情感脆弱，纽约时报有法子！（Wrecking Gun）

情感脆弱，纽约时报有法子！

原文和译文均取自：纽约时报

学习笔记：高斋翻译俱乐部小编们整理

现代人情感脆弱，要如何变得强硬和坚毅？

Making Modern Toughness

现代人情感脆弱，要如何变得强硬和坚毅？

When I ask veteran college teachers and administrators to describe how college students have changed over the years, I often get an answer like this: “Today’s students are more accomplished than past generations, but they are also more emotionally fragile.”

当我问资深大学教员和管理人员，这些年来大学生有些什么变化时，我经常听到这样的回答：“今天的学生比以前几代人有更多的成就，但是情感上也更脆弱。”

词汇解析：

veteran：英 [ˈvetərən] 美 [ˈvɛtərən]

n.退伍军人;经验丰富的人，老兵

adj.老兵的;有作战经验的;[美国英语]退伍军人的;老练的，资深的，经验丰富的

例句：This veteran cadre still remains his philosophy of hard work and plain-living.

这位老干部仍然保持着艰苦朴素的作风。

fragile：英 [ˈfrædʒaɪl] 美 [ˈfrædʒl]

adj.易碎的，脆的;虚弱的

例句：The fragile economies of several southern African nations could be irreparablydamaged

一些南非国家的脆弱经济可能会被彻底破坏，无法挽回。

That rings true to me. Today’s students are amazing, but they bathe one another in oceans of affirmation and praise, as if buttressing one another against some insecurity. Whatever one thinks of the campus protests, the desire for trigger warnings and safe spaces does seem to emanate from a place of emotional fragility.

似乎的确是这样。今天的学生很棒，但他们都将彼此浸泡在认可与赞美的海洋里，仿佛是要相濡以沫，共御某种安全感的缺失。无论你怎么看大学校园的抗议活动，对触发警告(trigger warning)、安全空间(safe space)的渴望，看上去的确是源自一种情感的脆弱性。

词汇解析：

bathe：英 [beɪð] 美 [beð]

vt.& vi.给…洗澡，游泳;把…浸泡在液体中;（用海绵等）洗;把…弄湿，vt.冲洗;浸;用水清洗（尤指身体部位）;（以光线）撒满

n.游泳;<英>（在河，海中的）游泳

例句：At least 60% of us now bathe or shower once a day.

现在我们当中至少60%的人每天淋浴或洗澡一次。

affirmation：英 [ˌæfə'meɪʃn] 美 [ˌæfɚˈmeʃən]

n.肯定;确认;证实;批准

例句：It was less a plea for immediate action than for an affirmation of purpose.

这并不在于要求它立即采取行动，而是要求确认它的意图。

buttress：英 [ˈbʌtrəs] 美 [ˈbʌtrɪs]

n.扶壁;支撑物

vt.支持，鼓励;用扶壁支撑，加固

例句：He sought to buttress some of his arguments with quotations from Mein Kamf

他引用《我的奋斗》中的语录来论证自己的观点。

trigger：英 [ˈtrɪgə(r)] 美 [ˈtrɪɡɚ]

n.（枪）扳机;起动装置，扳柄;引发其他事件的一件事;[电子学]触发器，触发电器

vt.引发，触发;扣…的扳机;发射或使爆炸（武器或爆炸性弹药）

例句：A man pointed a gun at them and pulled the trigger.

一名男子用手枪指着他们，扣动了扳机。

emanate：英 [ˈeməneɪt] 美 [ˈɛməˌnet] vi.放射;发出，散发;起源

例句：Intelligence and cunning emanated from him 他透着一种智慧和狡黠。

And if you hang around the middle aged, you hear a common story line to explain the rise of the orchid generation. Once upon a time, the story line goes, kids were raised in a tough environment. They had to do hard manual chores around the house and they got in fights on the playground. Then they went off to do grueling work in the factory or they learned toughness and grit in the military.

