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為什麼 Why is it
我們似乎不能夠 that we don't seem
在不摧毀自然環境的前提下 to be able to adjust ourselves
調節自己以適應環境? to the physical environment without destroying it?
為什麼 Why is it
現在我們的文化在某種程度上 that in a way this culture
會以獨特的形式表現出 付出越多 但回報反而越少的結果? represents in a unique fashion the law of diminishing returns?
我們虛偽的成功其實只是失敗 That our success is a failure.
換句話說 我們正在建造一個龐大的科技文明 That we are building up - in other words an enormous technological civilization
其看似幾乎能在彈指之間 which seems to promise the fulfillment of every wish
就能滿足人們所有願望 almost at the touch of a button.
但如同許多的童話故事 And yet as in so many fairy tales
當願望終於具體實現了 when the wish is finally materialized,
結果卻像海市蜃樓 they are like fairy gold,
最後都只不過是子虛烏有 they are not really material at all.
換句話說 我們很多的產物 In other words, so many of our products,
車子 our cars,
房屋 our homes,
衣服 our clothing,
食物 our food,
弄得好像是 It looks as if
僅以想像就能瞬間創造出來 it were really the instant creation of pure thought;
也就是徹底的虛無縹緲 that is to say it's thoroughly insubstantial,
就像少了品酒師們所說的"酒身" lacking in what the connoisseur of wine calls body.
而在其他許多方面 And in so many other ways,
我們所創造的財富只不過是轉瞬即逝的 the riches that we produce are ephemeral.
所以我們內心空虛失意 and as the result of that we are frustrated,
我們感到超沮喪 we are terribly frustrated.
我們覺得只有一件事該做 那就是繼續獲得更多 We feel that the only thing is to go on and getting more and more.
因此 And as a result of that
整個世界就開始看起來像 被寵壞的孩子的幼兒園 the whole landscape begins to look like the nursery of a spoiled child
得到太多玩具 接著又覺得無聊 who's got too many toys and is bored with them
一拿到新玩具就把舊的拿去丟掉了 and throws them away as fast as he gets them.
新玩具只玩了幾分鐘 plays them for a few minutes.
接著我們全心全意 Also we are dedicated to a tremendous war
投身於基於時空界限的龐大戰爭 on the basic material dimensions of time and space.
我們想消滅時空的極限 We want to obliterate their limitations.
我們想儘快完成所有事 We want to get everything done as fast as possible.
我們想將工作的節奏與技能轉化為金錢 We want to convert the rhythms and the skills of work into cash,
錢只能夠拿來買東西而不能吃 which indeed you can buy something with but you can't eat it.
然後你跑回家 And then rush home
遠離工作 開始"真正的"生活 to get away from work and begin the real business of life,
即享受自己的生命 to enjoy ourselves.
但眾所周知 對於多數的美國家庭而言 You know, for the vast majority of American families
那些看似是生命重心的東西 what seems to be the real point of life,
那些人們趕緊回家的目的 what you rush home to get to
就是再去觀看電子化翻版的生活(電視) is to watch an electronic reproduction of life.
你觸不到 聞不到 嚐不到 You can't touch it, it doesn't smell, and it has no taste.
在一個健全的物質文化中 你可能會認為 You might think that people getting home to the real point of life
人們回家是為了人生的真正意義 in a robust material culture would go home
像是享受大型盛宴 to a colossal banquet
或者辦一場做愛狂宴 or an *** of love-making
又或者放蕩地唱歌跳舞 or a riot of music and dancing;
但事實卻不是這樣 But nothing of the kind.
而是純粹被動地 It turns out to be this purely passive
注視著閃動的螢幕 contemplation of a twittering screen.
你舉目盡是看到昏暗的房子 You see mile after mile of darkened houses
裡面都有個小小電子螢幕 with that little electronic screen
閃爍在房間之中 flickering in the room.
每個人都被隔離 看著這東西 Everybody isolated, watching this thing.
因此彼此之間毫無交流 And thus in no real communion with each other at all.
這種孤立令人們遁入私人的世界裡 And this isolation of people into a private world of their own
實際上卻創造了一群無意識的群眾 is really the creation of a mindless crowd.
因此 And so
我們無法了解彼此 we don't get with each other
除了公開表達意見或者擺脫彼此間的敵意以外 except for public expressions or getting rid of our hostility
如足球或拳擊比賽 like football or prize-fighting.
就連人們在電視上看到的場景 And even in the spectacles one sees on this television
都完美地表現出人們 互相毆打和殺死對方 it's perfectly proper to exhibit people slugging and slaying each other
但老天啊 其實都沒有人互相愛著對方 but oh dear no, not people loving each other.
除了相當拘謹的形式以外 except in a rather restrained way.
我們只能夠下這樣的結論: One can only draw the conclusion
即以上現象 其背後的假設在於 that the assumption underlying this is that
【展現出愛 遠遠比展現出恨還更危險】 expressions of physical love are far more dangerous than expressions of physical hatred.
在我看來 有這種假設的文化 基本上都是瘋狂的 And it seems to me that a culture that has that sort of assumption is basically crazy
這種文化雖然無意為之 但的確實實在在地 and devoted - unintentionally indeed but nevertheless in-fact devoted
自取滅亡而非求生 not to survival, but to the actual destruction of life.