很多時候，不快樂的感覺其實來自於壓力，很少有人真的能將負面的壓力轉化為積極向上的動力——比如，揹負沉重壓力的學生，尤其是高中即將面臨高考的學生們；也比如千千萬萬與下文中的商人們相類似的人們。
且不談人生的意義，對幸福快樂生活的追求總是沒錯的，但可怕的是，生活中處處可見的卻是對這一向往和目標的異化。
太多時候結果會被過程異化，目標會被手段異化——人真的很難活得明白！
或許，我們永遠也不能得到真正的答案，但無論如何，多一些思考是好的，活得更明白一點是好的。
不知道閱讀本文的朋友們以為然否？而羅素的這些文字就是帶給我們思考的。
Chapter 3： Competition 第三章：競爭
If you ask any man in America， or any man in business in England， what it is that most interferes with his enjoyment of existence， he will say：“The struggle for life。” He will say this in all sincerity； he will believe it。 In a certain sense it is true； yet in another， and that a very important sense， it is profoundly false。 The struggle for life is a thing which does， of course， occur。 It may occur to any of us if we are unfortunate。 It occurred， for example， to Conrad‘s hero Falk， who found himself on a derelict ship， one of the two men among the crew who were possessed of fire-arms， with nothing to eat but the other men。 When the two men had finished the meals upon which they could agree， a true struggle for life began。 Falk won， but was ever after a vegetarian。
如果你隨便向一個美國人，或者一個英國商人提問，在他生活中對快樂最大的妨礙是什麼？他會 說：“生存競爭。”
他會非常真誠地這樣說，他認為事實就是這樣，在某種意義上也的確如此，但從另一個角度、一個更為重要的意義上來看，卻大錯特錯。
當然，生存競爭的確是必然會發生的一件事情，而如果不幸的話，它會發生在我們中的任何人身上。例如，康拉德小說中的英雄法爾克就遭遇了極端的生存競爭——他發現自己呆在一艘廢棄的船上，是僅存的兩個擁有武器的船員之一。可怕的現實是，除了對方，他們已沒有任何東西可以充飢了。當兩人吃完了最後一點可分享的食物後，一場真正的生存鬥爭開始了！最終，法爾克贏了，但從此以後，他成了一位素食主義者。
Now that is not what the businessman means when he speaks of the “struggle for life”。 It is an inaccurate phrase which he has picked up in order to give dignity to something essentially trivial。 Ask him how many men he has known in his class of life who have died of hunger。 Ask him what happened to his friends after they had been ruined。 Everybody knows that a businessman who has been ruined is better off so far as material comforts are concerned than a man who has never been rich enough to have the chance of being ruined。 What people mean， therefore， by the struggle for life is really the struggle for success。 What people fear when they engage in the struggle is not that they will fail to get their breakfast next morning， but that they will fail to outshine their neighbours。
這並不是商人嘴裡所說的“生存競爭”。這樣的措辭並不準確，商人之所以這樣表達，無非是為了給那些沒那麼重要的事情披上一層外衣。你不妨問問他，在他所在的生活階層，到底有多少他認識的人死於飢餓？也可以問問他，在他的朋友們破產後，在他們的身上發生了什麼？
每個人都明白，一個商人即使破產了，在物質享受方面也會比一個從沒機會富裕到破產的人要好很多。因此，所謂的生存競爭實際上是隻是為爭取成功而競爭罷了。當人們忙乎著競爭的時候，他們真正害怕的不是失去第二天的早餐，而是輸給他們的鄰居們。
It is very singular how little men seem to realise that they are not caught in the grip of a mechanism from which there is no escape， but that the treadmill is one upon which they remain merely because they have not noticed that it fails to take them up to a higher level。 I am thinking， of course， of men in higher walks of business， men who already have a good income and could， if they chose， live on what they have。 To do so would seem to them shameful， like deserting from the army in the face of the enemy， though if you ask them what public cause they are serving by their work， they will be at a loss to reply as soon as they have run through the platitudes to be found in the advertisements of the strenuous life。
令人奇怪的是，極少有人能意識到他們並沒有被無法擺脫的機器所操控，但卻一直停留在一臺跑步機上。而這隻因為他們並沒有注意到這跑步機雖然不停運轉，但並沒有令他們爬上更高的地方。
當然，我這裡指的是那些成功的大商人，他們擁有可觀的收入，只要他們想，他們就能依賴這些收入生活下去。但這樣做對於他們來說還是件丟臉的事情， 就好像臨陣脫逃一樣——雖然當你問他們為公共事業做了哪些貢獻時，他們就算想遍關於自己艱苦奮鬥的陳詞濫調也茫然不知該怎麼回答。