如果跟中年人来往，你会时不时听到一类故事，告诉你“兰花一代”正在到来。他们说，曾几何时，孩子是在严苛的环境里长大的。他们在家里必须完成繁重的体力劳动，还要在游乐场里跟人打架。然后他们会去工厂做苦工，或是在部队里懂得什么叫强硬和坚毅。

词汇解析：

orchid：英 [ˈɔ:kɪd] 美 [ˈɔ:rkɪd] n.兰花

chores：英 [tʃɔ:(r)] 美 [tʃɔ:r] n.零星工作（尤指家常杂务）;令人讨厌的或繁重的工作

例句：She sees exercise primarily as an unavoidable chore.

她基本上把锻炼看做是不得不做的琐事。

grueling：英 ['grʊəlɪŋ] 美 [ˈɡruəlɪŋ, ˈɡrulɪŋ]

adj.紧张的，激烈的，使极度疲劳的adv.紧张地，激烈地

例句：We got home after a grueling drive.

经过一段令人精疲力竭的开车我们到家了

But today, helicopter parents protect their children from setbacks and hardship. They supervise every playground conflict, so kids never learn to handle disputes or deal with pain.

但今时今日，“直升机父母”会对孩子百般呵护，让他们避开挫折和艰难。他们会督导每一次的游乐场冲突，让孩子永远无法学会如何处理纠纷或面对痛苦。

词汇解析：

dispute：英 [dɪˈspju:t] 美 [dɪˈspjut]

vt.& vi.辩论，争论n.争端;辩论;（劳资）纠纷;罢工

vi.争执;激烈争辩;争吵;吵架

例句：They have won previous pay disputes with the government

在先前和政府的工资纠纷中他们赢了。

There’s a lot of truth to that narrative, but let’s not be too nostalgic for the past. A lot of what we take to be the toughness of the past was really just callousness. There was a greater tendency in years gone by to wall off emotions, to put on a thick skin — for some men to be stone-like and uncommunicative and for some women to be brittle, brassy and untouchable.

这种说法是有一定道理的，但太过怀古伤今却也不必。我们在过去的许多坚毅表现，实际上只是冷酷。那时候，我们更倾向于把情感封存起来，披上厚厚的防护层——有的男人变得冰冷、寡言，有的女人变得敏感、花哨、不可一世。

词汇解析：

nostalgic：英 [nɒ'stældʒɪk] 美 [nɒ'stældʒɪk] adj.怀旧的;乡愁的;令人怀念的

例句：Although we still depict nostalgic snow scenes on Christmas cards, winters are nowvery much warmer

虽然我们仍在圣诞卡上描绘着具有怀旧气氛的雪景，但现在的冬天比过去暖和多了。

callousness：英 [kæləsnɪs] n.无情，麻木冷淡，铁石心肠

brittle：英 [ˈbrɪtl] 美 [ˈbrɪtl] adj.易碎的;难以相处的，尖刻暴躁的;冷淡的;声音尖利的

例句：Pine is brittle and breaks.

松树很脆，容易折断。

And then many people turned to alcohol to help them feel anything at all.

而很多人通过酒精来让自己稍稍恢复一点知觉。

Perhaps it’s time to rethink toughness or at least detach it from hardness. Being emotionally resilient is not some defensive posture. It’s not having some armor surrounding you so that nothing can hurt you.

也许该重新审视坚毅这回事了，至少应该跟刚强区分开来。在情感上的坚韧并非某种戒备姿态。这无关乎给自己穿上盔甲，让人无法伤到你。

词汇解析：

detach： [dɪˈtætʃ]

vt. 派遣;分离，拆开;分派;使超然

例如： It helps them detach themselves from their problems and become more objective.

这有助于他们从所面临的问题中跳出来，变得更客观一些。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

resilient: [rɪˈzɪliənt]

adj. 能复原的;弹回的，有弹性的;能立刻恢复精神的;社会渣滓

例如：Being mentally resilient means you had handle life's difficulties and hardships without going over the edge. 坚韧不拔意味着你能地处理生活中的困难和艰辛而不崩溃。(bbs.chinadaily.com.cn)

defensive posture：戒备姿态；防御立场

例如： The military machine is ready to change its defensive posture to one prepared for action

军方随时准备由防御立场转向备战立场。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》）

The people we admire for being resilient are not hard; they are ardent. They have a fervent commitment to some cause, some ideal or some relationship. That higher yearning enables them to withstand setbacks, pain and betrayal.

