we do little but hunt out situations that will amuse us, pursuing our hedonistic goals

我們除了去尋找取悅我們的事外，很少做什麼。 尋求讓自己快樂的東西，

with the help of puddles, crayons, balls, teddies, computers and bits and pieces we

例如小水坑、蠟筆、球、泰迪熊、電腦、和一些

find in the kitchen drawers. As soon as anything gets frustrating or boring, we simply give

在廚房抽屜的發現小玩意。 但只要事情變得令人沮喪或無聊，我們就會乾脆放棄

up and go in search of new sources of enjoyment – and no one appears to mind very much.

並去尋找樂趣的新來源 -- 而看起來也沒有人會很在意。

Then, all of a sudden at the age of 5 or 6, we are introduced to a terrifying new reality:

然後，到了5、6歲的時候， 我們突然認識到了一個可怕的新現實：

the Rule of Duty. This states that there are some things, indeed many things, that we must

「負責任」這個規則。這說明有些事， 事實上非常多的事，我們都必須要做好

do not because we like or see the point of them, but because other people, very intimidating

不是因為我們喜歡或看到那件事的意義， 而是因為其他的人，一些很嚇人

authoritative people who may be almost three times our size, expect us to do them – in

很有權威的人 -- 他們的身材可能是我們的三倍大 -- 期望我們做好那些事。

order, so the big people sternly explain, that we’ll be able to earn money, buy a

因此那些大人會嚴肅地解釋， 這樣我們才可以賺到錢、買房子、

house and go on holiday about 30 years from now. It sounds pretty important – sort of.

和去度假 -- 在大約30年以後。 這聽起來非常重要 -- 也許吧。

Even when we’re home and start crying and tell our parents that we just don’t want

甚至當我們放學回家，開始哭鬧地 告訴我們的父母，我們真的不想

to do the essay for tomorrow, they may take the side of Duty; and speak to us with anger

做明天要交的作文， 他們可能會以「負責任」的重要性，

and impatience – beneath which there is simply a lot of fear – about how people

生氣、不耐煩地向我們說教。 他們背後有很多的擔憂 -- 如果一個人

who can’t complete a simple homework assignment on volcanoes (and want to build a treehouse

連關於火山的簡單作業都無法完成， (取而代之的，更希望建造一間樹屋)

instead) will never survive in the adult world. Questions of what we actually enjoy doing,

絕不可能在成人的世界裡生存。 我們真正喜歡做什麼事、

what gives us pleasure, still occasionally matter in childhood, but only a bit. They

什麼事情帶給了我們快樂，這些問題， 在童年偶爾還是滿重要的 -- 但僅只有一點點。

become matters increasingly set aside from the day-to-day world of study, reserved for

它們慢慢變成了我們每天為了溫習功課 而放棄的事；反而，只能在

holidays and weekends. A basic distinction takes hold: pleasure is for hobbies, pain

假日和週末做這些事。因此建立起一個基本的區別： 快樂是興趣，而痛苦是工作。

is for work. It’s no wonder that by the time we finish university, this dichotomy

這也難怪當我們上完大學，這種兩分法

is so entrenched, we usually can’t conceive of asking ourselves too vigorously what we

完全的根深蒂固， 我們通常無法設想並真正的問自己：

might in our hearts want to do with our lives; what it might be fun to do with the years

內心深處到底希望自己的人生能做些什麼 ? 在未來的日子裡做什麼事是有趣的 ?

that remain. It’s not the way we’ve learnt to think. The rule of duty has been the governing

這不是我們一直以來學習的思維。 「負責任」這個規則一直管控著

ideology for 80% of our time on earth – and it’s become our second nature. We are convinced

我們 80% 的思想和時間 -- 而它已經成為我們的第二天性。我們深信

that a good job is meant to be substantially dull, irksome and annoying. Why else would

好的工作就是要極度的沉悶、令人厭煩和討厭。 否則，為什麼

someone pay us to do it? The dutiful way of thinking has such high prestige, because it

會有人付錢讓我們去做？ 負責任的想法有如此高的聲望，是因為它

sounds like a road to safety in a competitive and alarmingly expensive world. But the Rule

聽起來是這個競爭激烈並驚人地昂貴的世界裡， 通往「安全」的一個路徑。

of Duty is actually no guarantee of true security. Once we’ve finished our education, it in

但「負責任」這個規則實際上並不保證真正的安全。 一旦我們完成教育，

fact emerges as a sheer liability masquerading as a virtue. Duty grows positively dangerous.