Consider the life of such a man。 He has， we may suppose， a charming house， a charming wife， and charming children。 He wakes up early in the morning while they are still asleep and hurries off to his office。 There it is his duty to display the qualities of a great executive； he cultivates a firm jaw， a decisive manner of speech， and an air of sagacious reserve calculated to impress everybody except the office boy。 He dictates letters， converses with various important persons on the phone， studies the market， and presently has lunch with some person with whom he is conducting or hoping to conduct a deal。 The same sort of thing goes on all the afternoon。 He arrives home， tired， just in time to dress for dinner。 At dinner he and a number of other tired men have to pretend to enjoy the company of ladies who have no occasion to feel tired yet。 How many hours it may take the poor man to escape it is impossible to foresee。 At last he sleeps， and for a few hours the tension is relaxed。
讓我們設想一下這樣一個人的生活吧。
我們可以假定，他有一套豪華的住宅，一位迷人的妻子，以及可愛的孩子們。
清晨，家人們好夢猶酣，他已經早早地醒來，匆匆忙忙地趕往辦公室。
在那裡，他會充分展現出自己作為一個出色的管理人員的風采——結實的下顎、簡潔果斷的說話方式、睿智而矜持的神態——並給所有人留下深刻的印象（除了辦公室小弟）。他口授信函，跟各種重要的人物在電話裡交談，研究市場，隨後與某位正在交易或希望達成交易的人共進午餐，而同樣的事情會延續整個下午。
等渾身精疲力盡地回到家裡，他可能只來得及換好衣服去赴晚宴。
在晚宴上，他和許多同樣精疲力盡的人一樣，還得在那些女賓面前裝作快樂享受的樣子，但天知道，那些女賓們並不像他們一樣渾身疲憊。沒人能預知，到底這個可憐人還需要多久才能逃脫這一切。
最後，他終於可以睡覺了，終於可以讓自己繃緊的神經放鬆那麼幾個小時！
The working life of this man has the psychology of a hundred-yards race， but as the race upon which he is engaged is one whose only goal is the grave， the concentration， which is appropriate enough for a hundred yards， becomes in the end somewhat excessive。
這些人在工作中有百米賽跑的心理，但是這種競賽唯一的終點就是墳墓。這種專注足以應對一百米，但隨著漸漸超過這個距離，到最後就會變得有點過分了。
What does he know about his children？ On week-days he is at the office； on Sundays he is at the golf links。 What does he know of his wife？ When he leaves her in the morning， she is asleep。 Throughout the evening he and she are engaged in social duties which prevent intimate conversation。 He has probably no men friends who are important to him， although he has a number with whom he affects a geniality that he wishes he felt。 Of springtime and harvest he knows only as they affect the market； foreign countries he has probably seen， but with eyes of utter boredom。 Books seem to him futile， and music highbrow。 Year by year he grows more lonely； his attention grows more concentrated and his life outside business more desiccated。 I have seen the American of this type in later middle life， in Europe， with his wife and daughters。 Evidently they had persuaded the poor fellow that it was time he took a holiday and gave his girls a chance to do the Old World。 The mother and daughters in ecstasy surround him and call his attention to each new item that strikes them as characteristic。 Paterfamilias， utterly weary， utterly bored， is wondering what they are doing in the office at this moment， or what is happening in the baseball world。 His womenkind， in the end， give him up， and conclude that males are Philistines。 It never dawns upon them that he is a victim to their greed； nor， indeed， is this quite the truth， any more than suttee is quite what it appeared to a European onlooker。 Probably in nine cases out of ten the widow was a willing victim， prepared to be burnt for the sake of glory and because religion so ordained。 The businessman’s religion and glory demand that he should make much money； therefore， like the Hindu widow， he suffers the torment gladly。
平時他呆在辦公室裡，星期天他在高爾夫球場，對於孩子他了解些什麼？清晨他離開的時候，妻子仍在夢中，而整個晚上，他和妻子在無法親密交流的社交活動裡，對於妻子他又瞭解些什麼？儘管他可能有幾個貌似親密的朋友，但他或許沒有一個對自己真正重要的男性朋友。
唯有當季節更替影響到市場，他才會注意到春天的花開、秋天的金黃。或許，他曾去過許多國家，但他眼裡流露出的卻只有厭倦。
對於他來說，讀書是沒什麼用處的，音樂也不過是炫耀和賣弄。隨著時光流逝，他變得越來越孤僻，越來越專注，生意之外的生活也越來越枯燥無味。
我曾在歐洲見過一個這樣的中年美國人以及他的妻子和女兒。很明顯她們已經說服他，是時候給自己一個假期，也給女兒們一個機會遊覽歐洲大陸了。這位媽媽和女兒們興奮忘形地圍著他，將他的注意力轉移到每一處打動她們的當地特色和新東西上。而這位一家之主卻是一副疲憊不堪、心煩意亂的倒黴樣子。或許，他腦袋裡還在想著這個時候同事們正在辦公室裡幹些什麼，或者棒球界又發生了什麼。最後，他家裡的大小女人們全都對他失去了希望，認為男人們全是貪婪的腓力斯人。但她們不曾醒悟，他正是她們貪慾的犧牲品。
的確，在一個歐洲的旁觀者眼裡，他的付出真的比“薩蒂”殉夫的行為也有過之而無不及。殉夫的十個寡婦中，很可能有九個是自願的犧牲品，她們因為宗教的規定，準備好為榮耀而被燒死。商人類似的、宗教般的認知和榮譽感需要他努力賺很多的錢，因此，就像信仰印度教的寡婦，他心甘情願地承受著痛苦折磨。
