for someone to tell us we shouldn’t forget to be grateful.

因為有人一直告訴我們不要忘記保持感恩

It’s in conflict with our times, and their emphasis on constant ambition and striving.

這個相法跟現在主流想法有很大的隔閡，就像是他們老是強調立大志、努力，

The idea of pausing to take stock of what has gone well, to be content with many things

那些想法：叫我們停下來去細數有那些美好的事，那些該值得滿足

as they are - this feels strange and dangerous, like some kind of a loser’s counsel - or

這讓人感到很莫名其妙和危險，好像是一個給失敗者的忠言，

the consolation prize.

或是像一個安慰獎

But in truth, there is so much that, if we learnt we might be dead by nightfall, we would

但實際上，這裡面富含了許多道理； 如果我們得知可能今晚就要死亡，

promptly remember to value:

我們就會即時知道去珍惜這一切。

the summer night sky

夏天的夜空

the taste of cold milk

冷牛奶的味道

old brick walls

殘舊的磚牆

deserted railway stations

空無一人的車站

the presence of our partners beside us in the stillness of dawn.

在寂靜的黎明中，我們身旁的伴侶

We are ungrateful partly out of a fear; a fear of accepting what we have – as if to

我們之所以不知感恩，常出自於一種恐懼；即如果我們接納我們所擁有的

pause to appreciate things as they are might make us ‘soft’, complacent, without the

去感激事情如是的樣子，如此會使我們變得看起來軟弱、自滿

will-power to take on new challenges.

沒有意志力去接受新的挑戰

Anxiety feels so much more natural.

相較之下焦慮是我們熟悉的感覺

It’s been with us from the start.

從一開始焦慮就如影隨行

But ultimately, it's not heroic or sensible always to be dissatisfied; relentlessly to

但最終的來說，老是感到不滿足…

focus on everything that's gone wrong and to obsess about our humiliations and rejections.

老是掛念著那些搞砸的事、 想著那些羞辱與挫折，並不是什麼英雄和明智的事。

There's in truth far more courage and skill in being able to identify a hopeful perspective:

實際上能使人更為勇敢和成熟的，是能夠從一個樂觀的角度…

in knowing how to train and keep our eyes on what’s been - more or less - OK.

去練習接受那些發生的事情 - 或多或少 - 其實是沒問題的。

What can best help us in this is - oddly - is the thought of our own death: how soon and how

諷刺的是，通常能夠讓我們體認這個真理的，是我們自身的死亡：它是來得多麼的快速和

unexpectedly it may come, and how much we'll miss about life when it does.

多麼的無常， 以及死亡到訪時我們會錯過多少生命的豐盛。

We are constantly undermined by our failure to retain the purity and drama of this helpfully

我們不斷地被我們的失敗殘害， 一直緊抓著扭曲不實的觀點和故事不放。

morbid insight – which should strike us once every day at least

造成我們每天至少被打擊一次

and to put it to powerful use in the ordinary course of life.

並在日常生活中強化這個想法。

Gratitude is the dividend due to us when, for a few moments, we begin to assess our

感恩的心將會臨到我們， 當我們開始用更真實的感受去看待

lives with a truer sense of all our small but significant advantages - and with a frank,

那些不起眼、但很重要的小確幸 - 以一個更為坦然、

humble recognition of all we have to lose - and one day will.

謙卑的心去明白我們無法擁有那些終將會過去的事物。