to them – usually by eating more couscous and broccoli, going to bed early and running

通常藉著吃更多的庫司庫司 (北非小米) 和綠花椰菜、早睡和在雨中

in the rain. But this approach may turn out to be quixotic, not only because Death can't

跑步。但這種方法可能最終是異想天開，不僅因為羽衣甘藍不能

reliably be warded off with kale, but at a deeper level, because the best way to lengthen

可靠地擊退死神，而是因為在更深的層次上，延長壽命的最佳方式

a life is not by attempting to stick more years on to its tail. One of the most basic

並非試圖在它的尾端加上更多年。關於時間最基本的

facts about time is that, even though we insist on measuring it as if it were an objective

事實之一是，即便我們堅持用一個客觀單位來衡量它，

unit, it doesn't, in all conditions, feel as if it were moving at the same pace. Five

但無論如何，我們都不會覺得時間的流逝速度是相同的

minutes can feel like an hour; ten hours can feel like five minutes. A decade may pass

五分鐘可能感覺像一小時 ; 十小時感覺像五分鐘。十年就像兩年一樣過去了 ;

like two years; two years may acquire the weight of half a century. And so on. In other

兩年或許相當於半個世紀的分量。諸如此類。換言之，

words, our subjective experience of time bears precious little relation to the way we like

我們對時間的主觀體驗與我們喜歡在時鐘上衡量它的方式關係不大

to measure it on a clock. Time moves more or less slowly according to the vagaries of

隨著人類思維的變幻莫測，時間過得或快或慢 :

the human mind: it may fly or it may drag. It may evaporate into airy nothing or achieve

時間可能轉瞬即逝或慢條斯理。 它可能會無聲無息地消逝亦或成為

enduring density. If the goal is to have a longer life, whatever the dieticians may urge,

永恆。如果目標是延長壽命，無論營養師怎麼提倡，

it seems like the priority should not be to add raw increments of time but to ensure that

看來似乎不該優先考慮增加原始的時間含量，而是確保

whatever years remain feel appropriately substantial. The aim should be to densify time rather than

不管壽命還剩多少年，仍感覺過得充實。我們的目標應該是精實我們的時間，

to try to extract one or two more years from the fickle grip of Death. Why then does time

而非試圖由死神那變幻無常的手中抽出一兩年。為何時間

have such different speeds, moving at certain points bewilderingly fast, at others with

會有如此不同的速度，在某些時刻過得令人不知所措的快、在其他時刻卻

intricate moderation? The clue is to be found childhood. The first ten years almost invariably

錯綜複雜地慢 ? 我們可以在童年時期找到線索。前十年幾乎總比

feel longer than any other decade we have on earth. The teens are a little faster but

我們活在世界上的任何其他十年感覺來得長。青少年時期過得快一點

still crawl. Yet by our 40s, time will have started to trot; and by our 60s, it will be

但仍然緩慢爬行。然而到了四十幾歲時，時間將開始小跑步 ; 到了我們六十幾歲時，

unfolding at a bewildering gallop. The difference in pace

它將以令人眼花繚亂的疾馳速度展開。這之間節奏的差異

is not mysterious: it has to do with novelty. The more our days are filled with new, unpredictable

並不神秘：它與新奇的事物有關。生活中越充滿新的、不可預測

and challenging experiences, the longer they will feel. And, conversely, the more one day

和具有挑戰性的經歷，我們就覺得這些日子過得越長。而相反地，某一天

is exactly like another, the faster it will pass by in an evanescent blur. Childhood ends

與另一天完全相同，它在短暫的模糊中過得越快。童年時光讓人感覺這麼長，

up feeling so long because it is the cauldron of novelty; because its most ordinary days

因為它是新奇事物的大雜燴；因為童年最平凡的日子裡都

are packed with extraordinary discoveries and sensations: these can be as apparently

充滿了非凡的發現和感受 : 這些看來都顯得微不足道，

minor yet as significant as the first time we explore the zip on a cardigan or hold our

