抛弃自己国家的传统来创造更好的社会是一种错误的方式。
一个民族失去了自己的神话，就失去了自我。They live on a windswept island surrounded by glaciers 『冰川；冰河』and volcanoes『火山』. What makes them so content『满足的；甘心的』?他们生活在海风吹拂的小岛上，被冰川和火山所环绕着。是什么使他们如此满足？ In a poll『民意调查』of 18 nations, The Gallup Organization discovered that Icelanders are the happiest people alive. All 267,809 of them. Eighty-two percent are satisfied with their personal lives. The United States ranked『位居；名列』fifth at 72 percent; Japan came in seventh with 42 percent.美国的盖洛普民意测验组织对世界上18个国家的民意测验表明：冰岛人是世界上最快乐的人。参加测试的人数为26.78万人。82%的冰岛人表示满意自己的生活；美国表示满意自己生活的人数为72％，排列第五位；日本排列第七位，人数比率为42％。Some people would say that happy Iceland is a statistical fluke『侥幸』. This is a country so small, an ordinary citizen can make an appointment to see the president.有人会说：快乐的冰岛仅仅是统计上的巧合。这个国家如此之小，普通的公民也能受到总统的接见。 True, Iceland is no utopia. Icelanders are big boozers 『酒徒』, with a fishing tradition of binge『狂欢作乐』drinking. Almost a third of the births are out of wedlock『私生的』. But that’s what makes the Gallup study so interesting. Icelanders have problems like the rest of us, yet they are happy with their lot『命运；运气』. So what gives?确实，冰岛并非天堂，冰岛有传统的打鱼豪饮的习惯，酒鬼很多，近三分之一的孩子没有父亲。然而，正因为如此，盖洛普的这项研究才显得更加有趣。因为，像我们一样，冰岛人有许多问题，但是，他们却安命乐天。这究竟是为什么呢？Consider Thorir Hlynur Thorisson, 28. For his vacation, he spent a month working 16-hour days, seven days a week, as a fishing guide. It was “heaven on earth,” he says. Then after a single night off, he was back at his regular job—on a fishing boat, working six hours on, six hours off, around the clock.让我们来看一看，一个名叫索赫·赫利纳·索雷逊的28岁的冰岛人是怎样看待生活的。索雷逊在一个月的假期中，为自己找了一份捕渔向导的工作，他一周工作7天，每天工作16个小时,他把这种生活称作“人间的天堂”。假期结束后，他只休息了一个晚上，又接着正常工作起来——在一艘轮船上，每天6小时工作、6小时休息地轮流当班。We would call Hlynur a workaholic『工作狂』, but so are most of his compatriots『同胞』. It pays off. With a per-capita gross domestic product of $19,905 (the U.S. figure is $27,541), Icelanders are among the wealthiest people on earth. Their tax dollars buy them excellent education and medical care. Iceland has the lowest infant mortality rate『婴儿死亡率』in the world, and almost the highest longevity『长寿；长命』.我们可以把赫利纳称为“工作狂”，但是，冰岛人也大多和他一样。当然，他们劳有所得，冰岛国内人均生产总值为1.99万美元（美国是2.75万美元）。他们上缴的利税换来了良好的教育和医疗保障。冰岛的婴儿死亡率位于世界之末，而寿命位于世界之首。 The dour『抑郁的；闷闷不乐的』Swiss have a well-run state and all their material needs met, too, yet no one could accuse them of a cheerful outlook.瑞士是一个秩序井然的国家，人民丰衣足食，生活富裕。可是，瑞士人却郁郁寡欢，闷闷不乐。Sociologist Thorolfur Thorlindsson of the University of Iceland believes the secret lies not in his country’s comforts, but in its age-old 『长期的；古老的』discomforts. They have taught Icelanders to enjoy what they have.冰岛大学社会学家索罗尔非·索林德森认为：冰岛人安命乐天的秘诀在于这个国家长期处于艰难困苦之中，而不在于它的舒适。这些艰难困苦教会了冰岛人“知足常乐”。Isolated『与外界隔绝的；孤立的』in the cold North Atlantic, buffeted『冲击；打击』by a hostile『敌对的；有敌意的』sea, condemned『责备；责怪』to 20 hours of darkness each day in winter, the people have for centuries lived on the vagaries『难以预测的情况』of the fish catch. “Our culture is colored『影响』by the harshness『严酷；艰苦』of nature,” says Thorlindsson. “That’s why Icelanders have a tolerant『宽容；容忍』attitude to the problems of life. They don’t expect the same sort of stability『安定；稳定』often expected in other nations.”冰岛位于寒冷的北大西洋，常年遭受着海水的无情冲击，冬天有20个小时是黑夜，人民世代以艰苦的捕鱼业为生。“我们的文化带着自然严酷的特色，”索林德森说，“这就是为什么冰岛人对生活中的问题宽容的原因。冰岛人并不像其他国家人民一样，希望得到常有的稳定。”And so it seems. Americans are considerably better off『更为富有/富裕』by material standards than ever before. Yet we seem less happy, less contented with our lot.与此相比，我们美国人今天的物质生活条件比以往任何时候都好，但是却没有以往的快乐和满足。 [11]Like Icelanders, Americans are individualists『个人主义者』. Where we seem to differ is in our sense of community『群体；团体』. Iceland, known as the land of “fire and ice,” is about living with opposing forces. It is one of the most active volcanic countries on earth, but has 4536 square miles of glacier—heat and cold, co-existing. No surprise them that its society can reconcile『使调和；使并存』another set of opposing forces: individualism and the needs of the community.[11]美国人和冰岛人都是个人主义者，所不同的是各自的群体意识。冰岛以“火和冰”而闻名遐迩，人民生活在逆境之中。冰岛是世界上活火山最多的国家之一，还有4536平方英里的冰川，堪称冷热并存。无怪乎这个国家能很好地协调个人主义和群体需要这两种对立的观念，使之共存共容。 [12]Anyone who thinks Americans invented rugged『粗鲁的；粗俗的』individualism has only to visit Iceland. This nation has an ancient『古代的；远古的』 respect for independence. Way back in the tenth century, Iceland was a commonwealth『共和国；联邦』; today Icelanders still place high value on their freedom.[12]那些认为是美国人发明了个人主义的人应该到冰岛去看看，这个国家在远古就崇尚独立，早在10世纪就建立了联邦共和国。今天的冰岛人仍然看重自由的价值。 [13]But here’s the paradox『矛盾；似是而非』: this individualism exists with a sense of community. For years I have known an Icelandic family that embraces『包括；接受』a family drunk and an illegitimate『私生的；非法的』child. This family never let them drift, like human flotsam『流浪者；流离失所者』, to be beached『庇护；安顿』at some government institution. “Icelanders have strong systems of support,” says Thorlindsson.[13]然而，这里的个人主义置于群体意识之中。在冰岛，家庭中的酒鬼和私生子不会被抛弃，这是因为冰岛有强有力的社会救济制度。 [14]Tolerance is not hollow 『表面的；虚伪的』 phrase in Iceland. The word for “stupid”is heimskur, which roughly means “comes from home” — or as we would say, provincial『乡下气的；偏狭的』or narrow-minded. Icelanders believe only a dolt『笨蛋；傻瓜』is unable to see the other fellow’s position. In this sense, they might find some of what passes for political debate『讨论；辩论』in the United States absolutely heimskur.[14]在冰岛，忍耐并不是一句空话。冰岛话中“愚蠢”的同义词是“乡巴佬””或“心胸狭隘”。冰岛人认为只有傻瓜才不考虑别人的利益。以此观点，冰岛人可能会发现美国某些提交政府讨论的东西是非常愚蠢的。[15]Most Icelanders travel out into the world as young adults. They learn that theirs is not the only way of doing things. Yet this doesn’t translate into contempt『蔑视；轻视』for their own land and its history.[15]大多数冰岛人年轻时都要到国外去旅行。于是，他们知道自己的生活方式并非是唯一的，但是，并不会因此看不起自己的国家和历史。[16]The 12th-century Icelandic sagas『英雄传说』, studied at universities the world over, are revered『尊重；崇拜』at home. Turn on the radio and at the top of the charts『节目播出单；节目安排表』is Bubbi Morthens, a troubadour『吟游诗人』.[16]在世界上各大学中讲授的冰岛12世纪的传说在国内颇受重视。广播中到处都是吟游诗人巴比·莫森斯的节目。 [17]Last summer in the lava 『火山熔岩』fields of Iceland’s interior 『内地；内陆』, accountant Sigmar Bjornsson pointed out to me a cave where thieves had hidden. He showed me where they stored their weapons, where the villagers attacked, told me how one of the thieves, who had only one leg, walked on his hands to the glacier on the horizon『地平线；水平线』.[17]去年夏天，在岛内溶岩区，一个叫乔恩森的会计师指给我看一个岩洞，告诉我这岩洞曾是小偷的住所，指给我看他们藏匿武器、伏击村民的地方，并讲述了一个独腿贼是怎样以手代脚爬到地平线上的冰川去的。[18]“When did they hole up『躲藏；藏匿』here?” I asked.[18]“他们何时藏身于此？”我问。[19] “About 900 years ago” was the answer. Nearly a millennium『1000年』, and the myth is still alive『存在；保留』.[19]“大约900年前。”将近1000年过去了，可这个故事却依然在传诵。 [20]How many Americans have that kind of familiarity with their nation’s past, its myths『神话；传说』, its history? How many even care?[20]有多少美国人对于自己祖国的过去，传说和历史也那般地熟悉？又有多少人留意过？ [21]I wish America’s multiculturalisms and historical revisionists would grasp『理解；领会』what Icelanders understand: trashing『抛弃；扔掉』your nation’s myths is the wrong way to create a better society. “A nation has to be tolerant of newcomers『新事物』,” say psychiatrist『精神病学家』Niel Micklem. “But if it loses its myths, it loses its center.”[21]我希望美国的多元文化主义者和历史修正主义者能够理解冰岛人的这种思想：抛弃自己国家的传统来创造更好的社会是一种错误的方式。精神病学家尼尔·米克勒姆说：“一个民族应该接受新东西，但是，一个民族失去了自己的神话，就失去了自我。” [22]Maybe I’m wrong. But I suspect『猜想；认为』that this loss of “center” is what makes so many Westerners unhappy amid their affluence『丰富；富裕』.[22]也许我的想法是错误的。但我想正是这种“自我”的失去使得如此众多的西方人在富裕的生活中难以感受到愉快。
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