英语散文：彼岸无尽头，知足才常乐

　　Many people believe that they will be happy once they arrive at some specific goal they set for themselves. However, more often than not, once you arrive " there" you will still feel dissatisfied, and move your " there" vision to yet another point in the future. By always chasing after another "there," you are never really appreciating what you already have right "here." It is important for human beings to keep soberminded about the age-old drive to look beyond the place where you now stand. On one hand, your life is enhanced by your dreams and aspirations¹. On the other hand, these drives can pull you farther and farther from your enjoyment² of your life right now. By learning the lessons of gratitude³ and abundance, you can bring yourself closer to fulfilling the challenge of living in the present.

　　Gratitude To be grateful means you are thankful for and appreciative⁵ of what you have and where you are on your path right now. Gratitude fills your heart with the joyful⁶ feeling and allows you to fully⁷ appreciate everything that arises on your path. As you strive to keep your focus on the present moment, you can experience the full wonder of "here."

　　There are many ways to cultivate gratitude. Here are just a few suggestions you may wish to try:

　　1. Imagine what your life would be like if you lost all that you had. This will most surely remind you of how much you do appreciate it.

　　2. Make a list each day of all that you are grateful for, so that you can stay conscious daily of your blessings⁸. Do this especially when you are feeling as though you have nothing to feel grateful for. Or spend a few minutes before you go to sleep giving thanks for all that you have.

　　3. Spend time offering assistance to those who are less fortunate than you, so that you may gain perspective.

　　However you choose to learn gratitude is irrelevant⁹. What really matters is that you create a space in your consciousness for appreciation¹⁰ for all that you have right now, so that you may live more joyously¹¹ in your present moment.

　　Abundance One of the most common human fears is scarcity¹². Many people are afraid of not having enough of what they need or want, and so they are always striving to get to a point when they would finally have enough.

　　Alan and Linda always dreamed of living "the good life." Both from poor working-class families, they married young and set out to fulfill⁴ their mutual¹³ goal of becoming wealthy. They both worked very hard for years, amassing¹⁴ a small fortune, so they could move from their two-bedroom home to a palatial¹⁵ seven-bedroom home in the most upscale neighborhood. They focused their energies on accumulating all the things they believed signified abundance: membership in the local exclusive country club, luxury cars, designer clothing, and high-class society friends. No matter how much they accumulated, however, it never seemed to be enough. They were unable to erase¹⁶ the deep fear of scarcity both had acquired in childhood. They needed to learn the lesson of abundance. Then the stock market crashed in 1987, and Alan and Linda lost a considerable amount of money. A bizarre but costly¹⁷ lawsuit¹⁸ depleted¹⁹ another huge portion of their savings²⁰. One thing led to another, and they found themselves in a financial disaster. Assets needed to be sold, and eventually they lost the country club membership, the cars, and the house. It took several years and much hard work for Alan and Linda to land on their feet, and though they now live a life far from extravagant²¹, they have taken stock of their lives and feel quite blessed. Only now, as they assess what they have left -- a solid, loving marriage, their health, a dependable income, and good friends -- do they realize that true abundance comes not from amassing, but rather from appreciating.

　　Scarcity consciousness arises as a result of the "hole-in-the-soul syndrome²²." This is when we attempt to fill the gaps in our inner lives with things from the outside world. But like puzzle pieces, you can't fit something in where it does not naturally belong. No amount of external objects, affection, love, or attention can ever fill an inner void. We already have enough, so we should revel²³ in our own interior abundance.

　　彼岸无尽头，知足才常乐

　　许多人都相信，一旦他们达到了自己所设定的某个特定目标，他们就会开心、快乐。然而事实往往是，当你到达彼岸时，你还是不知足、不满意，而且又有了新的彼岸--新的幻想和憧憬。由于你总是疲于追逐一个又一个的彼岸，你从未真正欣赏、珍惜你已经拥有的一切。不安于现状的欲望人皆有之，由来已久，但重要的是要对它保持清醒的头脑。一方面，你的生活因为梦想和渴望而更加精彩。另一方面，这些欲望又使你越来越不懂得珍惜和享受现在拥有的生活。假如你能懂得感恩，学会知足，你就接近实现生活在现实中提出的要求。

　　感恩之心感恩是指你感激、珍惜自己当前所拥有的一切以及所处的人生境遇。心存感恩，你的心灵就充满愉悦，你就能真正领会人生路上的种种体验。如果你努力把眼光锁定在此时此刻，你就能感受它的美妙之处。

　　感恩之心需要经常加强。许多方法可以培育感恩之心，你不妨试试以下几种：

　　1．设想如果你失去了你现在所拥有的一切，你的生活将会怎么样。它肯定会使你回想起原来你是多么喜欢和珍视这一切。

　　2．每天都列出那些值得你感激的事物，那样你就能时时刻刻意识到自己的幸运。每天都要这么做，尤其是当你觉得好像没有什么可感激的时候。另外你也可以每天临睡前花几分钟感恩自己所拥有的一切。

　　3．花时间帮助那些没有你那么幸运的人，这样你也许会对生活有正确的认识。

　　其实，你选择何种方法去学会感恩，这无关紧要，真正重要的是你应该有意识地努力去欣赏和珍视你现在所拥有的一切，这样你就可以更快乐地享受你目前的生活。

　　知足常乐贫穷是人类最普遍的恐惧之一。许多人担心自己的所需所求不够，所以他们总是孜孜以求有朝一日能心满意足，别无他求。

　　艾伦和琳达都来自贫苦的工人家庭，都一直梦想着过上"好日子"。他们早早地成了家，然后就开始为他们共同的致富目标奋斗。他们拼命工作了好几年，终于积攒了一笔钱，从两居室搬到了一套坐落在最高档街区的富丽堂皇的七居室大房子。此后，他们费尽心思去积聚那些他们认为是代表富足的东西：当地惟一的一家乡村俱乐部的会员资格、豪华汽车、名牌服装，以及上流社会的朋友。但是，不论他们积聚了多少，似乎永远难以满足。他们俩谁都无法消除小时侯对贫穷的刻骨铭心的恐惧。其实，他们就需要学会知足常乐这一课。1987年，股市遭受重创，艾伦和琳达损失惨重。祸不单行，一场莫名其妙的昂贵的官司又耗尽了他们的一大笔积蓄，这一切使他们陷入了经济困境。他们不得不变卖家产，最后他们丢掉了乡村俱乐部的会员资格，失去了汽车和房子。艾伦和琳达努力奋斗了好几年才从困境中走出来。现在他们的生活毫不奢华，但是他们是自己生活的主宰，幸福而又知足。只有在这时，他们才掂量着那些尚未失去的东西，如稳固相爱的婚姻、健康的身体、可靠的收入、真正的朋友等等，他们终于认识到，真正的富足不是来自财富的积聚，而是来自对所拥有的一切的珍视。

　　贫穷感可以归因于"精神空虚综合症"，即我们试图用身外之物来填补内心的空缺。但是，就像拼图游戏一样，你不能把本来不属于那个地方的东西硬塞进去。任何身外之物、情感、关爱和关注都无法填补内心的空虚。我们拥有的已经足够，因此我们应该满足于内心世界的丰富与充实。

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