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It's probably as unlikely that you would nowadays become as rich and famous as Bill Gates,
今日你變得像比爾·蓋茨一樣，有錢又出名的機會，
as it was unlikely in the 17th century that you would accede to the ranks of the French aristocracy.
大概就跟你在十七世紀成為法國貴族一樣困難。
But the point is, it doesn't feel that way.
但重點是，感覺卻差別很大。
It's made to feel, by magazines and other media outlets, that if you've got energy,
今日的雜志和其它媒體讓我們感覺，只要你有沖勁、
a few bright ideas about technology, a garage -- you, too, could start a major thing.
對科技有一些新穎的想法，再加上一個車庫，你就可以踏上比爾的道路。
The consequences of this problem make themselves felt in bookshops.
我們可以從書店中感受到這些問題所造成的后果。
When you go to a large bookshop and look at the self-help sections, as I sometimes do
當你像我一樣到大型書店里的自我幫助書籍類，
if you analyze self-help books produced in the world today, there are basically two kinds.
如果你分析現在出版的這些自我幫助類書籍，它們基本上分成兩種。
The first kind tells you, "You can do it! You can make it! Anything's possible!"
第一種告訴你，”你做得到！你能成功！沒有不可能！”
The other kind tells you how to cope with what we politely call "low self-esteem," or impolitely call, "feeling very bad about yourself."
另外一種則教導你如何處理我們婉轉地稱呼為“缺乏自信”，或是直接了當地稱為“自我感覺極差”。
There's a real correlation between a society that tells people that they can do anything, and the existence of low self-esteem.
這兩者中間有著絕對的關聯，一個告訴人們他們無所不能的社會和缺乏自信有著絕對的關聯。
So that's another way in which something quite positive can have a nasty kickback.
這是另一件好事也會帶來壞影響的例子。
There is another reason why we might be feeling more anxious
還有一些其它原因造成我們對事業，
about our careers, about our status in the world today, than ever before.
對我們在世上的地位感到前所未有的焦慮。
And it's, again, linked to something nice. And that nice thing is called meritocracy.
再一次地，它也和好的概念有關，這個好概念叫做“功績主義”。
Everybody, all politicians on Left and Right, agree that meritocracy is a great thing,
現在，無論是左傾還是右傾的政治人物，都同意“功績主義”是個好事，
and we should all be trying to make our societies really, really meritocratic.
我們應該盡力讓我們的社會崇尚“功績主義”。
In other words -- what is a meritocratic society?
換句話說，一個崇尚“功績主義”的社會是什么樣的呢？
A meritocratic society is one in which, if you've got talent and energy and skill,
一個崇尚功績主義的社會相信，如果你有才能、精力和技術，
you will get to the top, nothing should hold you back. It's a beautiful idea.
你就會飛黃騰達，沒有什么能阻止你。這是個美好的想法。
The problem is, if you really believe in a society where those who merit to get to the top, get to the top,
問題是，如果你打從心里相信那些在社會頂層的人都是精英，
you'll also, by implication, and in a far more nasty way,
同時你也暗示著，以一種殘忍的方法，
believe in a society where those who deserve to get to the bottom also get to the bottom and stay there.
相信那些在社會底層的人天生就該在社會底層。
In other words, your position in life comes to seem not accidental, but merited and deserved.
換句話說，你在社會的地位不是偶然，而都是你配得的。
And that makes failure seem much more crushing.
這種想法讓失敗變得更殘忍。
