Imagine that we come back from work unusually late.

試想我們因為工作比平時更晚回到家。

It’s been a tricky day: a threatened resignation, an enraged supplier, a lost document, two delayed trains.

這是很難應付的一天：一封威脅的辭呈、一名憤怒的供應商、一份遺失的文件、兩班誤點的火車。

But none of the mayhem is of any concern to one friend waiting by the door uncomplicatedly pleased to see us.

但這位在門口等候的朋友並不在意這些不順遂，

Pippi, a two-year-old Border Terrier with a continuous appetite for catching a deflated football in her jaws.

牠很單純開心地見我們：Pippi，一隻兩歲的邊界㹴，總是喜歡用下巴咬著一顆洩氣的足球，

She wants to play in the usual way, even if it’s past nine o’clock now,

她一如往常的想玩拋接遊戲，即使現在已超過九點，

with us in the chair and her sliding around the kitchen, and, unexpectedly, so do we.

我們在椅子上坐著，牠則在廚房裡，令人想不到的是，我們其實自己也想玩。

We’re not offended by her lack of overall interest in us.

儘管牠對我們的事毫無興趣，我們並不會感到不高興，

It’s at the root of our delight.

因為這正是我們想要的。

Here, at last, is someone wholly indifferent to almost everything about us except for our dexterity at ball-throwing,

在這裡，終於有個對我們什麼事情幾乎都不在乎的朋友，只在乎我們丟球是否靈巧。

someone who doesn’t care about the Brussels meeting,

牠不在乎布魯塞爾的會議，

who forgive us for not warning the finance department in time about the tax rebates and someone for whom the Lisbon conference is beyond imagining.

也會原諒我們沒有及時警告財務部門退稅的相關事宜。對牠來說，里斯本的討論會超乎牠想像範圍。

One of the most consoling aspects of animals – it might be a dog, a sheep, a lizard or a beetle

動物們最撫慰人心的一點，可能是狗、羊、蜥蜴或者甲蟲

– is that their priorities have nothing whatsoever to do with our own perilous and tortured agendas.

就是牠們在意的事和我們可怕且磨人的待辦事項完全無關。

They are redemptively unconcerned with everything we are and want.

牠們對於我們是誰、我們想要什麼也完全不在乎。

They implicitly mock our self-importance and absorption and so return us to a fairer, more modest sense of our role on the planet.

牠們暗自地嘲笑我們的自負和專注，使我們恢復成地球上那個較為合理、適度的角色。

A sheep doesn’t know about our feelings of jealousy,

羊不會理解我們的嫉妒，

it has no interest in our humiliation and bitterness around a colleague; it has never emailed.

也對我們和同事間的羞辱及怨懟沒有興趣；也從未寄過電郵。

On a walk in the hills, it simply ambles towards the path we’re on and looks curiously at us,

在山上散步，牠只會朝著我們的前進的方向漫步，好奇地看著我們，

then takes a lazy mouthful of grass, chewing from the side of his mouth as though it were gum.

接著懶洋洋的大口吃草，用嘴巴一邊咀嚼，像嚼口香糖一樣。

Ducks nibble at the weeds, waddle down to the water and paddle about in circles without any interest in which century it happens to be from a human point of view;

鴨子們細咬雜草，一搖一擺地往水邊繞圈滑去，對人類觀點裡現在是幾世紀完全沒有興趣；

they’ve never heard of the economy; they don’t know what country they live in;

牠們沒有聽過經濟，也不知道自己身在那個國家；

they don’t have new ideas or regret what happened yesterday.

牠們沒有新鮮的想法，也不會對昨天的事感到後悔。

They don’t care about the career hurdles or relationship status of the person who sprinkling a few bread crumbs near them.

牠們不在乎工作上的阻礙，或附近撒麵包屑的人的感情狀態。

Time around animals invite us into a world in which most of the things that obsess us have no significance

和動物們長期的相處讓我們進入一個世界，在裡頭大部分困擾著我們的事情都不在重要，

– which corrects our characteristic over-investment in matters which make only a limited contribution to the essential task of existence, which is to be kind,

這也改變我們以往過度投入於對生存幾乎毫無貢獻事務上的習性：要善良，

to make the most of our talents, to love and to appreciate.

充分發揮我們的長才，懂的愛且感激。

We believe in making the world a more emotionally intelligent place. And to that end, we've now also published some extraordinary books.

我們相信可以讓世界變成一個更加有感情的地方。為此，我們出版了一些非常特別的書籍。

As well as other merchandise that re-enforces some of the themes illustrated in our videos.

和其他強調我們影面中某些主題的商品。

Please click on the link below to see more.

請按以下連結可查看更多。