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Recently， I have been thinking a lot about the value of work and how it relates to the so-called “purpose” of life， if we can really call it that. My mom and I have had many lengthy discussions on why it is important to have obstacles in the course of one’s life in order to feel like one has had a meaningful existence. I have been fortunate enough to have been born to two intelligent individuals who have strived to make a difference in the world. Consequently， I have been able to live comfortably off of their hard work and accomplishments. Moreover， I have been able to attend a wonderful school without any financial worries that may prevent others from having the same privilege. The gift my parents have given me is the opportunity to receive a fantastic education， but it is up to me to make my own decisions and work hard after that.
近来，我一直在思考关于工作的价值以及它与所谓的生活“目标”之间的关系，假设真能这么表达的话。关于一个人只有在生活中经历种种磨难才能使自己的生命变得更有意义的原因，我和妈妈进行过多次深入探讨。我的父母都才华横溢，他们通过自己的努力来改变这个世界，出生在这样的家庭我真是太幸运了。由于她们的辛勤劳动和丰硕成果，我才能够过上富足的生活。而且，我还能没有任何后顾之忧地进入一所好学校，而学费问题可能剥夺很多人的这项权利。父母赐予我的礼物就是给我机会让我接受最好的教育，但之后就该由我自己做决定，然后为之努力奋斗。
One of my friends here at school is very wealthy. Her father is a hedge fund manager on Wall Street， and quite obviously makes a substantial amount of income each year. She told me that when she turns 30， she is set to receive a very hefty trust fund from her family. I thought about this for a while， and eventually I decided that this is one of the worst things a parent can do for their children. Essentially， I think he is denying her the ability to motivate herself into creating her own identity and path separate from her parents. As my mom told me， the reason why video games are fun is the obstacles you have to overcome to get to the next level. Sometimes you fail， but you always want to try again. Similarly， life is meaningful when you have something to achieve and work for. My parents started out with very little， but they continued working hard because they believed that there was always something to work for. I think this type of hope is essential to human life， and to deny your child that right is ruining their life. Of course， my friend can always choose not to use that trust fund—but at this age， it is far easier to choose what we think is the “comfortable” path and make wrong decisions. And， it is never the same when you know you have a squashy trust fund to fall back upon when you fail.
我学校的一个朋友超级有钱。她的父亲是华尔街的一位对冲基金经理，显然每年都会有一大笔收入。她告诉我，等到三十岁时，她就能得到家里的一笔巨额信托基金。我思考了片刻，最后我认为这是父母为孩子们做的最愚蠢的一件事。关键是，我认为她父亲忽略了女儿脱离父母之后，完全依靠自己来开创自我身份和人生道路的能力。正如妈妈告诉我的那样，电子游戏之所以好玩就是由于我们必须攻克难关才能进入下一阶段。有时我们失败了，但却总想再试一次。同样，只要我们拥有想实现和为之奋斗的目标，生活就会充满意义。我的父母几乎是白手起家，但却一直兢兢业业，因为他们认为自己总有奋斗的目标。我认为这种希望对于人生来说至关重要，而剥夺孩子的这项权利无异于毁掉他们的人生。当然，我的朋友也可能会选择不动用那笔信托基金，但在这个时代，我们往往更倾向于选择一条“舒坦的”人生之路，从而做出一些错误的抉择。而且，我们遭遇失败时，如果清楚自己有一笔丰厚的信托基金可用，情况也会截然不同。 Human life is defined by experience and the social connections you make. The value of life isn’t in breathing and functioning. Although this might seem like a rather ill-conceived example， I always thought that the purpose of the dementors in Harry Potter illustrated this concept quite well. The Dementor’s Kiss is described to be “worse than death” because the dementor sucks out your soul， leaving you to be an empty shell of a human. Thus， the soul is what matters the most—and the soul can only be created through the experience of life itself. And I think if you take the ability for someone to truly experience all of the hardships and happiness that comes with overcoming those respective hardships， you are denying them a bit of their soul. And no matter what they do， they will never be one-hundred percent happy.
人生的独特之处就在于我们的生活经历和社交人脉。生活的价值并不在于生存和发挥作用。我一直认为《哈利波特》中摄魂怪的作用就恰如其分地证实了这一看法，虽然这个例子似乎有些拙劣。人们将“摄魂怪之吻”描述成“比死更可怕”的东西，因为它会吸走你的灵魂，只留下一具空皮囊。因此，灵魂对于人来说才是最重要的东西，并且灵魂只能通过生活的经历来塑造。所以，我认为如果你夺走了某个人真正经历各种困难以及克服这些困难所带来的喜悦的能力，就等于夺走了他们的部分灵魂。无论他们在干什么，却无法得到百分之百的快乐。
We’ve seen so many examples where celebrities have completely fallen off the wheel due to their hard-partying lifestyles as a result of the money they have to burn. Young celebrities， in particular， are especially prone to this trap. If you take the hardships of life away and replace it with buckets and buckets of money， people become bored and seek other thrills for stimulation—and in many cases， that stimulation comes in the form of artificial injections， such as drugs and alcohol. Self-medication ends up being the cure， and very ironically， their demise.
