只有傻瓜才不考慮別人的利益。

    拋棄自己國(guó)家的傳統(tǒng)來(lái)創(chuàng)造更好的社會(huì)是一種錯(cuò)誤的方式。 

    一個(gè)民族失去了自己的神話，就失去了自我。

    [1]They live on a windswept island surrounded by glaciers 『冰川；冰河』and volcanoes『火山』. What makes them so content『滿足的；甘心的』?

    [1]他們生活在海風(fēng)吹拂的小島上，被冰川和火山所環(huán)繞著。是什么使他們?nèi)绱藵M足？ 

    [2]In a poll 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.

    [2]美國(guó)的蓋洛普民意測(cè)驗(yàn)組織對(duì)世界上18個(gè)國(guó)家的民意測(cè)驗(yàn)表明：冰島人是世界上最快樂(lè)的人。參加測(cè)試的人數(shù)為26.78萬(wàn)人。82%的冰島人表示滿意自己的生活；美國(guó)表示滿意自己生活的人數(shù)為72％，排列第五位；日本排列第七位，人數(shù)比率為42％。

    [3]Some people would say that happy Iceland is a statistical fluke『僥幸』. This is a country so small, an ordinary citizen can make an appointment to see the president.

    [3]有人會(huì)說(shuō)：快樂(lè)的冰島僅僅是統(tǒng)計(jì)上的巧合。這個(gè)國(guó)家如此之小，普通的公民也能受到總統(tǒng)的接見(jiàn)。 

    [4]True, Iceland is no utopia. Icelanders are big boozers 『酒徒』, with a fishing tradition of binge『狂歡作樂(lè)』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『命運(yùn)；運(yùn)氣』. So what gives?

    [4]確實(shí)，冰島并非天堂，冰島有傳統(tǒng)的打魚(yú)豪飲的習(xí)慣，酒鬼很多，近三分之一的孩子沒(méi)有父親。然而，正因?yàn)槿绱�，蓋洛普的這項(xiàng)研究才顯得更加有趣。因?yàn)�，像我們一樣，冰島人有許多問(wèn)題，但是，他們卻安命樂(lè)天。這究竟是為什么呢？

    [5]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.

    [5]讓我們來(lái)看一看，一個(gè)名叫索赫·赫利納·索雷遜的28歲的冰島人是怎樣看待生活的。索雷遜在一個(gè)月的假期中，為自己找了一份捕漁向?qū)У墓ぷ�，他一周工�?天，每天工作16個(gè)小時(shí),他把這種生活稱作“人間的天堂”。假期結(jié)束后，他只休息了一個(gè)晚上，又接著正常工作起來(lái)——在一艘輪船上，每天6小時(shí)工作、6小時(shí)休息地輪流當(dāng)班。

    [6]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『嬰兒死亡率』in the world, and almost the highest longevity『長(zhǎng)壽；長(zhǎng)命』.

    [6]我們可以把赫利納稱為“工作狂”，但是，冰島人也大多和他一樣。當(dāng)然，他們勞有所得，冰島國(guó)內(nèi)人均生產(chǎn)總值為1.99萬(wàn)美元（美國(guó)是2.75萬(wàn)美元）。他們上繳的利稅換來(lái)了良好的教育和醫(yī)療保障。冰島的嬰兒死亡率位于世界之末，而壽命位于世界之首。 

    [7]The dour『抑郁的；悶悶不樂(lè)的』Swiss have a well-run state and all their material needs met, too, yet no one could accuse them of a cheerful outlook.

    [7]瑞士是一個(gè)秩序井然的國(guó)家，人民豐衣足食，生活富裕�？墒�，瑞士人卻郁郁寡歡，悶悶不樂(lè)。

    [8]Sociologist Thorolfur Thorlindsson of the University of Iceland believes the secret lies not in his country’s comforts, but in its age-old 『長(zhǎng)期的；古老的』discomforts. They have taught Icelanders to enjoy what they have.

    [8]冰島大學(xué)社會(huì)學(xué)家索羅爾非·索林德森認(rèn)為：冰島人安命樂(lè)天的秘訣在于這個(gè)國(guó)家長(zhǎng)期處于艱難困苦之中，而不在于它的舒適。這些艱難困苦教會(huì)了冰島人“知足常樂(lè)”。

    [9]Isolated『與外界隔絕的；孤立的』in the cold North Atlantic, buffeted『沖擊；打擊』by a hostile『敵對(duì)的；有敵意的』sea, condemned『責(zé)備；責(zé)怪』to 20 hours of darkness each day in winter, the people have for centuries lived on the vagaries『難以預(yù)測(cè)的情況』of the fish catch. “Our culture is colored『影響』by the harshness『嚴(yán)酷；艱苦』of nature,” says Thorlindsson. “That’s why Icelanders have a tolerant『寬容；容忍』attitude to the problems of life. They don’t expect the same sort of stability『安定；穩(wěn)定』often expected in other nations.”

    [9]冰島位于寒冷的北大西洋，常年遭受著海水的無(wú)情沖擊，冬天有20個(gè)小時(shí)是黑夜，人民世代以艱苦的捕魚(yú)業(yè)為生。“我們的文化帶著自然嚴(yán)酷的特色，”索林德森說(shuō)，“這就是為什么冰島人對(duì)生活中的問(wèn)題寬容的原因。冰島人并不像其他國(guó)家人民一樣，希望得到常有的穩(wěn)定。”

    [10]And so it seems. Americans are considerably better off『更為富有/富裕』by material standards than ever before. Yet we seem less happy, less contented with our lot.

