When I think of anger, I think of myself losing it.

想到生氣這件事，我會想到自己失去控制。

Growling at the radio, shouting at the cat.

對著收音機咆哮，對著貓大吼。

Feeling homicidal rage towards the person next to me in the quiet carriage on the train eating their crisps noisily.

在安靜的車廂中，對於坐在我身邊大聲地吃著洋芋片的人，感到想殺人般的憤怒。

It's not a healthy or happy feeling.

這可不是一個健康或愉悅的感覺。

For me, anger is a thwarted, tantrum-like howl of protest against the world's inexplicable refusal to cooperate with my perfectly clear wishes.

對我來說，生氣像挫敗的、發脾氣般的哀嚎，抗議世界莫名地拒絕與自己完美明確的願望合作。

And for that reason it's not something that I think is a great basis for moral or political decisions.

因此，我認為道德或政治上的決定不能以生氣為基礎。

Today I know that individual men and especially women are likely to be criticized and perhaps patronized when they express anger in their everyday lives.

我知道現今有男性，特別是女性，當他們在日常生活中表達憤怒時，可能會被批評或被看不起。

"Calm down dear," they might be told.

別人可能會告訴他們：「請你冷靜一下。」

But I detect in our culture a rising celebration of anger on all sides.

但我發現英國文化中，在各方面對於憤怒都有越來越多的讚揚。

People wearing it as a badge of pride, announcing that they're proud to be angry and that others should be too.

人們將憤怒視作自豪的象徵，他們對於生氣這件事引以為傲，並宣告其他人也應該跟他們一樣。

I don't buy into any of this.

我不相信這些說法。

I think there's a real danger that boasting about anger becomes a generalized licence for hate.

我認為危險隱含在其中，因為誇耀怒氣會使惡意被普遍接受。

I'm also afraid that people use the language of anger as thinly-veiled threat of violence.

我也害怕人們把生氣的語言當作幾乎豪不掩飾的暴力威脅。

When you hear a politician saying that if a decision doesn't go their way, then they fear there could be civil unrest and public anger.

當你聽見政客說，如果決策沒有順著他們的意，那麼恐怕會引發內亂和眾怒。

I take it that what they're really saying is: If you don't do what I want then there might be riots and there might be violence.

我將這段話解釋為，如果你不按照我的意見進行，那麼將會發生暴動或是暴力。

And again, I'm not sure that's a healthy way to conduct political discourse.

再重申一次，我不確定這是進行公眾對話的正常方式。

One of my favourite works written against angry emotions is a book called De Ira, or On Rage, written by the Roman philosopher and stoic Seneca.

《論憤怒》是我最喜愛的書之一，這是一本關於反對生氣情緒的書，作者為古羅馬哲學家兼斯多葛學派代表人物的塞內卡。

I think there may be some things that we can still learn from it.

我認為我們可以在書中學習一些事情。

For the Stoics, passions were diseases.

對於斯多葛學派的人來說，強烈的情感是病。

They weren't just harmless emotions that we should get in touch with and express but they were things that were seriously bad for us.

強烈的情感不是我們應該接觸或表達的無害情緒，它會對我們產生極糟的影響。

Another central idea that the Stoics gave us about passions and emotions was to think of them as choices.

斯多葛學派的另一個中心思想是，他們認為情感與情緒是一種選擇。

When I think of my own experience for example of anger, I have to confess that there is a moment when I agree to let it happen.

舉例來說，當我想到自身生氣的經驗， 我必須坦承我在某一刻同意這個情緒的發生。

I choose to lose it.

我選擇失去控制。

I allow myself to become enraged and that if we're honest, I think we have to agree with the Stoics that our emotions are choices, even when those feelings do feel quite hard to resist.

我允許自己感到憤怒，老實說，即使有時候某些情緒是難以抗拒的，我仍認為我們必須同意斯多葛學派所說——情緒是一種選擇。

But for those of us who do want to try and follow in this difficult path and restrain rather than express our anger and outrage, Seneca had some very useful practical tips.

但對於想嘗試或跟隨這艱困的道路，想壓抑而非表達自己的怒氣或憤怒的人，塞內卡有一些非常實用的方法。

People with a bad temper should avoid getting drunk.

脾氣不好的人應該避免喝醉。

People should avoid the forum, advocacy, the courts and all pursuits that irritate us.

人們應該避免參與論壇、鼓吹活動和開庭，以及避免追求任何會激怒自己的事物。

Twitter perhaps or for me The Today Programme.

例如推特，對我來說是《今日秀》。

Finally, Seneca advises us always to wait before responding to any perceived injury.

最後，塞內卡建議我們在回應任何感受到的傷害之前，先學著等待。

He said that the greatest remedy for anger was postponement.

他說治療怒氣的最佳療法是延遲。

And I think that any of us who has ever responded too hastily and in anger to an annoying email from a colleague will appreciate the power of this advice.

我認為曾經對於同事的煩人郵件反應太快並感到憤怒的人，會感謝這項建議所帶來的力量。

Thanks for watching.

感謝你的收看。

Don't forget to subscribe and click the bell to receive notifications for new videos.

記得訂閱頻道並開啟小鈴鐺接收最新的影片消息。

See you again soon.

下次見。