step outside of ourselves - and consider our troubles and most of all the idea of our death

走出我們自己--考慮我們的煩惱，最重要的是考慮我們的死亡。

from a wholly dispassionate perspective, as if it were someone else who would have to

從一個完全冷靜的角度來看，就好像是別人要做的事情一樣

go through the event and as if we could understand it in the same way that a stranger four centuries

就像我們能理解這個事件一樣，就像一個四百年前的陌生人一樣。

from now might, in other words, as if it might not in the end be such a big deal at all,

從現在開始可能，換句話說，好像最後可能根本就不是什麼大事。

just an inevitable return to an atomic mulch from which our life was only ever a brief

只是不可避免地回到了我們的生命只是曾經短暫的原子覆蓋物的地方

and unlikely spasm.

和不大可能的痙攣。

The Dutch seventeenth century philosopher Baruch Spinoza made a famous distinction between

荷蘭十七世紀的哲學家巴魯克-斯賓諾莎對以下兩個方面做了一個著名的區分。

two ways of looking at death. We could either see it egoistically, from our limited point

兩種看待死亡的方式。我們可以從我們有限的角度，從自我主義的角度來看待它。

of view, as he put it in Latin: sub specie durationis – under the aspect of time - at

的觀點，正如他在拉丁文中所說的那樣：sub specie durationis--在時間方面--。

which point it would be a tragedy. Or we could look look at it from the outside, globally

這一點上，這將是一個悲劇。或者我們可以從外面看，從全球範圍看

and eternally, as if from the eye of another force or planet: sub specie aeternitatis – under

和永恆的，彷彿從另一個力量或行星的眼睛：sub specie aeternitatis - 下

the aspect of eternity, at which point it would be an utterly untroubling and normal

永恆的方面，在這一點上，它將是一個完全不令人不安的和正常的。

event. Spinoza recognised that for much of our lives, we are necessarily pulled by our

事件。斯賓諾莎認識到，在我們生活的大部分時間裡，我們必然會被我們的 "小事 "所牽引。

bodies towards a time-bound and egoistic view, aligning all our concerns with the survival

身體朝向有時間限制和利己主義的觀點，使我們所有的關注點都與生存相一致。

of our own bodies. But he stressed that our minds also give us unique access to another

我們自己的身體。但他強調，我們的思想也給了我們獨特的機會，讓我們接觸到另一個人的身體。

perspective, from which the particulars of our material identities matter far less. Our

從這個角度來看，我們的物質身份的細節遠沒有那麼重要。我們的

minds allow us – and here Spinoza becomes lyrical – to participate in eternal totality

心靈讓我們--在這裡斯賓諾莎變得抒情了--參與永恆的整體性

and to achieve piece of mind by aligning ourselves with the trajectory of the universe.

並使自己與宇宙的軌跡保持一致，從而達到心安理得。

Below us will

我們下面將

be millions of near microscopic worms, waiting for us to succumb and be reabsorbed into the

是數以百萬計的近乎微觀的蠕蟲，等待著我們屈服並被重新吸收到這個世界上

soil and the life-cycle. In the trees outside might be birds

土壤和生命週期。在外面的樹上可能是鳥

and in the grass, bugs

在草叢中，蟲子

which would, given the chance, intrepidly venture across our necks or throw down a gelatinous

只要有機會，它就會無畏地從我們的脖子上穿過，或者扔下一個膠狀的東西。

trail across our ankles. Above us will be a mere 60 miles or so of atmosphere, before

痕跡穿過我們的腳踝。在我們的上方，將是一個僅僅60英里左右的大氣層，然後才是...

we enter a zone of unfeasible cold, in one corner punctuated by the lights of the distant

我們進入了一個難以忍受的寒冷區域，在一個角落裡，遠處的燈火點綴著我們。

Andromeda Galaxy, a dotted spiral 2.5 million light-years away that started to take shape

仙女座星系，一個250萬光年外的點狀螺旋體開始成形

10 billion years ago.

100億年前。

We can imagine floating free of ourselves, piercing the ceiling and the roof and rising

我們可以想象一下，我們可以自由地漂浮在空中，穿透天花板和屋頂，然後升起。

above our district and our city, climbing until we could see the whole countryside and

在我們的地區和我們的城市之上，攀爬，直到我們可以看到整個農村和。

the coast, then the sea (plied by ferries and container ships), then the ocean, a next

沿海，然後是海（渡輪和集裝箱船），然後是海，然後是海，再然後是海

continent, mountain ranges, deserts, until we penetrated the outer atmosphere and entered

大陸、山脈、沙漠，直到我們穿透了外層大氣層，進入了......。

deep space. We might continue outwards through our solar system, out into interstellar space,

深空。我們可能繼續向外穿過太陽系，進入星際空間。

then intergalactic space, past 400 billion stars and a 100 billion planets, past Saggitarius

再到星系間，經過四千億顆恆星和一千億顆行星，過了射手座

A and the Laniakea Supercluster and onto the furthest galaxy from earth in the universe,

A和Laniakea超星系團並進入宇宙中離地球最遠的星系。

MACS0647-JD, where we would finally rest, 13.3 billion light years away from our own

MACS0647-JD，我們最終將在那裡休息，離我們自己的133億光年之遙

bedroom.

