[10]與此相比，我們美國(guó)人今天的物質(zhì)生活條件比以往任何時(shí)候都好，但是卻沒(méi)有以往的快樂(lè)和滿足。

[11]Like Icelanders, Americans are individualists『個(gè)人主義者』. Where we seem to differ is in our sense of community『群體；團(tuán)體』. Iceland, known as the land of “fire and ice,” is about living with opposing forces. It is one of the most active volcanic countries on earth, but has 4536 square miles of glacier—heat and cold, co-existing. No surprise them that its society can reconcile『使調(diào)和；使并存』another set of opposing forces: individualism and the needs of the community.

[11]美國(guó)人和冰島人都是個(gè)人主義者，所不同的是各自的群體意識(shí)。冰島以“火和冰”而聞名遐邇，人民生活在逆境之中。冰島是世界上活火山最多的國(guó)家之一，還有4536平方英里的冰川，堪稱(chēng)冷熱并存。無(wú)怪乎這個(gè)國(guó)家能很好地協(xié)調(diào)個(gè)人主義和群體需要這兩種對(duì)立的觀念，使之共存共容。

[12]Anyone who thinks Americans invented rugged『粗魯?shù)模淮炙椎摹籭ndividualism has only to visit Iceland. This nation has an ancient『古代的；遠(yuǎn)古的』 respect for independence. Way back in the tenth century, Iceland was a commonwealth『共和國(guó)；聯(lián)邦』; today Icelanders still place high value on their freedom.

[12]那些認(rèn)為是美國(guó)人發(fā)明了個(gè)人主義的人應(yīng)該到冰島去看看，這個(gè)國(guó)家在遠(yuǎn)古就崇尚獨(dú)立，早在10世紀(jì)就建立了聯(lián)邦共和國(guó)。今天的冰島人仍然看重自由的價(jià)值。

[13]But here’s the paradox『矛盾；似是而非』: this individualism exists with a sense of community. For years I have known an Icelandic family that embraces『包括；接受』a family drunk and an illegitimate『私生的；非法的』child. This family never let them drift, like human flotsam『流浪者；流離失所者』, to be beached『庇護(hù)；安頓』at some government institution. “Icelanders have strong systems of support,” says Thorlindsson.

[13]然而，這里的個(gè)人主義置于群體意識(shí)之中。在冰島，家庭中的酒鬼和私生子不會(huì)被拋棄，這是因?yàn)楸鶏u有強(qiáng)有力的社會(huì)救濟(jì)制度。

[14]Tolerance is not hollow 『表面的；虛偽的』 phrase in Iceland. The word for “stupid”is heimskur, which roughly means “comes from home” — or as we would say, provincial『鄉(xiāng)下氣的；偏狹的』or narrow-minded. Icelanders believe only a dolt『笨蛋；傻瓜』is unable to see the other fellow’s position. In this sense, they might find some of what passes for political debate『討論；辯論』in the United States absolutely heimskur.

[14]在冰島，忍耐并不是一句空話。冰島話中“愚蠢”的同義詞是“鄉(xiāng)巴佬””或“心胸狹隘”。冰島人認(rèn)為只有傻瓜才不考慮別人的利益。以此觀點(diǎn)，冰島人可能會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)美國(guó)某些提交政府討論的東西是非常愚蠢的。

[15]Most Icelanders travel out into the world as young adults. They learn that theirs is not the only way of doing things. Yet this doesn’t translate into contempt『蔑視；輕視』for their own land and its history.

[15]大多數(shù)冰島人年輕時(shí)都要到國(guó)外去旅行。于是，他們知道自己的生活方式并非是唯一的，但是，并不會(huì)因此看不起自己的國(guó)家和歷史。

[16]The 12th-century Icelandic sagas『英雄傳說(shuō)』, studied at universities the world over, are revered『尊重；崇拜』at home. Turn on the radio and at the top of the charts『節(jié)目播出單；節(jié)目安排表』is Bubbi Morthens, a troubadour『吟游詩(shī)人』.

[16]在世界上各大學(xué)中講授的冰島12世紀(jì)的傳說(shuō)在國(guó)內(nèi)頗受重視。廣播中到處都是吟游詩(shī)人巴比·莫森斯的節(jié)目。

[17]Last summer in the lava 『火山熔巖』fields of Iceland’s interior 『內(nèi)地；內(nèi)陸』, accountant Sigmar Bjornsson pointed out to me a cave where thieves had hidden. He showed me where they stored their weapons, where the villagers attacked, told me how one of the thieves, who had only one leg, walked on his hands to the glacier on the horizon『地平線；水平線』.

[17]去年夏天，在島內(nèi)溶巖區(qū)，一個(gè)叫喬恩森的會(huì)計(jì)師指給我看一個(gè)巖洞，告訴我這巖洞曾是小偷的住所，指給我看他們藏匿武器、伏擊村民的地方，并講述了一個(gè)獨(dú)腿賊是怎樣以手代腳爬到地平線上的冰川去的。

[18]“When did they hole up『躲藏；藏匿』here?” I asked.

[18]“他們何時(shí)藏身于此？”我問(wèn)。

[19] “About 900 years ago” was the answer. Nearly a millennium『1000年』, and the myth is still alive『存在；保留』.

[19]“大約900年前?！睂⒔?000年過(guò)去了，可這個(gè)故事卻依然在傳誦。

[20]How many Americans have that kind of familiarity with their nation’s past, its myths『神話；傳說(shuō)』, its history? How many even care?

[20]有多少美國(guó)人對(duì)于自己祖國(guó)的過(guò)去，傳說(shuō)和歷史也那般地熟悉？又有多少人留意過(guò)？

[21]I wish America’s multiculturalisms and historical revisionists would grasp『理解；領(lǐng)會(huì)』what Icelanders understand: trashing『拋棄；扔掉』your nation’s myths is the wrong way to create a better society. “A nation has to be tolerant of newcomers『新事物』,” say psychiatrist『精神病學(xué)家』Niel Micklem. “But if it loses its myths, it loses its center.”

[21]我希望美國(guó)的多元文化主義者和歷史修正主義者能夠理解冰島人的這種思想：拋棄自己國(guó)家的傳統(tǒng)來(lái)創(chuàng)造更好的社會(huì)是一種錯(cuò)誤的方式。精神病學(xué)家尼爾·米克勒姆說(shuō)：“一個(gè)民族應(yīng)該接受新東西，但是，一個(gè)民族失去了自己的神話，就失去了自我。”

[22]Maybe I’m wrong. But I suspect『猜想；認(rèn)為』that this loss of “center” is what makes so many Westerners unhappy amid their affluence『豐富；富裕』.

[22]也許我的想法是錯(cuò)誤的。但我想正是這種“自我”的失去使得如此眾多的西方人在富裕的生活中難以感受到愉快。