我们钦佩的那种坚韧的人并不坚硬；他们是热切的。他们对一些事业、理想或关系有着虔诚的坚持。这种更高尚的渴望使他们能够经受挫折、痛苦和背叛。

词汇解析：

ardent： [ˈɑ:dnt]

adj. 炽热的;热心的，热情的，热烈的;强烈的;激烈的

例如： Ardent expectations were held by his parents for his college career.

他父母对他的大学学习抱着殷切的期望。 (《汉英大词典》)

fervent: [ˈfɜ:vənt]

adj. 炽热的;强烈的;热诚的，热烈的;慷慨

例如： His fervent hatred was expressed in his speech.

他的言词中显示了强烈的恨意。 (www.dictall.com)

yearning:

n. 渴望；向往

adj. 思慕的；渴望的

v.渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的现在分词 )

例如： Almost certainly it is a yearning for a sense of place in society.

几乎可以肯定，这是对社会地位的渴望。 (www.ftchinese.com)

withstand: [wɪðˈstænd]

vt. 经受，承受，禁得起;反抗

vi. 反抗;耐得住，禁得起

例如： She couldn't withstand the lure of money and was dragged into the mire.

她经不起金钱的引诱，被拉下水了。 (《汉英大词典》)

Such people are, as they say in the martial arts world, strong like water. A blow might sink into them, and when it does they are profoundly affected by it. But they can absorb the blow because it’s short term while their natural shape is long term.

用武术人士的话说，这种人像水一样强悍。水在重击之下会被击破，受到严重的影响。但它可以吸收这股力量，因为击打是短期的，它的自然形态是长期的。

词汇解析：

martial arts：武术

blow：

n. 殴打，打击;吹风，一阵风;意外的灾害;吹奏（声）

vt.& vi.（风）吹;（轮胎等）爆炸

vt. 吹，吹气;使爆炸;奏出，演奏;使气喘

vi. 吹刮，吹动;随风飘动;鸣叫;喘气

例如：The can exploded, wrecking the kitchen and bathroom and blowing out windows.

罐子爆炸了，不但炸毁了厨房和浴室，还把窗户炸飞了。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

There are moments when they feel swallowed up by fear. They feel and live in the pain. But they work through it and their ardent yearning is still there, and they return to an altered wholeness.

有时他们会感到自己在被恐惧吞噬。他们在痛苦中感受和生活着。但是他们能挺过去，他们的热切渴望仍在，他们会回到一种经过改变的完整性。

词汇解析：

swallow up: 吞没;吞并;侵吞;耗光

例如： He headed back towards the flea market and was quickly swallowed up in the crowd

他转身朝跳蚤市场走去，很快淹没在人群中。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

work through : 完成;解决;（使）逐渐通过[穿过];闯过

例如：He had rather unconventional work habits, preferring to work through the night.

他的工作习惯跟一般人很不一样，喜欢通宵工作。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

In this way of thinking, grit, resilience and toughness are not traits that people possess intrinsically. They are not tools you can possess independently for the sake of themselves. They are means inspired by an end.

这样想来，坚强、坚韧和强硬并非人天生就有的。你无法像拥有一件工具一样，单单拥有其中的某一项。它们是在一个终极目标的感召下产生的方法。

词汇解析：

grit: [grɪt]

n.勇气;细沙，沙砾;<口>刚毅，坚韧

vt. 发出轧轧声;轧，研磨;以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾;咬紧牙关

例如： You've got to admire her grit.

你不得不佩服她的勇气。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

intrinsically: [ɪn'trɪnzɪklɪ]

adv. 从本质上（讲）

例如：It can hardly be because they are intrinsically safe. 几乎可以肯定，这不是因为它们在本质上是安全的。(www.ftchinese.com)

for the sake of：为了

例如： He urged them to set aside minor differences for the sake of peace.