    [10]與此相比，我們美國(guó)人今天的物質(zhì)生活條件比以往任何時(shí)候都好，但是卻沒(méi)有以往的快樂(lè)和滿足。 

    [11]Like Icelanders, Americans are individualists『個(gè)人主義者』. Where we seem to differ is in our sense of community『群體；團(tuán)體』. 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『使調(diào)和；使并存』another set of opposing forces: individualism and the needs of the community.

    [11]美國(guó)人和冰島人都是個(gè)人主義者，所不同的是各自的群體意識(shí)。冰島以“火和冰”而聞名遐邇，人民生活在逆境之中。冰島是世界上活火山最多的國(guó)家之一，還有4536平方英里的冰川，堪稱冷熱并存。無(wú)怪乎這個(gè)國(guó)家能很好地協(xié)調(diào)個(gè)人主義和群體需要這兩種對(duì)立的觀念，使之共存共容。

    [12]Anyone who thinks Americans invented rugged『粗魯?shù)�；粗俗的』individualism has only to visit Iceland. This nation has an ancient『古代的；遠(yuǎn)古的』 respect for independence. Way back in the tenth century, Iceland was a commonwealth『共和國(guó)；聯(lián)邦』; today Icelanders still place high value on their freedom.

    [12]那些認(rèn)為是美國(guó)人發(fā)明了個(gè)人主義的人應(yīng)該到冰島去看看，這個(gè)國(guó)家在遠(yuǎn)古就崇尚獨(dú)立，早在10世紀(jì)就建立了聯(lián)邦共和國(guó)。今天的冰島人仍然看重自由的價(jià)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；流離失所者』, to be beached『庇護(hù)；安頓』at some government institution. “Icelanders have strong systems of support,” says Thorlindsson.

    [13]然而，這里的個(gè)人主義置于群體意識(shí)之中。在冰島，家庭中的酒鬼和私生子不會(huì)被拋棄，這是因?yàn)楸鶏u有強(qiáng)有力的社會(huì)救濟(jì)制度。 

    [14]Tolerance is not hollow 『表面的；虛偽的』 phrase in Iceland. The word for “stupid”is heimskur, which roughly means “comes from home” — or as we would say, provincial『鄉(xiāng)下氣的；偏狹的』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『討論；辯論』in the United States absolutely heimskur.

    [14]在冰島，忍耐并不是一句空話。冰島話中“愚蠢”的同義詞是“鄉(xiāng)巴佬””或“心胸狹隘”。冰島人認(rèn)為只有傻瓜才不考慮別人的利益。以此觀點(diǎn)，冰島人可能會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)美國(guó)某些提交政府討論的東西是非常愚蠢的。

    [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『蔑視；輕視』for their own land and its history.

    [15]大多數(shù)冰島人年輕時(shí)都要到國(guó)外去旅行。于是，他們知道自己的生活方式并非是唯一的，但是，并不會(huì)因此看不起自己的國(guó)家和歷史。

    [16]The 12th-century Icelandic sagas『英雄傳說(shuō)』, 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『節(jié)目播出單；節(jié)目安排表』is Bubbi Morthens, a troubadour『吟游詩(shī)人』.

    [16]在世界上各大學(xué)中講授的冰島12世紀(jì)的傳說(shuō)在國(guó)內(nèi)頗受重視。廣播中到處都是吟游詩(shī)人巴比·莫森斯的節(jié)目。 

    [17]Last summer in the lava 『火山熔巖』fields of Iceland’s interior 『內(nèi)地；內(nèi)陸』, 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『地平線；水平線』.

    [17]去年夏天，在島內(nèi)溶巖區(qū)，一個(gè)叫喬恩森的會(huì)計(jì)師指給我看一個(gè)巖洞，告訴我這巖洞曾是小偷的住所，指給我看他們藏匿武器、伏擊村民的地方，并講述了一個(gè)獨(dú)腿賊是怎樣以手代腳爬到地平線上的冰川去的。

    [18]“When did they hole up『躲藏；藏匿』here?” I asked.

    [18]“他們何時(shí)藏身于此？”我問(wèn)。

    [19] “About 900 years ago” was the answer. Nearly a millennium『1000年』, and the myth is still alive『存在；保留』.

    [19]“大約900年前。”將近1000年過(guò)去了，可這個(gè)故事卻依然在傳誦。
 
    [20]How many Americans have that kind of familiarity with their nation’s past, its myths『神話；傳說(shuō)』, its history? How many even care?

    [20]有多少美國(guó)人對(duì)于自己祖國(guó)的過(guò)去，傳說(shuō)和歷史也那般地熟悉？又有多少人留意過(guò)？ 

    [21]I wish America’s multiculturalisms and historical revisionists would grasp『理解；領(lǐng)會(huì)』what Icelanders understand: trashing『拋棄；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『精神病學(xué)家』Niel Micklem. “But if it loses its myths, it loses its center.”

    [21]我希望美國(guó)的多元文化主義者和歷史修正主義者能夠理解冰島人的這種思想：拋棄自己國(guó)家的傳統(tǒng)來(lái)創(chuàng)造更好的社會(huì)是一種錯(cuò)誤的方式。精神病學(xué)家尼爾·米克勒姆說(shuō)：“一個(gè)民族應(yīng)該接受新東西，但是，一個(gè)民族失去了自己的神話，就失去了自我。” 

    [22]Maybe I’m wrong. But I suspect『猜想；認(rèn)為』that this loss of “center” is what makes so many Westerners unhappy amid their affluence『豐富；富�！�.

    [22]也許我的想法是錯(cuò)誤的。但我想正是這種“自我”的失去使得如此眾多的西方人在富裕的生活中難以感受到愉快。