評論
打印
The fact that some people believe
事實上有些人民相信
an omnipotent god will resurrect them to live again
一個萬能的神能讓他們復活
and others believe an omnipotent scientist will do it
還有一些人相信萬能的科學能使他們復活
suggests that neither are really believing this
這說明人們在確鑿的證據面前
on the strength of the evidence.
并不相信永生這回事兒
Rather, we believe these stories
我們相信這些故事
because we are biased to believe them,
只是因為偏見，
and we are biased to believe them
我們偏誤去相信這些故事
because we are so afraid of death.
因為我們恐懼死亡。
So the question is,
所以問題是，
are we doomed to lead the one life we have
是否我們的人生注定生活在
in a way that is shaped by fear and denial,
對恐懼的抗拒和支配，
or can we overcome this bias?
還是我們能夠克服偏誤？
Well the Greek philosopher Epicurus
古希臘哲學家伊比鳩魯
thought we could.
認為我們可以克服。
He argued that the fear of death is natural,
他主張我們對死亡的恐懼是天生的，
but it is not rational.
但不是理性的。
"Death," he said, "is nothing to us,
他說，”死亡對我們來說不算什么
because when we are here, death is not,
因為但我們在的時候，死亡不在，
and when death is here, we are gone."
而當死亡在這里的時候，我們不在了。“
Now this is often quoted, but it's difficult
這句話常被引用，但很難
to really grasp, to really internalize,
抓住精髓和真正的內在化，
because exactly this idea of being gone
因為所謂的（不存在）
is so difficult to imagine.
是很難想象的。
So 2,000 years later, another philosopher,
所以兩千年之后，另一位哲學家，
Ludwig Wittgenstein, put it like this:
路德維格·維根斯坦，這樣說：
"Death is not an event in life:
“死亡并非人生中的大事：
We do not live to experience death.
我們活著不是為了經歷死亡，
And so," he added,
所以”他補充到，
"in this sense, life has no end."
“從這個角度來看，生命是沒有終點的。“
So it was natural for me as a child
當我還小的時候，
to fear being swallowed by the void,
很自然的對在空虛中被吞噬產生恐懼，
but it wasn't rational,
但這并非理性，
because being swallowed by the void
因為在空虛中被吞噬
is not something that any of us
不是任何人
will ever live to experience.
會活著能夠經歷到的事情。
Now, overcoming this bias is not easy because
目前，克服偏誤不是那么容易的因為
the fear of death is so deeply embedded in us,
對死亡的恐懼已經在我們心底生根發芽
yet when we see that the fear itself is not rational,
但當我們了解這些恐懼是不理性的，
and when we bring out into the open
當我們可以在臺面上提出來
the ways in which it can unconsciously bias us,
這恐懼會無意識的讓我們偏誤，
then we can at least start
那么至少我們已經開始
to try to minimize the influence it has
嘗試去減小它
on our lives.
對我們生活的影響。
Now, I find it helps to see life
目前，我發現可以將生命
as being like a book:
視為一本書：
Just as a book is bounded by its covers,
書的開頭和結尾
by beginning and end,
都被書皮包裹著，
so our lives are bounded by birth and death,
所以我們的生命被出生和死亡所固定，
and even though a book is limited by beginning and end,
即便這本書受到開頭和結尾的限制，
it can encompass distant landscapes,
它能帶我們去遙遠的地方，
exotic figures, fantastic adventures.
異國的風情，奇異的冒險。
And even though a book is limited by beginning and end,
即便這本書受到開頭和結尾的限制，
the characters within it
書里面的人物
know no horizons.
是不會被限制的，
They only know the moments that make up their story,
它們當下活出他們的故事，
even when the book is closed.
即便這本書被合上。
And so the characters of a book
書中的人物
are not afraid of reaching the last page.
不會害怕走到最后一頁。
Long John Silver is not afraid of you
約翰·西弗不會害怕
finishing your copy of "Treasure Island."
你讀完《金銀島》。
And so it should be with us.
所以我們也應當如此。
Imagine the book of your life,
想象關于你生命的一本書，
its covers, its beginning and end, and your birth and your death.
它的書皮，開頭和結局和出生和死亡。
You can only know the moments in between,
而你只知道生死之間
the moments that make up your life.
活出你生命的時刻。
It makes no sense for you to fear
這不會讓你
what is outside of those covers,
對書皮之外的事產生恐懼，
whether before your birth
無論是你出生之前
or after your death.
還是，死亡之后。
And you needn't worry how long the book is,
你不必擔心這本書有多厚，
or whether it's a comic strip or an epic.
無論它是本連環畫還是部史詩。
The only thing that matters
唯一重要的
is that you make it a good story.
是你活得精彩！
Thank you.
謝謝。
