TED演讲:不存在'不投票'这种事(7)

 It's no accident that democracy and theater emerged around the same time in ancient Athens. 无怪乎民主和剧院同时出现于古代雅典。

Both of them yank the individual out of the enclosure of her private self. 民主和戏剧都把个体从私我中分离出来。

Both of them create great public experiences of shared ritual. 都从一种共同的仪式感中创立了伟大的公共体验。

Both of them bring the imagination to life in ways that remind us that all of our bonds in the end are imagined, and can be reimagined. 把想象带进了生活，让我们意识到错综复杂的社会联系都是由设想而来的，也可以进行重构。

This moment right now, when we think about the meaning of imagination, is so fundamentally important, 此时此刻，当我们思索想象的意义，便会发觉想象是何其重要，

and our ability to take that spirit and to take that sense that there is something greater out there,  我们如果有能力接受这样一种精神，这样一种感知，承认有更伟大的存在，

is not just a matter of technical expertise¹.  并非只是技术性的专长。

It's not just a matter of making the time or having the know-how². It is a matter of spirit. 不只是挤出时间或者拥有技术。这关乎一种精神。

But let me give you an answer to this question, "Why bother?" that is maybe a little less spiritual and a bit more pointed³. 让我来揭晓答案，究竟为什么要投票。答案并不虚空，而是有实践意义的。

Why bother voting? Because there is no such thing as not voting. 为什么要投票？因为不存在不投票这种事。

Not voting is voting, for everything that you may detest⁴ and oppose.  不投票也是投票。只不过投给了所有你不喜欢和反对的东西。

Not voting can be dressed up as an act of principled, passive resistance,  不投票有时装扮成原则性的，被动的抵抗，

but in fact not voting is actively⁵ handing power over to those whose interests are counter to your own,  但实际上不投票是交出权力，给那些与你利益相左的人，

and those who would be very glad to take advantage of your absence. Not voting is for suckers. 那些很乐意利用你缺席的人。不投票是失败者的选择。

1 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

2 know-how   

n.知识；技术；诀窍

参考例句：

• He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm.他没有经营农场的专业知识。
• I don't have much know-how about engines.发动机方面的技术知识我知之甚少。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 detest   

vt.痛恨，憎恶

参考例句：

• I detest people who tell lies.我恨说谎的人。
• The workers detest his overbearing manner.工人们很讨厌他那盛气凌人的态度。

5 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。