英语名篇诵读 生活的目标（在线收听）

Purpose of Life

生活的目标

Chuck Gallozzi(查克·加洛齐)

After all, a life without purpose is a life wasted. Multitudes of people, drifting aimlessly to

and fro without a set purpose, deny themselves such fulfillment of their capacities, and the

satisfying happiness which attends it. They are not wicked; they are only shallow. They are not

mean or vicious ; they simply are empty — shake them and they would rattle like gourds. They

lack range , depth, and conviction. Without purpose their lives ultimately wander into the

morass of dissatisfaction. As we harness our abilities to a steady purpose and undertake the

long pull toward its accomplishment, rich compensations reward us. A sense of purpose

simplifies life and therefore concentrates our abilities; and concentration adds power.

The purpose of life, then, is to lead a life of purpose and its meaning is to give life meaning.

But what is meant by purpose and meaning? They simply mean the “big picture”, vision, chief

aim, or core values that all other goals are subordinate to. For example, our purpose might be to

leave the world a better place than the way we found it, or to make everyone we meet happier.

Either of these purposes would be noble and achievable. How can we help create a better world or

make others happier? Wouldn't you agree that one way is by refusing to steal, criticize, intimidate

注 , gossip or argue? Another way would be to treat others with kindness, generosity, honesty, and

respect. Our goal should be not merely to be good, but to be good for something, to have value

that we offer to the world. Our purpose is the path we follow; it's a broad paintbrush that colors all

areas of our life. When all personal goals such as career, family are aligned with our purpose,

we will be authentic beings with integrity.

The Indian philosopher, Patanjali, explains， “When you are inspired by some great purpose,

some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations,

your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and

wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself

to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

Despite the importance of purpose, many of us are still floundering , drifting in an

unknown direction. Why's that? One reason is fear. We're afraid to state our target because we

may miss it. To avoid failure, we avoid having a purpose. But that strategy makes as much sense

as an ostrich “hiding” from its enemies by burying its head in the sand. If we don't stand for

something, we may fall for anything. What is the purpose of living if we don't have something to

live for?

Those who lead empty lives sometimes turn to bigotry and hatred for solace. So we need

to be careful to choose a purpose that will help us to grow, help our potential unfold, and help us

transcend our present limitations. Our potential is staggering . We are co-creators of the

universe. God has made us partners in creation. He created the universe. We created music. He

created the world. We created the pyramids. He created life. We created language that allows us to

reflect on life.

Considering our unique position in the universe, our purpose should be equally unique. It

should be bigger than life. Since we are only as strong as our purpose, it should be courageous and

uplifting. Buddha offers some advice：“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your

heart to give yourself to it.”

说到底，没有目标的生活就是浪费生命。众生没有目的地沉浮于世，心中没有固定的

目标，不去施展自己的聪明才智，也就享受不了随之而来的满足和幸福。他们并不坏，而

只是浅薄。他们并不卑鄙恶毒，而只是空虚——摇一摇，他们会像葫芦一样咯咯作响。他

们眼光短浅，没有深度，缺乏信心。没有目标，他们的生活最终沦落到凄怆寡欢的困境

中。当我们发挥自己的能力，坚定地朝着目标奋进，努力实现目标时，丰厚的报偿就会犒

劳我们。目标意识能简化生活，因此我们能集中才智，全力以赴，这就使我们力量倍增。

生活的目标就是过一种有目标的生活，其意义就是给生活赋予意义。但是，目标和意

义意味着什么呢？它们意味着“大的图景”、视野、主要目的，即所有其他目标所隶属的核

心价值。例如，我们的目标可能是让这个世界变得更加美好，或者让每个人都更加幸福。

这两个目标都很崇高，值得实现。我们怎样才能创造出一个更好的世界或使他人更幸福

呢？你是否同意，一种方法就是拒绝偷窃、抨击、恫吓、散布流言蜚语和争辩？另一种方

法是待人以善良、慷慨、诚实和尊重。我们的目标不应只是善的，而是要对某些事情有好

处，要有我们向世界拿得出手的价值。我们的目标是我们要走下去的路；它是一支如椽画

笔，能绘出我们生活的灿烂华章。当所有的个人目标如职业、家庭与我们的目标融为一体

时，我们将成为人品高尚的真正的人。

印度哲学家帕坦伽利解释说：“当你受到某个伟大目标、某项非凡的计划激励时，你所

有的思考便会挣脱禁锢；你的头脑便会超越一切限制，你的心灵便会激情四射，发现自己

身处一个新的伟大而奇妙的世界里。潜能澎湃汹涌，你发现自己比你曾梦想的还要伟大得

多。”

尽管目标非常重要，我们许多人仍然愚顽不化，无头苍蝇般四处乱撞。为什么会那

样？一个原因是畏惧。我们不敢讲明我们的目标，因为我们害怕失败。为了避免失败，我

们不再订立目标。但是那种策略犹如鸵鸟把头“藏”进沙子里来逃避敌人一样愚蠢。如果我

们无所希冀，我们便会一事无成。如果我们的人生没有目标，我们生而为人又有何意义？

那些生活空虚的人有时候会转向偏执和仇恨寻求安慰。因此，我们需要精心选择一个

目标，帮助我们成长，帮助我们施展潜能，帮助我们超越现在的局限性。我们的潜力是惊

人的。我们是宇宙的共同创造者。上帝使我们成为创世的伙伴。他创造了宇宙，我们创造

了音乐；他创造了世界，我们创造了金字塔。他创造了生命，我们创造了让我们思考生活

的语言。

鉴于我们在宇宙中的独特地位，我们的目标应该同样独特。目标应该大于生活。因为

目标有多远大，我们就会有多强大，我们应该勇敢无畏，高瞻远瞩。佛陀给了一些忠

告：“你的任务就是发现你的任务，然后全身心投入其中。”