你生命的意義

你生命的意義

Every January for the past 20 years, I have taken a few moments to ponder the answer to the question "what is the meaning of life?"

在過去的20年里，每年的1月，我都會花一些時間來思考“生命的意義是什么”這個問題的答案。

It's one of those enormous questions that's so important -- philosophically and practically in terms of how we live our lives -- and yet we never stop to really think about the answer. Given that you might be able to formulate your response in less than a minute, the wisdom-to-effort ratio for this philosophical exercise could not be more advantageous.

這是一個非常重要的巨大的問題——從哲學(xué)和實(shí)踐的角度來說，關(guān)于我們?nèi)绾紊?mdash;—然而我們從來沒有停下來去思考這個問題的答案。考慮到您可能能夠在不到一分鐘的時間內(nèi)形成您的回答，這個哲學(xué)練習(xí)的智慧與努力的比例是最有利的。

This simple exercise might even help you live longer. According to two separate studies published in 2014 -- one among 9,000 participants over age 65 and another among 6,000 people between 20 and 75 -- those who could articulate the meaning and purpose of their lives died later than those who saw their lives as aimless. It didn't seem to matter what meaning participants ascribed to their life, whether it was personal (like happiness), creative (like making art) or altruistic (like making the world a better place). It was having an answer to the question that mattered.

這個簡單的練習(xí)甚至可以幫助你活得更久。根據(jù)2014年發(fā)表的兩項獨(dú)立研究——一項在9000名65歲以上的參與者中進(jìn)行，另一項在6000名20歲至75歲之間的參與者中進(jìn)行——能夠清晰表達(dá)自己生活的意義和目的的人，比那些認(rèn)為自己的生活漫無目的的人死得晚。參與者賦予自己生活的意義似乎無關(guān)緊要，無論是個人的(比如幸福)、創(chuàng)造性的(比如創(chuàng)造藝術(shù))還是利他的(比如讓世界變得更美好)。重要的是找到問題的答案。

The connection to longevity could be causal (having purpose may help one cope with daily stress, as other research has shown), but it could also be that those who think about life's meaning are more likely to do other activities that promote good health.

與長壽之間的聯(lián)系可能是因果關(guān)系(正如其他研究表明的那樣，有目標(biāo)可能有助于應(yīng)對日常壓力)，但也可能是那些思考生命意義的人更有可能從事其他促進(jìn)健康的活動。

The reason I ask this question year after year is because my answer changes over time, which I find interesting and insightful. There is no objectively correct answer, I believe, only answers that are right for you at any given time.

我之所以年復(fù)一年地問這個問題，是因為我的答案會隨著時間的推移而改變，我發(fā)現(xiàn)這很有趣，也很有見地。沒有客觀正確的答案，我相信，只有在任何時候都適合你的答案。

My favorite answer, though, is the Zen-like circular reasoning attributed to writer Robert Byrne, who put it, "The purpose of life is a life of purpose." Some have concluded that life's meaning is subjective. "There is not one big cosmic meaning for all," Anaïs Nin wrote in her diary. "There is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person."

不過，我最喜歡的答案是作家羅伯特·伯恩(Robert Byrne)提出的禪宗式的循環(huán)推理，他說:“生活的目的就是有目的的生活。”有些人認(rèn)為生命的意義是主觀的。“對所有人來說，沒有一個大的宇宙意義，”阿奈斯·寧(Anais Nin)在她的日記中寫道。“只有我們每個人賦予自己生命的意義，一個獨(dú)特的意義，一個獨(dú)特的情節(jié)，就像一部獨(dú)特的小說，一本適合每個人的書。”

I agree, which is why I recommend formulating your own answer. "Each man must look to himself to teach him the meaning of life. It is not something discovered: It is something molded," wrote Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, well-known for his book "The Little Prince."

我同意，這就是為什么我建議制定你自己的答案。安托萬·德·圣-埃克蘇佩里(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)因其著作“小王子”(The Little Prince)而聞名，他寫道：“每個人都必須依靠自己來教導(dǎo)自己生命的意義。這不是發(fā)現(xiàn)的東西，而是塑造出來的東西。”

Taking a few moments to record your answer to the question "what is the meaning of life?" is the kind of simple exercise that effectively adds meaning to your life. And then I suggest answering it every year. Looking back at how your thinking has evolved and been influenced by experience tells you something more about yourself. Cumulatively, it gets you closer to a deeper self-understanding.

花點(diǎn)時間記錄下你對“生命的意義是什么”這個問題的答案，這是一種能有效地為你的生活增添意義的簡單練習(xí)。然后我建議每年都回答這個問題。回顧你的思維是如何進(jìn)化和受經(jīng)驗影響的，會讓你更了解自己。慢慢地，它會讓你更深入地了解自己。

In 1997, my answer was "the discovery, pursuit and attainment of one's bliss," inspired by myth expert Joseph Campbell. A year later, is was to make "the world a better place." In 2002, the year I got engaged, it was simply "Love." And the year we conceived our oldest daughter, it was the less-romantic "continuation of one's DNA to the next generation." But most years, my answer is some combination of love, legacy, happiness, experience and helping others.

1997年，我的答案是“發(fā)現(xiàn)、追求和實(shí)現(xiàn)一個人的幸福，”靈感來自神話專家約瑟夫坎貝爾。一年后，是為了讓“世界變得更美好”。2002年，也就是我訂婚的那一年，我只說了一句“愛”。而在我們懷上大女兒的那一年，“一個人的DNA延續(xù)到下一代”就不那么浪漫了。但大多數(shù)時候，我的答案是愛、遺產(chǎn)、幸福、經(jīng)歷和幫助他人的結(jié)合。

As a practical matter, if you want to do the annual "Meaning" exercise, I suggest not looking at past answers before answering anew, to avoid biasing your answer. I write them down on the same now-yellowing piece of loose-leaf paper, and keep it someplace safe.

實(shí)際上，如果你想做年度“意義”練習(xí)，我建議你在重新回答之前不要看過去的答案，以免讓你的答案產(chǎn)生偏見。我把它們寫在同一張泛黃的活頁紙上，放在安全的地方。

The last use of this experiment is to try to turn your answer into action. If you conclude, as Tolstoy and Aristotle did, that the meaning of life to help others, that should help motivate you to do more of it. If "love," is the answer, then love more. If it's "find your bliss," then get searching for it.

這個實(shí)驗的最后一個用途是把你的答案變成行動。如果你像托爾斯泰和亞里士多德那樣得出這樣的結(jié)論:生活的意義在于幫助他人，這應(yīng)該有助于激勵你去做得更多。如果“愛”是答案，那么愛得更多。如果是“找到你的幸福”，那就去尋找它。

This is not a theoretical exercise. Whatever small step you make toward finding the meaning of life is a step toward a more meaningful, and longer, life.

這不是一個理論練習(xí)。無論你朝著發(fā)現(xiàn)生命的意義邁出了怎樣的一小步，你都是朝著更有意義、更長壽的生活邁出了一步。