TED演讲：温和的成功哲学(10)

 　　That was fascinating. But how do you reconcile¹ this idea of it being bad to think of someone as a "loser," 说的真好。你要如何与自己和解，把一个人称为失败者是糟糕的，

　　with the idea that a lot of people like, of seizing control of your life, 但许多人都想掌握自己的生活，

　　and that a society that encourages that, perhaps has to have some winners and losers? 一个追求这些的社会难免要有赢家和输家？

　　Yes, I think it's merely the randomness² of the winning and losing process that I want to stress, 是的，我只是想提出在输赢的过程中，有太多偶然，

　　because the emphasis nowadays is so much on the justice of everything, and politicians always talk about justice. 今日我们太讲求所有事情的正义和公平，政治人物总是在谈论正义。

　　Now I'm a firm believer in justice, I just think that it's impossible. 我非常支持正义，我只是觉得那不可能。

　　So we should do everything we can to pursue it, but we should always remember that whoever is facing us, 我们应该尽力，尽力去追求正义，但我们也应该记得我们所面对的，

　　whatever has happened in their lives, there will be a strong element of the haphazard³. 无论在他们人生中发生过什么，偶然总是一个强烈的因素。

　　And that's what I'm trying to leave room for; otherwise, it can get quite claustrophobic. 我希望大家留一点空间这么想，不然真令人有一种幽闭恐怖症的感觉。

　　I mean, do you believe that you can combine your kind of kinder, gentler philosophy of work with a successful economy? 我是说，你是否相信在这种温和的哲学下可以产生一个发达的经济？

　　Or do you think that you can't, but it doesn't matter that much that we're putting too much emphasis on that? 还是你认为那不可行？还是我们这样反复提醒人们也不甚重要？

　　The nightmare⁴ thought is that frightening people is the best way to get work out of them, 梦魇是相信恐吓人们是刺激他们发奋的最好办法，

　　and that somehow the crueler the environment, the more people will rise to the challenge. 或是环境越残酷，就会有越多人接受挑战。

　　You want to think, who would you like as your ideal dad? 你必须想，你的理想父亲是怎样的？

　　And your ideal dad is somebody who is tough but gentle. 你的理想父亲往往是严厉又温和的。

　　And it's a very hard line to make. 虽然这界限很难画定。

　　We need fathers, as it were, the exemplary father figures in society, avoiding the two extremes, 我们社会需要的模范性人物，是像一个理想父亲，不要走极端，

　　which is the authoritarian⁵ disciplinarian on the one hand, and on the other, the lax, no-rules option. 不要完全集权、纯粹纪律，也不要模糊马虎，乱无规章。

　　Alain De Botton. Thank you very much. 阿兰·德波顿。谢谢各位。

1 reconcile   

vt.使协调，使和解，使顺从（甘心）（于）

参考例句：

• Must they reconcile themselves to their fate?难道他们甘心忍受这种命运吗？
• He found it hard to reconcile himself to the disagreeable state.他发现难以忍受这种不愉快的状况。

2 randomness   

n.随意，无安排；随机性

参考例句：

• The randomness is attributed to the porous medium. 随机性起因于多孔介质。 来自辞典例句
• Einstein declared that randomness rather than lawfulness is the characteristic of natural events. 爱因斯坦宣称自然现象的特征为不可测性而不是规律化。 来自辞典例句

3 haphazard   

adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的

参考例句：

• The town grew in a haphazard way.这城镇无计划地随意发展。
• He regrerted his haphazard remarks.他悔不该随口说出那些评论话。

4 nightmare   

n.恶梦，可怕的事物，无法摆脱的恐惧

参考例句：

• I was glad to awake from such a nightmare.我庆幸终于从噩梦中醒来了。
• I had a nightmare last nightand,lost sleep.昨夜我作了个恶梦，失眠了。

5 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。