他敦促他们为了和平抛开一些小的分歧。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

inspire： [ɪnˈspaɪə(r)]

vt.激励;鼓舞;启迪;赋予灵感 vi.吸，吸入

例如： Jimi Hendrix inspired a generation of guitarists. 吉米·亨德里克斯启发了整整一代吉他演奏者。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

John R. Lewis may not have been intrinsically tough, but he was tough in the name ofcivil rights. Mother Teresa may not have been intrinsically steadfast, but she was steadfast in the name of God. The people around us may not beremorselessly gritty, but they can be that when it comes to protecting their loved ones, when it comes to some dream for their future self.

约翰·R·刘易斯(John R. Lewis)可能不是天生强硬，但他以民权的名义强硬了起来。特蕾莎修女(Mother Teresa)可能不是天生坚定，但她以上帝的名义坚定了起来。我们身边的人可能不是一直坚强的，但当他们要保护自己所爱的人时，当他们要追求自己的未来梦想时，他们就会那样。

词汇解析：

in the name of：以…的名义，凭;假借名义

例如： In the name of humanity I ask the government to reappraise this important issue. 我以人道的名义请求政府重新评估这一重大问题。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

civil rights: 民事权利，公民权利

例如： His courage in defending religious and civil rights inspired many outside the church. 他在捍卫宗教和公民权利时所表现出来的勇气鼓舞了许多教会之外的人。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

steadfast: [ˈstedfɑ:st]

adj. 坚定的;不变的;固定的;不动摇的

例如： He remained steadfast in his belief that he had done the right thing.

他一直坚信自己做得对。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

when it comes to: 当提到…；就...而论

例如： When it comes to drive, she's got more than any of us. 讲干劲，她比谁都足。 (《汉英大词典》)

People are much stronger than they think they are when in pursuit of their telos, their purpose for living. As Nietzsche put it, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

当一个人觉得自己在追求自己的终极目标、自己的人生意义时，就会更坚强。如尼采所说，“一个知道为什么活着的人，可以忍受任何一种生活。”

词汇解析：

in pursuit of: 追求，寻求

例如：The officers were still reluctant to unleash their troops in pursuit of a defeated enemy.

军官们仍不愿发兵乘胜追击溃败的敌人。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

telos: ['telɒs]

n.终极，目的;端部

例如： For Aristotle, human beings have a goal or a telos, which is to live a life in community with others for the sake of human flourishing.

亚里士多德认为，人类是有目的的，这个目的就是，与他人住在一起，最终达到人类的生生不息。 (v.163.com)

as sb . put it: 用某人的话说；按某人的话说

例如：He admitted the security forces might have made some mistakes, as he put it.

他承认安全部队，按他的话说，可能犯了一些错误。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

In short, emotional fragility is not only caused by overprotective parenting. It’s also caused by anything that makes it harder for people to find their telos. It’s caused by the culture of modern psychology, which sometimes tries to talk about psychological traits in isolation from moral purposes. It’s caused by the ethos of the modern university, which in the name of “critical thinking” encourages students to be detached and corrosively skeptical. It’s caused by the status code of modern meritocracy, which encourages people to pursue success symbols that they don’t actually desire.

简单说，父母的过度呵护并非导致情感脆弱的唯一原因。还可以是因为一些事导致一个人难以找到自己的终极目标。因为现代心理学的文化导致有关心理特征的谈话和道德诉求分离了开来。因为现代大学的风气是假借“审辩思维”之名，鼓励学生保持冷漠和恶性的多疑。因为现代精英政治的身份准则促使人们去追逐成功的符号，尽管他们并不真正渴望那些符号。

词汇解析：

fragility: [frə'dʒɪlətɪ]

n. 脆弱性;脆性;易碎性;脆弱，虚弱

例如： The best you can achieve is a reduction in fragility and greater robustness.

