An Identity of One's Own
活出个性
In the eternal universe,
在茫茫宇宙间,
every human being has a one-off chance to live
每个人都有一次生存的机会,
his existence is unique and irretrievable,
都是一个独一无二,不可重复的个体。
for the mold with which he was made, as Rousseau said,
正像卢梭说的,属于你的那个特定的模子
was broken by god immediately afterwards.
把你造出来后,就被打碎了。
Fame,wealth and knowledge are merely worldly possessions
名声,财产,知识只是身外之物,
that are within the reach of anybody striving for them.
人人都可求而得之。
But your experience of and feelings about life are your own
但没有人能够代替你感受人生。
and not to be shared
也没有人可以分享。
No one can live your life over again after your death.
你死之后,没有人能够代替你再活一次。
A full awareness of this will point out to you
如果你真正意识到这一点,你就会明白
that the most important thing in your existence
活在世上,最重要的事情是
is your distinctive individuality or something special of yours.
活出你自己的特色和个性来。
What really counts is not your worldly success
你的人生是否有意义,衡量的标准不是外在的成功,
but your peculiar insight into the meaning of life
而是你对人生意义的独特领悟
and your commitment to it,
和坚守,
which add luster to your personality.
从而使你自己闪放出个性的光华。
It is not easy to be what one really is.
真正成为自己不是一件容易的事。
There is many a person in the world who can be identi- fied as anything
世上有许多人,你说他们什么都行,
either his job,his status or his social role
例如一种职业,一个身份,一个角色,
that shows no trace about his individuality.
唯独不是他自己。
It does do him justice to say that he has no identity of his own,
那么,说他不是他自己一点儿也没有冤枉他。
if he doesn't know his own mind
如果他不知道自己的思想
and all his things are either arranged by others or done on others' suggestions;
总是按着别人的意见生活,
if his life,always occupied by external things,
总是为外在事务忙碌,
is completely void of an inner world.
没有自己的内心生活。
You won't be able to find anything whatever,
你在其中已经找不到丝毫东西
from head to heart, that truly belongs to him.
真正属于他自己了,从他的头脑到他的心灵。
He is, indeed, no more than a shadow cast by somebody else
因为确确实实,他只是别人的一个影子
or a machine capable of doing business.
和一台做事的机器罢了。