伯特蘭·羅素/Bertrand Russell
Psychologically there are two dangers to be guarded against in old a ge.One of these is undue absorption in the past.It does not do to live in memories,in regrets for the good old days,or in sadness about frien ds who are dead.One's thoughts must be directed to the future,and to things about which there is something to be done.This is not always eas y;one's own past is a gradually increasing weight.It is easy to think to oneself that one's emotions used to be more vivid than they are,and one's mind more keener.If this is true it should be forgotten,and if it is forgotten it will probably not be true.
The other thing to be avoided is clinging to youth in the hope of su cking vigour from its vitality.When your children are grown up they wan t to live their own lives,and if you continue to be as interested in th em as you were when they were young,you are likely to become a burden t o them,unless they are unusually callous.
I do not mean that one should be without interest in them,but one's interest should be contemplative and,if possible,philanthropic,but not unduly emotional.Animals become indifferent to their young as soon as their young can look after themselves,but human beings,owing to the length of infancy,find this difficult.
I think that a successful old age is easiest for those who have stro ng impersonal interests involving appropriate activities.It is in this sphere that long experience is really fruitful,and it is in this sphere that the wisdom born of experience can be exercised without being oppres sive.It is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes,both because they will not believe you,and because mistakes are an essential part of education.But if you are one of those who are incapable of impe rsonal interests,you may find that your life will be empty unless you c oncern yourself with your children and grandchildren.In that case you must realize that while you can still render them material services,such as making them an allowance or knitting them jumpers,you must not expec t that they will enjoy your company.
Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death.In the young the re is a justification for this feeling.Young men who have reason to fea r that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer.But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows,and has a chieved whatever work it was in him to do,the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble.
The best way to overcome it-so at least it seems to me-is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal,until bit by bit the universal life.An individual human existence should be like a river sma ll at first,narrowly contained within its banks,and rushing passionate ly past rocks and over waterfalls.Gradually the river grows wider,the banks recede,the waters flow more quietly,and in the end,without any visible break,they become merged in the sea,and painlessly lose their individual being.The man who,in old age,can see his life in this way,will not suffer from the fear of death,since the things he cares for wi ll continue.And if,with the decay of vitality,weariness increases,th e thought of rest will not be unwelcome.I should wish to die while stil l at work,knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do and content in the thought that what was possible has been done.
從心理學上來講，在老年時期要防止這樣兩種危險。第一是過分沉湎於過去。生活在過去之中，為流逝的好時光而後悔，或因朋友作古而痛苦，這些都是沒有什麽用處的。人的思想應該朝著未來，朝著還可以有所作為的方麵。這並不是容易做到的，因為一個人的過去是一份不斷加重的負擔。老年人很容易認為過去的情感比現在鮮活生動，過去的思想比現在敏銳。如果事情真是這樣，就不要想它了，不想這件事，就不會覺得自己真的老了。
另外一件要避免的事情是過於依附年輕人，渴望從他們的活力中汲取力量。當你的孩子們已經長大，他們就要過屬於自己的生活，如果你還是像小時候那樣對他們關心備至，就可能成為他們的負擔，除非他們感情麻木。
我並不是說應該對他們不聞不問，而是說你所給予的關心應是理性的、慷慨的（如果可能的話），而不是過於感情用事。動物在自己的後代能夠生活自理時，就不再給予照顧，可是人類，對子女的愛經常停留在孩子的幼年時期，很難做到這一點。
我覺得一個人能做到對合適的活動興趣盎然，不理會自己的個人得失，那麽，他就很容易享有成功的晚年，因為長期以來積累的經驗在此可以結出累累碩果，而通過經驗產生的智慧在這個時候既有用武之地，又不至於咄咄逼人。讓已經長大成人的孩子不要犯錯誤是沒有用處的，因為他們不會信任你，也因為犯錯誤是接受教育的不可缺少的一環。如果你做不到不計個人得失，那麽，不將你的心放在兒孫後輩身上，你便會覺得生活空虛無聊。如果是這樣，你必須知道：盡管你還能給他們物質上的幫助，諸如給點兒補貼或織幾件毛衣，但千萬不要指望他們會喜歡跟你在一起。
有些老人被死亡的恐懼所困擾。假如年輕人有這種恐懼，那是沒有什麽可說的。年輕人有理由害怕戰死在戰場上；當他們想到被騙走了生命所能賦予的美好生活時，他們有理由表示不滿。但對於一個嚐盡人間疾苦，已經完成該做的一切的老年人來講，怕死就有點兒不大好了。
克服這種恐懼的最好辦法是——至少在我看來是這樣的——使你的愛好逐漸擴大，越來越超出個人的範圍，一點一點地融入周圍人的生活中。你的生命將越來越和人類的生命融合在一起。一個人的一生應該像一條河——開始水流很小，被兩岸緊緊地束縛著，激烈地衝過岩石和瀑布，漸漸地它變寬了，兩岸退卻了，河水靜靜地流著，最後，看不見任何停留，就和大海匯合在一起，毫無痛苦地失去它自身的存在。一個在老年能這樣對待生活的人，將不會感到死亡的恐懼，因為他所關心的事物將繼續下去。假如由於生命力的減退，倦意日增，那麽產生安息的想法未必不是一件好事。我希望我能死於工作之時，並且在我快死的時候，知道別人將繼續做我不能再做的工作，我便能為自己已完成力所能及的一切而心滿意足。
1.When your children are grown____they want to live their own l ives,and____if you continue to be as interested in____as you w ere when they were young,you are likely to become a burden____them,unless they are unusually callous.
2.Some old____are oppressed by the fear of death.In the young there____a justification for this feeling.Young men who have____to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the____that they have been cheated of the____things that l ife has to offer.
1.人的思想應該朝著未來，朝著還可以有所作為的方麵。
2.但對於一個嚐盡人間疾苦，已經完成該做的一切的老年人來講，怕死就有點兒不大好了。
3.最後，看不見任何停留，就和大海匯合在一起，毫無痛苦地失去它自身的存在。
1.The other thing to be avoided is clinging to youth in the hope of sucking vigour from its vitality.
cling to：挨著；緊抓；保留
2.But if you are one of those who are incapable of impersonal inter ests...
be incapable of：不能……的