你所能实现的最佳状态就是降低脆弱性和加大稳健性。 (www.ftchinese.com)

overprotective: adj. 过分保护的；袒护的；溺爱有加的

例如： People may roll their eyes and talk about overprotective, interfering grandmothers.

人们可能会翻着白眼谈论那些溺爱儿孙、样样都要插手的祖母。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

in isolation from：脱离；孤立

例如：Punishment cannot be discussed in isolation from social theory.

不能脱离社会理论孤立地讨论惩罚。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

ethos: [ˈi:θɒs] n.气质;民族精神;社会思潮

例如：The whole ethos of the hotel is effortless service. 该酒店的全部理念就是提供轻松的服务。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

corrosive： [kə'rəʊsɪv]

adj. 腐蚀性的;侵蚀性的;（对社会、个人情感等）有害的;（语言）激烈的 n. 腐蚀性物品

例如： Sodium and sulphur are highly corrosive. 钠和硫磺腐蚀性很强。(《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》）

skeptical：['skeptɪkəl]

adj. 怀疑性的，好怀疑的，<口>无神论的

例如： They are skeptical about how much will be accomplished by legislation.

他们对于立法成效心存疑虑。 (《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》)

meritocracy: [ˌmerɪˈtɒkrəsi] n.知识界精华

例如： In practice, Chinese-style meritocracy is flawed. 在实践中，中国式的精英管理也存在缺陷。 (www.ftchinese.com)

We are all fragile when we don’t know what our purpose is, when we haven’t thrown ourselves with abandon into a social role, when we haven’t committed ourselves to certain people, when we feel like a swimmer in an ocean with no edge.

当我们不知道自己的目标在哪里，当我们还没有不顾一切地让自己投身于一个社会角色中，当我们没有对某个人许下承诺，当我们感觉就像在一片无边无际的大海里游泳，我们就会变得脆弱。

词汇解析：

commit [kə'mɪt]

vt. ① 把…交托给，提交

commit oneself to 使自己承担…// commit sb. to prison 把某人送进监狱

vt. ② 犯 (错误)，干 (坏事) commit murder 凶*

例句：The novelist makes his heroine commit suicide at the end of the book. 那本小说的作者在书的结尾让女主人公自*了。

If you really want people to be tough, make them idealistic for some cause, make them tender for some other person, make them committed to some worldview that puts today’s temporary pain in the context of a larger hope.

如果你真想让人强硬起来，那就让他们对某个事业产生一种情怀，让他们对某人倾心，让他们去坚守某种世界观，把今天暂时的痛苦置于一种更宏大的希冀的语境中。

词汇解析：

idealistic：adj.理想主义的；唯心论的；唯心主义者的；空想家的

例句：Idealistic young people died for the cause.

理想主义的年轻人为这项事业而献身。

tender： ['tendə]

a. ① 嫩的

例句：The tender steak was easy to slice.

嫩牛排容易切成薄片。

a. ② 脆弱的；敏感的

例句：I cherish her like a tender flower.

我像呵护娇嫩的花朵一样怜惜她。

a. ③ 温柔的，温厚的

例句：The girl whispered tender words to her lover.

那个姑娘在情人的耳边温柔低语。

v. ① 提出，提供

例句：The borrower tendered each payment on time.

这位借款人每次都按时还款。

v. ② 投标 tender for 投标

例句：Many companies tender for the contract to build the Olympic stadiums.

很多公司投标承建奥林匹克运动场馆。

Emotional fragility seems like a psychological problem, but it has only a philosophical answer. People are really tough only after they have taken a leap of faith for some truth or mission or love. Once they’ve done that they can withstand a lot.

情感脆弱看上去是一道心理题，但它的答案只能是哲学的。只有为了某种真理、使命或爱而不顾一切时，一个人才会真正强硬起来。一旦这么做了，他们就能承受很多。

词汇解析：

withstand [wɪð'stænd] vt. 抵挡，经受住

例句：Withstanding the test of financial crisis does not mean that those firms will have a brighter future.

能经受住金融危机的考验并不意味着那些公司的未来就会更好。