There was a huge fireball—

有一團超大火球⋯

After days of torrential rain, the landslide completely buried the house, killing the inhabitants, 32-year-old—

連日爆雨導致山崩，完全掩埋該房屋，造成居民喪命，包括 32 歲的...

Shortly after take-off, the plane's left-hand jet blew up; passengers reported hearing a bang before—

起飛不久後，飛機左側噴射口爆炸，乘客反應在聽到巨響後...

when the giant crocodile rushed to him and ate his leg in one bite—

當巨鱷衝向他，並一口吞下他的腿...

We all love watching news of disasters.

我們都喜歡看災難新聞。

It's embarrassing, but true.

這很難為情，卻是事實。

We like hearing about car crashes.

我們喜歡聽到車禍消息。

We really love plane crashes.

我們熱愛飛機失事。

We're fascinated by landslides.

我們著迷於山崩。

We quite enjoy train dropping incidents.

我們也挺享受火車墜落事件。

Ｗe're fascinated by deadly scorpions that bite holiday-makers, and we're really pretty gripped by crocodiles.

我們受致命蠍子螫傷遊客的意外消息吸引，而鱷魚總是能擄獲我們的心。

It all looks like the lowest distraction.

這看來都是最低級的消遣。

What monsters we are, rubbernecking the scenes of tragedy on the worst day of other people's lives.

我們是何等野獸，以湊熱鬧心態看著別人最悲慘一天的悲劇場景。

But it isn't all trivial.

但這一切並非微不足道。

We're trying to get at something important by looking at tragedy.

我們都試著利用悲劇得到某些重要的東西。

We're trying, somehow, to keep in mind that life is fragile for all of us.

我們在嘗試以某種方式記得每個人的生命都很脆弱。

It might not be a plane crash that finishes us off, or a fierce crocodile;

我們不一定是會被墜機意外或兇猛鱷魚終結生命，

it might just be a slow cancer or the gradual wearing away of time, but it will happen.

有可能只是緩慢發展的癌症或是緩慢推進的時間，但死亡終究會發生。

And yet our lives go wrong because we don't keep death in mind enough.

然而我們的生活還是會出問題，因為我們思考死亡的頻率不夠。

Death is the most terrible thing, but we can evoke the thought of death to evoke what life should be about.

死亡是最可怕的事，但我們可以藉由喚起對死亡的思考以想起生命的本意。

It's this powerful fact that may be at the back of our minds when we rush to check up on the latest disaster.

在我們急於收看最新災難消息時，或許這項強烈的事實就會浮現在我們腦海。

We're not being ghoulish.

我們這並不是病態殘酷。

We're searching for the meaning of life.

我們是在尋找生命的意義。

We're reminding ourselves to do our hopes and talents justice in the time that remains.

我們是不時提醒自己，在餘生中體現我們的希望、善用自己的才能。

The thought of death has the power not only to stir our fears,

死亡的念頭不只能喚醒我們的恐懼，

but also to strengthen our resolve to appreciate more fully and use more wisely the present moment,

也能增強我們更珍惜且明智利用當下的信念、

to reform our priorities, and to be kind, grateful, and serious,

矯正事情的優先順序，做一個良善、充滿感激且認真的人，

in case tomorrow never comes.

以免我們沒有明天。