雙語閱讀：孤單時回到你的房間享受吧

　　摘要：對于我們孤獨的人來說潛在的問題就是獨處會招致更多的孤獨。孤獨成為慣性。

　　One of the hallmarks of introversion is an ability tohappily spend copious time alone. But have you everhad that run away with you?

　　內向的特點之一就是擁有幸福的獨處能力。但是這是否讓你背道而馳呢?

　　I live on almost three acres in a quiet part of town. Iwork at home. I’m married, but my husband’sbusiness requires a lot of interaction all day, and soby evening, he’s ready for some homebody action(or, more accurately, inaction). I have a couple ofclose friends nearby, but many have moved awayover the past decade, and making new friends is difficult as I get older. At this point, most ofmy friends live in my computer. An online social life is great, but it’s no substitute for face toface.

　　我住的地方約三英畝，是鎮(zhèn)里一個安靜的地方。我在家工作。我已經結婚了，但是我丈夫的工作需要天天應酬，所以到了晚上，他就變成了一個宅男(或者更確切的說是不活動)。我家周圍本來有一群好朋友，但在過去的十年間有好多都已經搬走了，隨著年齡的增長，結交新的朋友對我來說越來越難了。此刻，我的大部分朋友就只用電腦聯系了。線上的社交生活很棒，但是不能替代面對面的交流。

　　It’s easy for me to get isolated.

　　對我來說很容易變得孤單。

　　Isolation can creep up on you. You’re doing fine, you’re doing fine, you’re doing fine, enjoyingyour solitude, getting stuff done, perhaps even preening a little over your self sufficiency. Andthen one day, you blink a few times, look around, and realize that the world outside has driftedvery far away.

　　孤單慢慢將你包圍。你做的很好，你做的很好，你做的很好，享受你的獨處，在你自我滿足的時候甚至有點洋洋得意。然后某一天，你眨了眨眼睛，看看周圍，發(fā)現外面的世界已經離你很遠。

　　Well, that is to say, the world has stayed where it is but you’ve drifted so far into your ownhead that it’s like looking out through the wrong end of the telescope.

　　當然，也就是說，世界依舊如此，而你沉浸在自己的世界中太久了。像是用望遠鏡的另一頭看待這個世界。

　　Helloooooooooo…..Is anyone out there?

　　喂......有人在嗎?

　　Even if you have a job that requires interaction during the day, if every evening and weekendis spent alone, you can miss out on the kind of soulful connection that keeps us emotionallyhealthy.

　　即使你的工作白天需要社交，如果每天晚上和周末你都獨自度過，你會錯過讓我們保持情感健康的心靈交流。

　　The potential problem for us solitary types is that solitude begets solitude begets solitudebegets isolation. Solitude becomes inertia.

　　對于我們孤獨的人來說潛在的問題就是獨處會招致更多的孤獨。孤獨成為慣性。

　　You make no plans and eventually fall out of mind for people. Your social circle rolls onwithout you. You’re out of touch with what’s happening around town; all too often I hear aboutfun events the day after they happen. You fall into default mode: Sweat pants and stayinghome.

　　你沒有計劃，最終會失去與人交際的能力。你的社交圈沒有你。你與鎮(zhèn)周圍所發(fā)生的失去了聯系。有很多時候，鎮(zhèn)里發(fā)生的有趣事兒我都是事后才聽到的。你陷入到預設模式中：穿著運動長褲宅在家里。

　　And the more isolated you become, the weirder you get. Conversation feels awkward. Gettingtogether with people takes a level of commitment you can’t seem to muster. You intend tocall friends but put it off and put it off and put it off. It’s so much easier to hang out with themon Facebook. You promise yourself you will do something fun today, but then find a million littlethings to do until another day has slipped by and you haven’t done anything more ambitiousthan go to the supermarket. You might start feeling depressed.

　　你越是與世隔絕，你就越奇怪。交談會感到尷尬。與朋友在一起時，你不會想要付出承諾。給朋友打電話時，你往往一拖再拖。在臉書網上交流會容易一些。你承諾今天會做一些有趣的事，但發(fā)現有無數小事要去做，等到第二天都過去了，你除了逛超市再沒有干比這更有雄心的事。你開始感到沮喪。

　　Friends, no matter how proudly introverted you are, isolation isn’t good for you. Solitude isgreat, until it’s not.

