TED演讲:哪个国家对世界最有益(3)

 　　This is clearly not a good arrangement. We clearly need to change it. 这明显不是个良好的形势。我们明显需要改变现状。

　　We clearly need to find ways of encouraging countries to start working together a little bit better. 我们明显需要找到一些方式以鼓励国家之间可以共同合作得更好。

　　And why won't they do that? Why is it that our leaders still persist¹ in looking inwards? 但他们为什么不这么做呢？为什么我们的领袖还坚持只看着自己呢？

　　Well, the first and most obvious reason is because that's what we ask them to do. That's what we tell them to do. 最主要和最明显的理由就是因为那是我们要求他们这么做的。这是我们叫他们做的。

　　When we elect governments or when we tolerate² unelected governments, 当我们选举政府的时候或当我们容忍我们没有选的政府的时候，

　　we're effectively telling them that what we want is for them to deliver us in our country a certain number of things. 我们就是在告诉他们我们想要的就是让他们在我们的国家带来一系列的举措。

　　We want them to deliver prosperity³, growth, competitiveness⁴, transparency, justice and all of those things. 我们希望他们带来繁荣、发展、竞争力、透明度、正义和所有这些事情。

　　So unless we start asking our governments to think outside a little bit, 所以除非我们要求政府看远一点，

　　to consider the global problems that will finish us all if we don't start considering them, 考虑一下那些会毁灭我们的全球问题，如果我们不开始考虑这些事情的话，

　　then we can hardly blame them if what they carry on doing is looking inwards, 那么我们难以指责他们，如果他们继续只是关注国家内部的话，

　　if they still have minds that microscope rather than minds that telescope. 如果他们依然只有显微镜的头脑而没有望远镜头脑的话。

　　That's the first reason why things tend not to change. 这是第一个为什么事情很难改变的原因。

　　The second reason is that these governments, just like all the rest of us, are cultural psychopaths. 第二个原因是这些政府就像我们一样，是文化精神变态。

　　I don't mean to be rude, but you know what a psychopath is. 我并非要无礼，但你知道精神变态是什么。

　　A psychopath is a person who, unfortunately for him or her, lacks the ability to really empathize with other human beings.  一个精神变态者对他/她来说很不幸的，是缺乏对其他人类真正的同情能力。

　　When they look around, they don't see other human beings with deep, rich, three-dimensional personal lives and aims and ambitions. 当他们四下环顾，他们看到的不是有深度的、内心丰富的、三维的人生以及梦想和雄心。

　　What they see is cardboard⁵ cutouts, and it's very sad and it's very lonely, and it's very rare, fortunately. 他们看到的是纸片人，这其实是非常可悲及孤独的，但可幸的是这种情况很少见。

1 persist   

v.持续，存留；坚持不懈，执意

参考例句：

• The bad weather will persist all over the country.这种坏天气将在全国各地持续下去。
• His strength of will enabled him to persist.他的意志力使他能坚持下去。

2 tolerate   

v.忍受，容忍，容许，宽恕；vt.容忍，忍受，容许

参考例句：

• She can tolerate that rude fellow.她能容忍那个粗鲁的家伙。
• The teacher cannot tolerate eating on the class.老师不容许在课堂上吃东西。

3 prosperity   

n.繁荣，昌盛，成功

参考例句：

• I wish you the life of happiness and prosperity. 我祝你生活幸福、万事如意。
• A prosperity never seen before appeared in the countryside.农村出现了前所未有的繁荣。

4 competitiveness   

n.竞争能力

参考例句：

• At the same time shifts in international competitiveness were beginning to be felt. 与此同时，国际市场上的竞争能力也出现了变化。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Their scientific know-how, innovation and technical capability are critical to maintaining the nation's competitiveness and productivity. 它们的科学知识、革新和技术能力对于保持本国的竞争力和生产率来说都是至关重要的。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

5 cardboard   

n.硬纸板，卡纸板

参考例句：

• She brought the shopping home in a cardboard box.她将买的东西放在纸箱里带回家。
• There is a sheet of stiff cardboard in the drawer.在那个抽屉里有块硬纸板。