臥室。

Far from crushing us, this impression of the vastness of space and time in which we dwell

這種對我們所居住的空間和時間的浩瀚的印象，遠沒有壓垮我們

can redeem and lighten us.

可以救贖和照亮我們。

We are - when we have the courage to know it - staggeringly unimportant in the larger

當我們有勇氣認識到這一點時，我們在更大的範圍內就會變得驚人的不重要。

scheme. On a cosmic scale nothing we will ever do, or fail to do, has the slightest

計劃。在宇宙範圍內，我們所做的或不做的事情，都不會有絲毫的影響。

significance. Everything connected directly to us is of no importance at all, when imagined

的意義。一切與我們直接相關的東西都沒有任何意義，當想象中的

on an appropriate scale. We are negligible instances, inhabiting a random, unremarkable

在一個適當的規模上。我們是可以忽略不計的實例，居住在一個隨機的、不起眼的地方

backwater of the universe, basking for an instant or two in the light of a dying star.

宇宙的後方，在一顆垂死的恆星的光亮中沐浴了一兩個瞬間。

This perspective may feel cruel but it is also centrally redemptive, for it frees us

這種觀點可能會讓人覺得殘酷，但它也是中心性的救贖，因為它使我們獲得自由

from the squeals of our own frightened egos.

從我們自己受驚的自我的尖叫聲。

States of higher consciousness are generally desperately short lived. But we should make

高等意識狀態一般都是極度短暫的。但我們應該使

the most of them when they arise, and harvest their insights for the panicky periods when

當它們出現的時候，要充分利用它們，並在慌亂的時期收穫它們的洞察力。

we require them most. Higher consciousness is a huge triumph over the primitive mind

我們最需要它們。更高的意識是對原始思維的巨大勝利。

which cannot envisage the possibility of its non-existence.

不能設想其不存在的可能性，

We can't know what our end will be. Maybe we'll be lingering for years, hardly able

我們無法知道我們的結局會是什麼。也許我們會流連忘返，難以自拔

to remember who we are; maybe we'll be cut off by a horrifying internal growth or a key

憶起我們是誰；也許我們會被可怕的內部增長或關鍵的切斷。

organ will fail us and the end will be instantaneous. But we can imagine our funeral; the things

器官將使我們失效，結局將是瞬間的。但是，我們可以想象我們的葬禮，那些東西

people might say or feel they have to say; we can imagine people crying; our will being

人們可能會說或覺得他們不得不說；我們可以想象人們在哭泣；我們的意志被。

enacted, then being gradually forgotten, becoming a strange figure in a family photo. Soon enough

頒佈，然後被漸漸遺忘，成為全家福中一個陌生的身影。很快

we'll diminish into uncertainty ('one of my great grandparents was a lawyer, I think,

我們會減少到不確定性（'我的一個曾祖父母是一個律師，我想。

maybe…') someone will say. It will be as if we had never been.

也許......"）有人會說。會像我們從來沒有去過一樣。

We should expect to be a little melancholy. Melancholy is not rage or bitterness, it is

我們應該期望有一點憂鬱。憂鬱不是憤怒或苦悶，而是

a noble species of sadness that arises when we are open to the fact that disappointment

哀其不幸，怒其不爭

and injury are at the heart of human experience. In our melancholy state, we can understand

和傷害是人類經驗的核心。在我們的憂鬱狀態下，我們可以理解。

without fury or sentimentality that no one fully understands anyone else, that loneliness

不怒自威，不悱不發，沒有人能夠完全理解別人，那種孤獨

is universal and that every life has its full measure of sorrow.

是普遍的，每個生命都有其全部的悲哀。

But though there is a vast amount to feel sad about, we're not individually cursed

但是，雖然有大量的悲哀，我們並不是個別的詛咒

and against the darkness, many small sweet things stand out: love, forgiveness, creativity.

而在黑暗的襯托下，許多細小的甜蜜的東西脫穎而出：愛、寬容、創造力。

With the tragedies of existence firmly in mind, we can learn how to draw the full value

牢牢記住存在的悲劇，我們就能學會如何充分汲取價值。

from what is good, whenever, wherever and in whatever doses it arises.

無論何時、何地、何量，從善如流。

To meditate on the unimportance of our own end, stangely, does not make it more frightening.

沉思我們自己的結局不重要，stangely，並不會讓它變得更可怕。

The more absurd our death the more vivid our appreciation of being alive. Our conscious

我們的死亡越是荒誕，我們對活著的欣賞就越是生動。我們的意識

existence is unveiled not as the inevitable state of things but as a strange, precious,

存在不是作為事物的必然狀態，而是作為一種奇特的、珍貴的東西被揭開。

moment of grace. We may be amazed to be here at all - and no longer quite so sad about

恩典的時刻。我們可能會驚訝於自己的存在--也不再那麼悲傷。

the time when we no longer will be.

時候，我們將不再是。

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請評論點贊和訂閱，並關注我們的店鋪，獲取更多來自生活學院的資訊。