但與我們第一次在羊毛衫上探索拉鍊或在水底下

nose under water, the first time we look at the sun through the cotton of a beach towel

憋氣時、我們第一次透過海灘巾的棉布直視太陽時

or dig our fingers into the putty holding a window in its frame. Dense as it is with

或者將手指插入窗框上的油灰中時一樣重要。充滿了各種密集的刺激，

stimuli, the first decade might as well be a thousand years long. By middle age, things

人生的頭一個十年可能感覺有一千年這麼長。到了中年，

can be counted upon to have grown a lot more familiar. We may have flown around the world

對可預測的事物變得更加熟悉。我們可能已經飛行至世界各地

a few times. We no longer get excited by the idea of eating a pineapple, owning a car or

幾次了。我們不再對吃鳳梨、擁有一輛車

flipping a lightswitch. We know about relationships, earning money and telling others what do.

或打開燈開關的想法感到興奮。我們了解到人際關係、賺錢和告訴別人該做什麼。

And as a result, time runs away from us without mercy. One solution often suggested at this

因此，時間無情地離我們而去。針對這點常被提出的一個解決方法

point is that we should put all our efforts into discovering fresh sources of novelty.

是我們應該全力以赴探索新鮮的新奇事物泉源

We can't just continue to live our small predictable and therefore 'swift' lives

我們不能僅僅繼續在一個狹小的領域中過著卑微、可預測而且 「快速」的生活 ;

in a single narrow domain; we need to become explorers and adventurers. We must go to Machu

我們需要成為探險家和冒險家。我們必須造訪馬丘比丘

Picchu or Angkor Wat, Astana or Montevideo, we need to find a way to swim with dolphins

或吳哥窟、阿斯塔納 (哈薩克首都) 或蒙特維多 (烏拉圭首都)、我們必須想辦法與海豚共游，

or order a thirteen course meal at a world-famous restaurant in downtown Lima. That will finally

或在位於利馬市中心的全球知名餐廳吃一頓有十三道菜的飯。這終究將

slow down the cruel gallop of time. But this is to labour under an unfair, expensive and

減緩時間殘酷的奔馳。但這種做法是誤信了一種不平等、昂貴且非常不

ultimately impractical notion of novelty. We may by middle age certainly have seen a

切實際的新奇事物。可能從我們步入中年起，確實在

great many things in our neighborhoods, but we are – fortunately for us – unlikely

週遭看過很多事物，但我們 - 幸運的是 - 不太可能

to have properly noticed most of them. We have probably taken a few cursory glances

恰好注意到其中的大部份事物。我們或許對信手拈來的

at the miracles of existence that lie to hand and assumed, quite unjustly, that we know

奇蹟的存在匆匆一瞥，並很先入為主地認為

all there is to know about them. We've imagined we understand the city we live in, the people

我們已對它們瞭若指掌。我們自認為已經了解我們所居住的城市、

we interact with and, more or less, the point of it all. But of course we have barely scratched

與我們互動的人們，及或多或少這一切的重要性。但當然這只不過是

the surface. We have grown bored of a world we haven't begun to study properly. And

蜻蜓點水罷了。我們尚未開始好好地研究這世界就已對它逐漸厭煩了。

that, among other things, is why time is racing by. The pioneers at making life feel longer

而這一點，先不提別的，就是時間飛逝的原因。讓壽命感覺過得更長的先驅

in the way that counts are not dieticians, but artists. At its best, art is a tool that

並非營養學家，而是藝術家。在發揮到極致的狀態下，藝術是一種工具，

reminds us of how little we have fathomed and noticed. It re-introduces us to ordinary

用來提醒我們所瞭解和留意到的是多麼地少。它向我們重新介紹平凡的事物

things and reopens our eyes to a latent beauty and interest in precisely those areas we had

並讓我們的雙眼再次看向隱約的美，並引起我們對已經不再

ceased to bother with. It helps us to recover some of the manic sensitivity we had as newborns.

