The Paradox¹ of Our Time　家的等式

　　◎ George Carlin

　　The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; widerfreeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more but enjoy less.

　　We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have moredegrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment²; more experts, but more problems;more medicine, but less wellness.

　　We drink too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly,stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

　　We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, butnot a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years.

　　We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the newneighbor. We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space; we’ve done larger things, but notbetter things.

　　We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice. Wewrite more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less.

　　We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but, lower morals.

　　We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but haveless communication; we’ve become long on quantity, but short on quality.

　　These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but more broken homes.

　　These are the days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one night stands,overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. Where are weheading...?

　　If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter ofdays. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

　　And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family an unwiseinvestment indeed.

　　So what is the morale³ of the story?

　　Don’t work too hard... and you know what’s the full word of family?

　　FAMILY = (F) ATHER (A) ND (M) OTHER, (I) (L) OVE (Y) OU.

　　我们处于历史上的矛盾时代：我们拥有更高的建筑，但是有更暴的脾气；我们拥有更宽阔的高速公路，却有更狭隘的观点；我们花费得更多，拥有得却更少；我们购买得更多却享受得更少。

　　我们的房子越来越大，家庭却越来越小；便利越来越多，时间却越来越少；学位越来越多，感觉却越来越少；知识越来越多，观点却越来越少；专家越来越多，问题也越来越多；药物越来越多，健康却越来越少。

　　我们喝得太多，花钱大手大脚，笑得太少，开车太快，易怒，熬夜，赖床，书读得太少，电视看得太多，并很少向上帝祈祷。

　　我们常常夸夸其谈，却很少付出爱心，并仇恨得太多。我们掌握了谋生手段，却不懂得生活的真谛；我们延长了生命的期限，而不是生活的期限。

　　我们登上了月球并成功返回，却不能穿过街道去拜访新邻居。我们开始探索太空，却发现不了自己的内心；我们的事业越做越大，但质量却没有提高。

　　我们清洁了空气，却污染了灵魂；我们分离了原子，却无法去除自己的偏见；我们写得更多，学到的却更少；我们的计划更多，完成的却更少。

　　我们学会了追赶时间，却忘记了如何等待；我们的收入越来越高，道德水平却越来越低。

　　我们制造了更多的计算机来存储更多的信息，制造了最多的副本却减少了交流；我们开始注重数量，但忽视了质量。

　　这个时代有双收入，但也有了更高的离婚率；有更华丽的房屋，却有更多破碎的家庭。

　　这个时代有了快速旅游、免洗尿布、道德的缺失、一夜情、超重的身体，以及可以从快乐中走向静止和自杀的药物。我们将走向何方？

　　如果我们明天就死掉，我们为之工作的公司可能会在几天内很轻易地找人代替我们的位置。但是当我们离开家人后，他们的余生将会在失落中度过。

　　考虑一下吧，我们将自己的时间更多地投入到工作中，而放弃与家人在一起的时光，实在不是明智之举。

　　那么这则故事的主旨是什么？

　　不要工作得太辛苦，你知道家的全称吗？

　　家＝爸爸妈妈，我爱你们。

 

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