Adolescence isn't just a particular time of one's second decade and it won't unfold automatically simply when one reaches 14 or 17 and three quarters.

青春期並非單純只是某個人生的第二個十年，也不會因為某人到了 14 歲或 17 又四分之三歲就自動展開。

Adolescence, properly understood, is a state in which we're able to explore, with courage and newfound independence,

要確切了解的話，青春期是種狀態，讓我們能夠帶著勇氣與新獲得的獨立感探索，

who we might be outside of the projections and mental dictates placed upon us with enormous ingenuity and great force by our parents.

在我們父母足智多謀且有力地加諸在身上的巨大期望和精神支配外，我們可能是什麼樣的人。

Parents are the greatest propagandists that any of us will ever meet with, and part of their genius is that we rarely know what they are up to.

雙親是我們一生會遇到最巨大的鼓吹者，而他們聰明之處在於，我們幾乎不知道他們打著什麼主意。

Below the surface, they are engaged in a ruthless and ongoing attempt to sell us a version of reality,

在表面之下，他們冷酷且持續地企圖向我們推銷一種版本的現實，

to tell us what we are really like, what we actually need, what life is truly about, and who they have been and what their motives are.

告訴我們自身其實是怎麼樣的人、實際上需要什麼、人生究竟是如何以及他們過去是怎麼樣的人並且動機為何。

It goes without saying that some of their ideas will be eminently correct.

不用說的是，他們有一些想法會是絕對正確的。

But the function of adolescence is to take a good, long look at and deal with the ones that aren't.

但是青春期的功能是，好好地觀察並應付不正確的想法。

Adolescence is an initially inarticulate and then gradually more discerning protest against everything that has come to feel false, ill-fitting, and superfluously applied to our identities since we were born.

青春期是一開始不擅辭令，之後慢慢變得敏銳的抗議，抗議任何從我們出生後，加諸我們身份任何感覺虛假、不適合且多餘的東西。

We may realize, as we progress through adolescence, that we really aren't interested in particular sides of the workplace that our parents have held in high esteem.

雖著我們在青春期的發展，我們可能發現，父母極為看重的職場面向，我們其實不太感興趣。

That we don't care about a given approach to morality or vision of politeness and goodness, and that we would prefer to join the circus or Goldman Sachs.

我們不在意特定的道德作為或禮貌和善良的願景，而且我們寧可加入馬戲團或高盛集團。

Good parents are secure enough not to mind.

好爸媽用有足夠的安全感可以不用在乎。

They can accept that their child may have turned into that always rather remarkable thing⏤a separate person.

他們可以接受自己的孩子可能轉變成了那總是頗為傑出的樣貌，也就是獨立的個體。

They can even take it if their children are furious for a while, try to kill them in their imaginations, and see all their incompetence and stupidity without a filter of sentimentality or fear.

他們甚至可以接受孩子暫時的憤怒、試著在想像中殺害他們並且在沒有多愁善感或恐懼的濾鏡下，看到他們所有的無能和愚笨。

What clever people they are to be able to perceive things so distinctly!

他們能夠是如此精闢地看事情有多麽地聰明！

What attribute to one's parenting to allow such loathing to play out!

允許此等的憎惡發生多麽良好地反應他們的育兒特質！

The difficulty lies with the parents who brook no such opposition, who are too vengeful, depressed, or anxious to tolerate dissent and force us to disown bits of ourselves in order to retain their love.

困難之處在於不允許此種對立的父母，他們報復心太強、太沮喪或太急切，無法容忍異議並迫使我們放棄自己的某些部分以保留他們的愛。

The good news is that it's never too late for an adolescence.

好消息時，青春期的發生永遠不嫌晚。

We can start to have one as soon as we realize our right to define ourselves away from parental laws.

我們在發現自己有權在遠離父母訂下的法律情況下定義自己，就可以開始青春期。

We can even do it in secret, without spots to give things away.

我們甚至可以偷偷地度過，還不用擔心青春痘洩密。

No one will have to know the critical task that is at play beneath our sober, middle-aged facades.

不會需要有人之後我們清醒、中年外表之下正在發生的重要任務。

A belated search for our true sleves.

我們遲來的搜尋真我之旅。