智慧人生篇章 第33期:死亡不是终点

 　　In a more agnostic culture than the one I grew up with it's a challenge to know how to talk meaningfully about something so enormous when we don't really understand it. There is scepticism about the afterlife these days. But however sceptical people may be about heaven and hell, it always feels brutal¹ to speak of the total extinction² of personality, when the personality concerned is someone you know. Whether we believe or don't believe about life after death we tend to soften³ the language of finality, to resort to metaphor⁴, to saying death is like this or like that even the death is not like anything. That is its majesty⁵. As a priest who conducts funerals I find the language of faith, with poetry, music and acts of remembrance are what allow us to make the transition between life and death, to discover that death, though a change of state, is not the end of being.",

　　在一个比我所处环境更崇尚不可知论的文化环境中，去含义隽永的谈论一个自身都不甚了了的大问题总是一项巨大的挑战。现在有很多人对身后事持怀疑态度。不管人们怎么怀疑天堂地狱，讲一个人的一切就这么彻底消失总给人一种残酷的感觉，尤其当这个人还是你的熟人的时候。不管我们相不相信身后之事，我们都倾向于尽量柔化这种涉及终结的语言，用隐喻将死亡比喻成这，比喻成那。其实死亡就是死亡，这是它的无上权威。作为一个主持葬礼的牧师，我找到了用诗篇、音乐和怀念构成的信念，足以让我们穿越生死，看透死亡。死，只是一种状态的改变，却不是生命的终结。

1 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

2 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

3 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

4 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

5 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！