這個規則實際上似乎只是將單純的責任偽裝成一種美德。 而負責任可以變得極為危險。

The reasons are two-fold. Firstly, because success in the modern economy will generally

其中的原因有兩種： 首先，現代經濟中的「成功」，

only go to those who can bring extraordinary dedication and imagination to their labours

通常只會發生在那些可以為他們的工作 帶來非凡的奉獻精神和想像力的人，

– and this is only possible when one is, to a large extent, having fun.

-- 而這只可能發生在當一個人很大程度地享受工作時。

Only when we are intrinsically

只有當我們從本質被激勵，

motivated are we capable of generating the very high levels of energy and brainpower

才能夠產生非常高的動力和腦力，

necessary to stand out from the competition. Work that has been produced merely out of duty will be limp and

而這是從競爭中脫穎而出的必要條件。 只因為責任而生產的工作，

lacking next to that done out of love. The other thing that happens when our work is

與那些出於熱愛而做的工作相比，既蹣跚又貧乏。 另一個情況則是，當我們的工作

informed by our own sense of pleasure is that we get more insightful about the pleasures

能帶給自己愉悅的感受，我們也才能夠洞見

of others – that is, of the clients and customers a business relies upon. We can best

他人的快樂 -- 即我們企業所依賴的那些 客戶和顧客的快樂。

please our audiences when we have mobilised our own feelings of enjoyment. In other words,

當我們自己因為享受、愉悅而充滿動力， 才最能讓我們的觀眾也感到愉快。換句話說，

pleasure isn’t the opposite of work; it’s a key ingredient of successful work. Yet we

快樂不是工作的對立面，而其實是工作成功的關鍵因素

have to recognise that asking ourselves what we might really want to do – without any

然而，我們必須認清：問自己我們真的想做的是什麼 --

immediate or primary consideration for money or reputation – goes against our every,

在並未將金錢和名聲當作迫切或首要考量的情況下 --

educationally-embedded assumption about what could possibly keep us safe – and is therefore

違背了我們被教育時學會的假設 -- 關於怎麼做才有可能讓自己安全

rather scary. It takes immense insight and maturity to stick with the truth: that we

因此，這是相當可怕的。我們需要龐大的洞見和 成熟的心態，才有辦法堅持這項真理：

will best serve others – and can make our own greatest contribution to society – when

我們只在某個情況下，能夠盡力的為別人服務， 並可以對社會作出最大的貢獻，

we bring the most imaginative and most authentically personal sides of our nature into our work.

那就是當我們讓自己最富有想像力、最真實的個人特質，成為我們工作的一部份。

Duty can guarantee us a basic income. Only sincere, pleasure-led work can generate sizeable

負責任可以保證我們的基本收入； 但只有以真誠、快樂為主導的工作，

success. When people are suffering under the rule of duty, it can be helpful to take a

能帶來相當大的成功。 當人們在「負責任」這個規則下受苦掙扎時，

morbid turn and ask them to imagine what they might think of their lives from the vantage

一個有用的方法是，要求他們想像 他們在自己生命臨終前，會如何評斷自己的人生。

point of their deathbeds. The thought of death may usefully detach us from prevailing fears

思考死亡，可能可以有效地將我們從 一種普遍的恐懼中解救出來 --

of what others think. The prospect of the end reminds us of an imperative higher still

對於他人眼光的恐懼。 展望生命的盡頭，能讓我們想起

than a duty to society: a duty to ourselves, to our talents, to our interests and our passions.

比對社會負責更重要的事：對自己負責， 對我們的天賦、我們的興趣、我們所熱愛事情負責。

The death-bed point of view can spur us to perceive the hidden recklessness and danger

臨終的觀點可以推動我們察覺到那些魯莽和危險 --

within the sensible dutiful path.

隱藏在明智、負責任的人生道路上。