交流却日渐减少。我们长于数量,却短于质量。
这是快餐的时代,也是细嚼慢咽的时代;我们个子高了,品质却差了;利润大起大落,人际关系却流于满面。闲暇多了,趣味却少了;食物种类多了,营养却少了;夫妻都有收入,离婚率却增高了;房子越来越漂亮,破碎得家庭却越来越多了。
附:原文
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less common sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get to angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too often, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too little and lie too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years. We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space. We've split the atom, but not our prejudice; we write more, but learn less; plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies, but have less communication. We are long on quantity, but short on quality. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men and short character; steep profits and shallow relationships. More leisure and less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition; two incomes, but more divorce; fancier houses, but broken homes. |