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At the opposite extreme
在對待老人的另一個極端
in treatment of the elderly, the happy extreme,
這個快樂的極端，
are the New Guinea farming societies
是在新幾內亞的農耕社會
where I've been doing my fieldwork for the past 50 years,
過去50多年來，我在那里做野外調查
and most other sedentary traditional societies
還有大多數其他在世界各地
around the world.
定居的傳統社會。
In those societies, older people are cared for.
在這些社會中，老年人受到照顧。
They are fed. They remain valuable.
他們被（子女）贍養。他們仍有價值。
And they continue to live in the same hut
而且他們繼續住在同一屋檐下，
or else in a nearby hut near their children,
或是住在靠近他們子女，或其他親屬和好朋友住處
relatives and lifelong friends.
附近的小屋。
There are two main sets of reasons for this variation
在不同的社會中，有這樣不同的
among societies in their treatment
對待老人的態度和方式，
of old people.
主要有兩組原因。
The variation depends especially
這種不同尤其取決于
on the usefulness of old people
老人依然能夠體現自己的價值
and on the society's values.
以及當地社會的價值觀。
First, as regards usefulness,
第一點是關于老人的價值，
older people continue to perform useful services.
老人可繼續提供有用的服務。
One use of older people in traditional societies
在傳統社會中老人的一個用處
is that they often are still effective
是他們常常仍可以
at producing food.
生產食物。
Another traditional usefulness of older people
另一種老年人的傳統用處，
is that they are capable of babysitting
是他們有能力幫忙照看
their grandchildren,
他們的孫輩，
thereby freeing up their own adult children,
從而讓其成年子女，
the parents of those grandchildren,
那些孫子們的父母，
to go hunting and gathering food for the grandchildren.
去狩獵和采集食物給孫子們。
Still another traditional value of older people
還有另一個老年人的傳統價值
is in making tools, weapons, baskets,
是在于制作工具、武器、籃子、
pots and textiles.
鍋碗和紡織品。
In fact, they're usually the people who are best at it.
事實上，他們通常是擅長的人。
Older people usually are the leaders
老人通常是傳統社會
of traditional societies,
的領導人，
and the people most knowledgeable about politics,
也是在政治、醫學、宗教、
medicine, religion, songs and dances.
歌曲和舞蹈方面最有知識的人。
Finally, older people in traditional societies
最后，在傳統社會中的老年人
have a huge significance that would never occur
具有一個巨大的，且在我們的現代文明社會中
to us in our modern, literate societies,
永遠不會想到的重要性，
where our sources of information are books
因為我們的信息來源是書
and the Internet.
和互聯網。
In contrast, in traditional societies without writing,
相比之下，在沒有文字書寫的傳統社會，
older people are the repositories of information.
老人是信息的存儲庫。
It's their knowledge that spells the difference
他們的知識是其整個社會
between survival and death for their whole society
在罕見事件引起的危機時
in a time of crisis caused by rare events
存亡的關鍵
for which only the oldest people alive
因為唯一活著的，最年長的老人
have had experience.
才會有經驗。
Those, then, are the ways in which older people
那些就是老人
are useful in traditional societies.
在傳統社會中有用的地方。
Their usefulness varies and contributes
他們的用處會不同，并決定了
to variation in the society's treatment
社會對待老人
of the elderly.
態度的不同。
The other set of reasons for variation
另一組（不同社會）對待老人
in the treatment of the elderly is
有差異的原因是
the society's cultural values.
社會的文化價值觀。
For example, there's particular emphasis
例如，對在東亞地區，
on respect for the elderly in East Asia,
特別強調對老人的尊重，
associated with Confucius' doctrine
這與孔子的孝道學說有關
of filial piety, which means obedience,
也即是服從，
respect and support for elderly parents.
尊重并支持年邁的父母。
Cultural values that emphasize respect for older people
強調尊重老年人的文化價值觀
contrast with the low status of the elderly
與在美國，老人的地位低微
in the U.S.
形成了鮮明對比。
Older Americans are at a big disadvantage
美國老年人在工作申請中
in job applications.
處于很大的劣勢。
They're at a big disadvantage in hospitals.
他們在醫院也處于很大的劣勢。
Our hospitals have an explicit policy
我們的醫院有明確的政策
called age-based allocation of healthcare resources.
稱為“基于年齡分配醫療資源”。
That sinister expression means that
這種政策的表述聽起來充滿惡意：
if hospital resources are limited,
如果醫院資源是有限的，
for example if only one donor heart
例如，如果只有一個捐助者的心臟
becomes available for transplant,
可供移植，
or if a surgeon has time to operate
或者，如果一個外科醫生
on only a certain number of patients,
在一定時間中只能為少數幾個患者做手術，
American hospitals have an explicit policy
美國的醫院有明確的政策，
of giving preference to younger patients
（這些資源）要優先給年輕的患者
over older patients
而不是老年患者，
on the grounds that younger patients are considered
理由是年輕患者被認為
more valuable to society
對社會更有價值
because they have more years of life ahead of them,
因為他們還有更多年的生活在等待他們，
even though the younger patients have fewer years
即使較年輕的患者有較少的
of valuable life experience behind them.
寶貴生活經驗。