在乎的那些領域的興趣。它有助於我們某種程度上恢復如新生兒般極端的敏感度

Here is Cezanne, looking closely at apples, as if he had never seen one before and nudging

這是塞尚的畫，他仔細觀察蘋果，就像他以前從沒看過一樣，並促使

us to do likewise: Here is Van Gogh, mesmerised by some oranges: Here is Albrecht Durer, looking

我們也這樣做：這是梵谷的畫，他被一些橘子迷住了：這是杜勒的畫，他仔細觀察

– as only children usually do – very closely at a clod of earth:

地表的土壤- 正如孩子們常做的那樣

We don't need to make art in order to learn the most valuable lesson

我們不需要創作藝術才能學習藝術家最珍貴的一課，

of artists, which is about noticing properly, living with our eyes open – and thereby,

正是關於好好地注意、有意識地生活著 - 從而，

along the way, savouring time. Without any intention to create something that could be

一路品味時間。不刻意創造可以被

put in a gallery, we could – as part of a goal of living more deliberately – take

放在畫廊中的物品，我們可以 - 作為更刻意生活的目標的一部分 -

a walk in an unfamiliar part of town, ask an old friend about a side of their life we'd

在城市中一個不熟悉的地方散步、向一位老朋友詢問我們從來不敢去探究的

never dared to probe at, lie on our back in the garden and look up at the stars or hold

他們生活的某一面、仰躺在花園裡望著星空或

our partner in a way we never tried before. It takes a rabid lack of imagination to think

以我們以前從未嘗試過的方式握住伴侶的手。 認為我們必須

we have to go to Machu Picchu to find something new. In Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Idiot,

去馬丘比丘尋找新事物是非常缺乏想像力的一件事。在杜思妥耶夫斯基的小說《白痴》中，

a prisoner has suddenly been condemned to death and been told he has only a few minutes

一名囚犯突然被判處死刑，並被告知他只剩下幾分鐘的生命

left to live. 'What if I were not to die!,' he exclaims. 'What if life were given back

「萬一我不該死怎麼辦 !」他喊道。「萬一生命又交回我手上呢

to me – what infinity!… I'd turn a whole minute into an age…' Faced with losing

- 何等的無限哪 !...我會把一分鐘變成一個時代 ...」面對將失去生命，

his life, the poor wretch recognises that every minute could be turned into aeons of

這個不幸的可憐人體認到，只要有足夠的想像力和感激的心，

time, with sufficient imagination and appreciation. It is sensible enough to try to live longer

每一分鐘都可以化為永恆。試著活得長壽是明智的

lives. But we are working with a false notion of what long really means. We might live to

但對於長的真正含義，我們正往錯的方向努力。我們可能活到

be a thousand years old and still complain that it had all rushed by too fast. We should

一千歲之久，卻仍抱怨人生倏忽即逝。我們應該

be aiming to lead lives that feel long because we have managed to imbue them with the right

致力於過那種感覺很長的人生，因為我們已經設法為它們注入

sort of open-hearted appreciation and unsnobbish receptivity, the kind that five-year-olds

真誠的欣賞和不勢利的感受性，就像五歲小孩

know naturally how to bring to bear. We need to pause and look at one another's faces,

天生知道該如何善用的那樣。我們需要停下來看看彼此的臉、

study the evening sky, wonder at the eddies and colours of the river and dare to ask the

研究傍晚的天空、好奇河水的漩渦和顏色，並勇於詢問那些

kind of questions that open our souls. We don't need to add years; we need to densify

可以開闊我們靈魂的問題。我們不需要活更多年 ; 我們需要透過確保

the time we have left by ensuring that every day is lived consciously – and we can do

每天都有意識地生活來增加我們剩下的時間 - 而且我們可以透過

this via a manoeuvre as simple as it is momentous: by starting to notice all that we have as

一個既簡單又重要的動作來實現這一點：藉由開始注意到我們所擁有的一切

yet only seen.

只如初見一樣

Our Wisdom Display Cards explore what it really means to be wise and how we can strive to become more enlightened in our every day lives.

我們的智慧展示卡探討聰明的真義，以及我們如何努力在日常生活中變得更加開明