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At a time of enormous needs in Haiti and elsewhere, when so many Americans are trying to help Haitians by sending everything from text messages to shoes, the Salwens offer an example of a family that came together to make a difference — for themselves as much as the people they were trying to help. In a column a week ago, I described neurological evidence from brain scans that altruism lights up parts of the brain normally associated with more primal gratifications such as food and sex. The Salwens’ experience confirms the selfish pleasures of selflessness.
在這個海地等世界其他地方亟需幫助的時候，許許多多的美國人都在以不同的方式幫助他們，有的發(fā)去慰問短信，有的則捐衣捐物。但薩文一家卻給我們樹立了一個別樣的榜樣，他們齊心協(xié)力，為他們自己，也為那些需要幫助的人們真正做了富有意義的事。在一周前我的另一篇專欄文章中，我說過，大腦掃描的結(jié)果顯示：無私的行為會使大腦部分感受到如食物和性生活般最為原始的快感。薩文家的經(jīng)歷正是無私帶來自私快感的一大例證。
Mr. Salwen and his wife, Joan, had always assumed that their kids would be better off in a bigger house. But after they downsized, there was much less space to retreat to, so the family members spent more time around each other. A smaller house unexpectedly turned out to be a more family-friendly house.
薩文先生和他的妻子喬安先前總是認為在大房子里，孩子們會過的更加愜意。但是在搬進小房子后，將大家隔離開來的空間少得多了，這樣一來，家庭成員就可以有更多的時間呆在一起。小房子出乎意料地變成了一個更加適宜家庭生活的家。
“We essentially traded stuff for togetherness and connectedness,” Mr. Salwen told me, adding, “I can’t figure out why everybody wouldn’t want that deal.”
“其實我們是把物質(zhì)和金錢轉(zhuǎn)換成更加緊密無間的聯(lián)系了，”薩文先生在與我談話中這樣說道，“我覺得如果有這種選擇，每個人都會像我一樣這么做的?！?/FONT>
One reason for that togetherness was the complex process of deciding how to spend the money. The Salwens researched causes and charities, finally settling on the Hunger Project, a New York City-based international development organization that has a good record of tackling global poverty.
要決定如何合理利用另一半的錢也是一個復(fù)雜的過程，薩文一家花時間研究了一些機構(gòu)和慈善團體，最終決定將錢捐給“戰(zhàn)勝饑餓項目”。這是一個設(shè)在紐約的國際發(fā)展組織，因其努力解決貧困問題而享譽全球。
The Salwens pledged $800,000 to sponsor health, microfinancing, food and other programs for about 40 villages in Ghana. They traveled to Ghana with a Hunger Project executive, John Coonrod, who is an inspiration in his own right. Over the years, he and his wife donated so much back from their modest aid-worker salaries that they were among the top Hunger Project donors in New York.
薩文一家共給該機構(gòu)捐獻了80萬美元，共資助了加納40個村莊，涉及項目包括健康、小額融資、食物等等。他們專程前往加納，與他們同行的還有“戰(zhàn)勝饑餓項目”執(zhí)行官約翰·庫羅，他憑借自身的能力，吸引了許多人加入了慈善行業(yè)。多年來，作為救援人員，他和夫人用盡了自己綿薄的工資捐助他人，在整個紐約的“戰(zhàn)勝饑餓項目”名錄上無疑最為耀眼。