If the American businessman is to be made happier， he must first change his religion。 So long as he not only desires success， but is whole-heartedly persuaded that it is a man‘s duty to pursue success， and that a man who does not do so is a poor creature， so long his life will remain too concentrated and too anxious to be happy。
如果這個美國商人想要變得更快樂一些，他必須首先改變自己的觀念。而只要他依然不僅渴望著成功，甚至還全身心地相信追逐成功就是男人的責任，而不這樣做的男人只是一隻可憐蟲，那麼，他的生活就會一直因為過分地專注和焦慮，而無法變得快樂幸福。
Take a simple matter， such as investments。 Almost every American would sooner get 8 per cent from a risks investment than 4 per cent from a safe one。 The consequence is that there are frequent losses of money and continual worry and fret。 For my part， the thing that I would wish to obtain from money would be leisure with security。 But what the typical modern man desires to get with it is more money， with a view to ostentation， splendour， and the outshining of those who have hitherto been his equals。 The social scale in America is indefinite and continually fluctuating。 Consequently all the snobbish emotions become more restless than they are where the social order is fixed， and although money in itself may not suffice to make people grand， it is difficult to be grand without money。 Moreover， money made is the accepted measure of brains。 A man who makes a lot of money is a clever fellow； a man who does not， is not。 Nobody likes to be thought a fool。 Therefore， when the market is in ticklish condition， a man feels the way young people feel during an examination。
舉個簡單的例子，就比如投資。
幾乎每個美國人都會選擇承擔風險以獲得8%的收益，而非4%的安全收益，而結果就是持續不斷的金錢損失和無休無止的擔憂和煩惱。就我而言，我希望從金錢中獲得的會是安全伴隨著的安逸生活，但是典型的現代人想要的則是更多的金錢，是自我炫耀，是光彩奪目，是傲視同儕。
在美國，社會層級是不確定的，不斷波動變化的，因此所有那些趨炎附勢的情緒變得比社會等級較為固化的地方更為焦躁不安。同時，雖然金錢不是萬能的，但沒有金錢卻是萬萬不能的，再加上金錢本身是公認的衡量人們智力和頭腦的標準。所以，能賺很多錢的人一定是個聰明的傢伙，反之則不然。沒人喜歡自己被人們看成一個笨蛋，因此，當市場比較敏感的時候，人們就會像年輕人在考場上一樣心懷忐忑，惶惶不安。
I think it should be admitted that an element of genuine though irrational fear as to the consequences of ruin frequently enters into a businessman’s anxieties。 Arnold Bennett‘s Clay hanger， however rich he became， continued to be afraid of dying in the workhouse。 I have no doubt that those who have suffered greatly through poverty in their childhood， are haunted by terrors lest their children should suffer similarly， and feel that it is hardly possible to build up enough millions as a bulwark against this disaster。 Such fears are probably inevitable in the first generation， but they are less likely to afflict those who have never known great poverty。 They are in any case a minor and somewhat exceptional factor in the problem。
我想，有一點我們應該承認，那就是對破產後果真實而非理性的擔憂和恐懼常常令商人焦慮不安。就比如阿諾德·貝奈特筆下的克萊漢格，無論變得多麼富有，他始終在擔心自己會死在濟貧院裡。
我毫不懷疑，那些童年時飽嘗貧困滋味的人，他們會始終被擔憂自己孩子遭遇同樣命運的夢魘所束縛和困擾；他們會覺得幾乎不可能積聚足夠的、達到數百萬的家財來為潛在的災難建好堡壘。這種恐懼對於第一代人來說恐怕是不可避免的，但不太可能讓那些不曾體驗過赤貧滋味的人感到困擾。不過，不管怎樣，這只是這個難題中一個次要的，有點例外的因素而已。
The root of the trouble springs from too much emphasis upon competitive success as the main source of happiness。 I do not deny that the feeling of success makes it easier to enjoy life。 A painter， let us say， who has been obscure throughout his youth， is likely to become happier if his talent wins recognition。 Nor do I deny that money， up to a certain point， is very capable of increasing happiness； beyond that point， I do not think it does so。 What I do maintain is that success can only be one ingredient in happiness， and is too dearly purchased if all the other ingredients have been sacrificed to obtain it。
問題的根源在於，我們過分強調競爭成功，並把它當成了幸福的主要來源。
我不否認，對成功的感受和體驗會讓享受生活更為容易。比如說，一個畫家，他在整個青年時代一直默默無聞。但倘若有那麼一天，他的才華得到了世人的公認，那麼，他真的可能變得快樂起來。
我同樣不否認，金錢累積到某一個確定的點，將能夠增進幸福；但是一旦超過了這個點，我不認為它還會達到同樣的效果。
總而言之，我堅信的是，成功只能是幸福的構成因素之一，如果為此付出了所有其它的因素，那麼，這代價就太過昂貴了。