许多名人喜欢挥金如土，习惯了奢侈糜烂的生活方式，结果最后彻底地腐化堕落了，这样的例子我们已经见过太多太多。尤其是年轻的社会名流，他们特别容易落入这样的陷阱之中。如果你去掉了生活中的艰难困苦，取而代之的是一桶一桶的金子，人们厌倦了这样的生活，便开始寻找其它的刺激，并且多数情况下，这种刺激来自于服用一些人造物品，比如毒品和酒精。只有自我疗法才是解药，但讽刺的是，他们的解药却是死亡。
Last week， I watched a movie called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It documents the backstory of one of the most famous sushi chefs in the world， Jiro Ono. Jiro is now 86 years old， yet he continues to work each day， unfailingly striving for ultimate perfection. A few years ago， he received the perfect rating of three Michelin stars， becoming the first restaurant of its kind to be bestowed with that honor. Yet， he still continues to improve his technique day by day. Of course， this kind of work ethic is most likely unmatchable， but it is still inspiring to see that that type of hope and motivation exists in people. The biggest woe that Jiro will have is that four Michelin stars will never exist. As he said himself in the movie， he will always aim to reach the top. The trouble is： who really knows where the top is？ 上周，我看过一部名为《寿司之神》的电影。这部电影讲述了一位世界有名的寿司大师小野二郎的故事。如今小野已经八十六岁了，却依旧每天坚持工作，为的是不断努力把寿司做到十全十美。几年前，他赢得了米其林三星的评级（米其林三星是其对餐厅评级的最高级，“轮胎业巨擘”米其林公司于1900年发行的红色小册子《米其林指南》是一百多年来销量最大、收录最齐全的全球一流餐馆、旅馆大全年鉴，目前在全球超过7亿的发行量，众多大厨把赢得米其林星作为毕生追求），成为获此殊荣的第一家寿司餐馆。尽管如此，他仍然夜以继日地不断提升自己的厨艺。当然，这种敬业精神确实难以超越，但见识到人身上的这股强大的希望和动力仍然十分鼓舞人心。小野最大的苦恼就是米其林四星根本就不存在。正如他在影片中说的那样，他一直志在达到顶级水平。但问题是：谁又真的知道顶级水平是怎样的呢？
It’s quite possible that my opinion here is fairly limited， or maybe naive， since I don’t have the experience that many much older and wiser than I do. These past weeks I have been studying very hard for my upcoming tests and， like any person of my age， have been complaining. But after having a good， long conversation with my mom， I realize that there is a reason why I complain yet don’t quit—because I know that there is something to work for. Even though at times I may dislike working， I will never have the desire to quit.
我的这些想法可能相当有限，甚至可能有些幼稚，因为我的生活经历比许多前辈和智者的要少得多。过去的几周，我一直在用功学习备战即将到来的考试，跟同龄人一样，我也会抱怨。但与妈妈深入地谈论了一番之后，我发现自己虽然抱怨但却从未放弃学习的一大原因，那就是我知道自己的奋斗目标。尽管有时候我可能讨厌工作，但却从未想过放弃。
近来，我一直在思考关于工作的价值以及它与所谓的生活“目标”之间的关系，假设真能这么表达的话。关于一个人只有在生活中经历种种磨难才能使自己的生命变得更有意义的原因，我和妈妈进行过多次深入探讨。我的父母都才华横溢，他们通过自己的努力来改变这个世界，出生在这样的家庭我真是太幸运了。由于她们的辛勤劳动和丰硕成果，我才能够过上富足的生活。而且，我还能没有任何后顾之忧地进入一所好学校，而学费问题可能剥夺很多人的这项权利。父母赐予我的礼物就是给我机会让我接受最好的教育，但之后就该由我自己做决定，然后为之努力奋斗。
One of my friends here at school is very wealthy. Her father is a hedge fund manager on Wall Street， and quite obviously makes a substantial amount of income each year. She told me that when she turns 30， she is set to receive a very hefty trust fund from her family. I thought about this for a while， and eventually I decided that this is one of the worst things a parent can do for their children. Essentially， I think he is denying her the ability to motivate herself into creating her own identity and path separate from her parents. As my mom told me， the reason why video games are fun is the obstacles you have to overcome to get to the next level. Sometimes you fail， but you always want to try again. Similarly， life is meaningful when you have something to achieve and work for. My parents started out with very little， but they continued working hard because they believed that there was always something to work for. I think this type of hope is essential to human life， and to deny your child that right is ruining their life. Of course， my friend can always choose not to use that trust fund—but at this age， it is far easier to choose what we think is the “comfortable” path and make wrong decisions. And， it is never the same when you know you have a squashy trust fund to fall back upon when you fail.
