04
Ambition 抱負

Joseph Epstein

約瑟夫·愛潑斯坦

導讀

一個缺乏抱負的世界將會怎樣？沒有競爭？難道你能確定同樣消失的不是競爭所能帶來的教益與樂趣；沒有焦慮？難道你能確定同樣消失的不是人類豐富而敏銳的情感；沒有重壓？難道你能確定同樣消失的不是人類不屈不撓、抗壓前進的可愛品質。雖然我們無法選擇自己的出生、父母、國家，但我們的確可以選擇自己的生活方式：是勇敢無畏還是膽小怯懦，是光明磊落還是厚顏無恥，是目標堅定還是隨波逐流：這些便是抱負所在，也是我們為實現抱負而努力的動力所在、方向所在。

It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition. It would probably be a kinder world: without demands, without abrasions, without disappointments. People would have time for reflection. Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collectivity. Competition would never enter in. Conflict would be eliminated, tension become a thing of the past. The stress of creation would be at an end. Art would no longer be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions. Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die of heart attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor. Anxiety would be extinct. Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart. Ah, how unrelievedly boring life would be?

一個缺乏抱負的世界將會怎樣，這不難想象。或許，這將是一個更為友善的世界：沒有渴求，沒有摩擦，沒有失望。人們將有時間進行反思。他們所從事的工作將不是為了他們自身，而是為了整個集體。競爭永遠不會介入；沖突將被消除。人們的緊張關系將成為過往云煙。創造的重壓將得以終結。藝術將不再惹人費神，其功能將純粹為了慶典。人的壽命將會更長，因為由激烈拼爭引起的心臟病和中風所導致的死亡將越來越少。焦慮將會消失。時光流逝，抱負卻早已遠離人心。啊，長此以往，人生將變得多么乏味無聊！

There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a sham. Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events? Now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating. Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one's own. But even the most cynical secretly admit that success exists; that achievement counts for a great deal; and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless. To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging. It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment, and regard for posterity.

有一種盛行的觀點認為，成功是一種神話，因此抱負亦屬虛幻。這是不是說實際上并不存在成功？成就本身就是一場空？與諸多運動和事件的力量相比，男男女女的努力顯得微不足道？顯然，并非所有的成功都值得景仰，也并非所有的抱負都值得追求。對值得和不值得的選擇，一個人自然而然很快就能學會。但即使是最為憤世嫉俗的人暗地里也承認，成功確實存在，成就的意義舉足輕重，而把世上男男女女的所作所為說成是徒勞無功才是真正的無稽之談。認為成功不存在的觀點很可能造成混亂。這種觀點的本意是一筆勾銷所有提高能力的動機、求取業績的興趣和對子孫后代的關注。

We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift. We decide what is important and what is trivial in life. We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do. But no matter how indifferent the universe to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.

我們無法選擇出生，無法選擇父母，無法選擇出生的歷史時期與國家，或是成長的周遭環境。我們大多數人都無法選擇死亡，無法選擇死亡的時間或條件。但是在這些無法選擇之中，我們的確可以選擇自己的生活方式：是勇敢無畏還是膽小怯懦，是光明磊落還是厚顏無恥，是目標堅定還是隨波逐流。我們決定生活中哪些至關重要，哪些微不足道。我們決定，用以顯示我們自身重要性的，不是我們做了什么，就是我們拒絕做些什么。但是不論世界對我們所做的選擇和決定有多么漠不關心，這些選擇和決定終究是我們自己做出的。我們決定，我們選擇。而當我們決定和選擇時，我們的生活便得以形成。最終構筑我們命運的就是抱負之所在。

Look at the following sentences and tell whether they are right or wrong.

1. The author thinks that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a sham.

2. The author believes that we can decide what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do.

3. Forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.

4. As time stretches on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart, life would be more interesting.

5. Our lives are formed as we decide and choose.

Key

1. × 2. √ 3. √ 4. × 5. √

Emulation 美文自己寫得出——學生仿寫

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仿寫范例

The Secret of Success

The secret of success is to know when to be strenuous and when to be carefree. For success itself is relative. It enjoins us to struggle, sparing no effort while it advocates that relaxation betters us off. Perplexed people are unmotivated, and sometimes lose their directions.

For those who are afflicted with indolence and idle away every precious minute, “If I rest, I rust” might be the most effective incentive. Even a moron one thinks of himself/herself, he/she is necessarily in need of constant and challenging work. Otherwise, not even the flicker of success he would glimpse. In a word, when you notice your inertia rising up, repress it and work diligently.

For those who are highly motivated and resolved to be some great men, industry is always their motto and belief. For most of the time, their nerves are extremely tense and they are like dynamos spinning as much as they could. Unfortunately, some shoulders are not strong enough to bear the tension and collapse, while some are on the brink of freaking out. Therefore, as soon as physical or mental signals are spreading, one must put down the work and make them intermittent.