對幸福的追求一直都是人類世世代代的夢想,盡管人類一直困惑于幸福的真諦。幸福是什么?幸福和經(jīng)濟的成功有密切聯(lián)系嗎?個人經(jīng)濟上的成功能夠直接帶來幸福嗎?就個人而言,我不認為經(jīng)濟上的成功是人類幸福的唯一前提。
The pursuit of happiness has long been the dream of generations of human beings. They have always been puzzled by the essence of happiness. What is happiness? Is it closely related to one's economic success? Will one's financial success lead to happiness directly? Personally, I don't agree that one's economic success is the only prerequisite of one's happiness in life.
幸福有很多種。俗話說得好,“一個人的美食可能是另一個人的毒藥”。幸福可能意味著成為一個成功的受人尊敬的領(lǐng)袖,或是一份穩(wěn)定舒適的大型跨國公司的工作,又或是市區(qū)的大房子、一套漂亮的家具等等。然而,幸福也可以是一個和諧平靜的家庭,或是一個體貼熱情的朋友,或者只是一個微笑、一個手勢、一個暗示。事實上,幸??梢允悄隳軌蛳氲降娜魏问虑?。至少,我們可以有兩種幸福:精神幸福和物質(zhì)幸福。
Happiness may fall into different categories. An old saying goes like this: “One man's meat is another man's poison”. Happiness may mean being a successful and respected leader of a company, or a stable and comfortable job in a large international company, or a big flat downtown, a fantastic set of furniture, etc. However, happiness can also be a harmonious and peaceful family, or a hospitable and considerate friend, or just a smile, a gesture, a hint. In fact, happiness may be composed of anything you could ever think of. At least, we may have two types of happiness: spiritual happiness and materialistic happiness.
一方面,一個人的物質(zhì)幸福依賴于經(jīng)濟上的成功,盡管不是完全依賴。沒有穩(wěn)定的經(jīng)濟后盾,很難想象如何過上輕松簡單的生活,更不用說富庶奢侈的生活了。如果買不起房子、車,甚至是一本書,任何人提到這種生活都會害怕。當然,有一些人只要基本的生活需求得到滿足就可以立刻感到很幸福。但是我們?nèi)匀槐仨毘姓J,這些人也需要某種意義上的經(jīng)濟成功。
One's materialistic happiness is dependant on one's economic success, though not completely. Without a strong and steady economic background, one could never imagine an easy and simple life, let alone an affluent and luxurious one. If you aren't able to afford a house, a car, or even a book, anybody would be horrified at the mere mention of this kind of life. Definitely, some people will feel happy right away if their basic demands for life are satisfied. However, we have to admit that these people still need to be successful materialistically to some degree.
另一方面,個人經(jīng)濟上的成功不見得能帶來精神層面的幸福。眾所周知,金錢不能帶來一切,甚至有人說金錢是萬惡之源。經(jīng)濟上的成功可能就是建立在犧牲時間、健康和愛情的基礎(chǔ)之上,而這三件事情是個人精神層面幸福的基本要素。我們對于這個畫面并不陌生:一位職場成功的男士帶著一顆破碎的心獨自品味孤獨。
On the other hand, one's success in economy may not necessarily lead to one's spiritual happiness. As we all know, money doesn't get you everything and some even say that money is the root of all evils. One's financial success may be built on the sacrifice of time, health and love, which are the three most essential elements of spiritual happiness. All of us are not new to this picture: a successful business man tasting loneliness alone with a broken heart.
以我的觀點,經(jīng)濟上的成功只是幸福的一個重要因素,但絕對不是唯一因素。盡管我們每一個人對于幸福有完全不同的理解,要幸福就要精神上和物質(zhì)上都能得到滿足。
In my point of view, one's economic success is only one of the key factors of happiness, but never the only one. To be happy, one needs to be both spiritually and materially satisfied though each of us may have a totally different picture of happiness.