　　朋友，不管你對于內向有多驕傲，孤獨對你毫無益處。獨處很棒，直到它變壞的時候。

　　The only cure for isolation is discipline. The discipline to make yourself pick up the phone andcall someone you like. Sometimes that means moving out of your comfort zone, connectingwith someone who is still just a potential friend. (See First Leave the House: Strategies forMaking New Friends.) You need discipline to plan an outing and follow through. You needdiscipline to say “yes” to the next invitation you receive, even if it’s not the greatest thingyou can imagine doing. The point isn’t that you have to do something wonderful. The point isthat you have to do something. Anything, as long as it involves other people. Preferably peoplewith whom you can converse.

　　解決孤獨的唯一方法就是訓練。訓練你拿起電話然后打給你喜歡的人。有時候這意味著走出你的舒適區(qū)，與潛在的朋友聯系。(看《第一步離開屋子：結交新朋友的策略》)你需要訓練去做一個遠足計劃然后實施它。你需要練習在收到下一個邀請函的時候說是。即使這不是你能想象到的最棒的事。關鍵不是要你做什么精彩的事，而是要你做一些事情。任何事，只要涉及其他人。最好是可以與之交談的人。

　　I’ve been pushing myself in that way recently and it is having the desired effect. My husbandnoticed how much cheerier and more relaxed I was a couple of weeks ago, after an evening ofwine and conversation (and wine) with a friend. Even spending some time on the telephonewith faraway friends has been helpful. And when I see an event listing that interests me, I buytickets or put it on my calendar right away rather than waiting for who-knows-what, until it'stoo late.

　　最近我一直在強迫自己這樣做，并且達到了預期效果。數周前，我的丈夫發(fā)現我在一個晚上和朋友聊天喝酒的時候更加愉悅，更加放松。即使給遠方的朋友打個電話也是有幫助的。當我看到列出的清單上有使我感興趣的項目時，我就立馬買票或是記在我的日歷上，而不是干等著，那就太晚了。

　　The only cure for isolation is reengaging with the world. Force yourself out and about, makeyourself interact, rejoin your community. Do it because it’s good for you.

　　治療孤獨的唯一方法就是與世界重修舊好。強迫自己出去，讓自己與他人溝通，再次融入你的社團。行動起來，因為這對你有益。

　　And then, when you’re on the verge of exploding head, return to your nice quiet room andenjoy the solitude again.

　　其次，當你頭痛欲裂的時候，回到你安靜的房間然后再次享受獨處。

　　Solitude --Ella Wheeler Wilcox

　　孤獨

　　Laugh, and the world laughs with you;

　　Weep, and you weep alone.

　　For the sad old earth must borrow it's mirth,

　　But has trouble enough of its own.

　　Sing, and the hills will answer;

　　Sigh, it is lost on the air.

　　The echoes bound to a joyful sound,

　　But shrink from voicing care.

　　笑則天下笑，

　　泣則獨自泣。

　　因悲哀的舊世界須借貸歡笑，

　　而它自身的麻煩不少。

　　唱則群山應，

　　嘆則空散盡。

　　回聲反射成歡欣，

　　傾訴憂慮無回音。

　　Rejoice, and men will seek you;

　　Grieve, and they turn and go.

　　They want full measure of all your pleasure,

　　But they do not need your woe.

　　Be glad, and your friends are many;

　　Be sad, and you lose them all.

　　There are none to decline your nectared wine,

　　But alone you must drink life's gall.

　　喜則人尋你，

　　悲則眾人離。

　　他們要度量你的歡快，

　　但他們不要你的悲哀。

　　你高興，朋友會多起來，

　　你悲傷，他們轉身走開。

　　無人會拒絕你的佳釀，

　　但你要獨自把生活的苦酒品嘗。

　　Feast, and your halls are crowded;

　　Fast, and the world goes by.

　　Succeed and give, and it helps you live,

　　But no man can help you die.

　　There is room in the halls of pleasure

　　For a long and lordly train,

　　But one by one we must all file on

　　Through the narrow aisles of pain.

　　設宴，高朋滿盈，

　　齋戒，無人問津。

　　成功和慷慨能助你生，

　　但是他人救不了你死。

　　娛樂大廳里有一間房，

　　長長豪華列車停中央，

　　但我們都必須魚貫上，

　　通過狹長痛苦的走廊。