我学校的一个朋友超级有钱。她的父亲是华尔街的一位对冲基金经理，显然每年都会有一大笔收入。她告诉我，等到三十岁时，她就能得到家里的一笔巨额信托基金。我思考了片刻，最后我认为这是父母为孩子们做的最愚蠢的一件事。关键是，我认为她父亲忽略了女儿脱离父母之后，完全依靠自己来开创自我身份和人生道路的能力。正如妈妈告诉我的那样，电子游戏之所以好玩就是由于我们必须攻克难关才能进入下一阶段。有时我们失败了，但却总想再试一次。同样，只要我们拥有想实现和为之奋斗的目标，生活就会充满意义。我的父母几乎是白手起家，但却一直兢兢业业，因为他们认为自己总有奋斗的目标。我认为这种希望对于人生来说至关重要，而剥夺孩子的这项权利无异于毁掉他们的人生。当然，我的朋友也可能会选择不动用那笔信托基金，但在这个时代，我们往往更倾向于选择一条“舒坦的”人生之路，从而做出一些错误的抉择。而且，我们遭遇失败时，如果清楚自己有一笔丰厚的信托基金可用，情况也会截然不同。 Human life is defined by experience and the social connections you make. The value of life isn’t in breathing and functioning. Although this might seem like a rather ill-conceived example， I always thought that the purpose of the dementors in Harry Potter illustrated this concept quite well. The Dementor’s Kiss is described to be “worse than death” because the dementor sucks out your soul， leaving you to be an empty shell of a human. Thus， the soul is what matters the most—and the soul can only be created through the experience of life itself. And I think if you take the ability for someone to truly experience all of the hardships and happiness that comes with overcoming those respective hardships， you are denying them a bit of their soul. And no matter what they do， they will never be one-hundred percent happy.
人生的独特之处就在于我们的生活经历和社交人脉。生活的价值并不在于生存和发挥作用。我一直认为《哈利波特》中摄魂怪的作用就恰如其分地证实了这一看法，虽然这个例子似乎有些拙劣。人们将“摄魂怪之吻”描述成“比死更可怕”的东西，因为它会吸走你的灵魂，只留下一具空皮囊。因此，灵魂对于人来说才是最重要的东西，并且灵魂只能通过生活的经历来塑造。所以，我认为如果你夺走了某个人真正经历各种困难以及克服这些困难所带来的喜悦的能力，就等于夺走了他们的部分灵魂。无论他们在干什么，却无法得到百分之百的快乐。
We’ve seen so many examples where celebrities have completely fallen off the wheel due to their hard-partying lifestyles as a result of the money they have to burn. Young celebrities， in particular， are especially prone to this trap. If you take the hardships of life away and replace it with buckets and buckets of money， people become bored and seek other thrills for stimulation—and in many cases， that stimulation comes in the form of artificial injections， such as drugs and alcohol. Self-medication ends up being the cure， and very ironically， their demise.
许多名人喜欢挥金如土，习惯了奢侈糜烂的生活方式，结果最后彻底地腐化堕落了，这样的例子我们已经见过太多太多。尤其是年轻的社会名流，他们特别容易落入这样的陷阱之中。如果你去掉了生活中的艰难困苦，取而代之的是一桶一桶的金子，人们厌倦了这样的生活，便开始寻找其它的刺激，并且多数情况下，这种刺激来自于服用一些人造物品，比如毒品和酒精。只有自我疗法才是解药，但讽刺的是，他们的解药却是死亡。
Last week， I watched a movie called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It documents the backstory of one of the most famous sushi chefs in the world， Jiro Ono. Jiro is now 86 years old， yet he continues to work each day， unfailingly striving for ultimate perfection. A few years ago， he received the perfect rating of three Michelin stars， becoming the first restaurant of its kind to be bestowed with that honor. Yet， he still continues to improve his technique day by day. Of course， this kind of work ethic is most likely unmatchable， but it is still inspiring to see that that type of hope and motivation exists in people. The biggest woe that Jiro will have is that four Michelin stars will never exist. As he said himself in the movie， he will always aim to reach the top. The trouble is： who really knows where the top is？ 上周，我看过一部名为《寿司之神》的电影。这部电影讲述了一位世界有名的寿司大师小野二郎的故事。如今小野已经八十六岁了，却依旧每天坚持工作，为的是不断努力把寿司做到十全十美。几年前，他赢得了米其林三星的评级（米其林三星是其对餐厅评级的最高级，“轮胎业巨擘”米其林公司于1900年发行的红色小册子《米其林指南》是一百多年来销量最大、收录最齐全的全球一流餐馆、旅馆大全年鉴，目前在全球超过7亿的发行量，众多大厨把赢得米其林星作为毕生追求），成为获此殊荣的第一家寿司餐馆。尽管如此，他仍然夜以继日地不断提升自己的厨艺。当然，这种敬业精神确实难以超越，但见识到人身上的这股强大的希望和动力仍然十分鼓舞人心。小野最大的苦恼就是米其林四星根本就不存在。正如他在影片中说的那样，他一直志在达到顶级水平。但问题是：谁又真的知道顶级水平是怎样的呢？
It’s quite possible that my opinion here is fairly limited， or maybe naive， since I don’t have the experience that many much older and wiser than I do. These past weeks I have been studying very hard for my upcoming tests and， like any person of my age， have been complaining. But after having a good， long conversation with my mom， I realize that there is a reason why I complain yet don’t quit—because I know that there is something to work for. Even though at times I may dislike working， I will never have the desire to quit.
我的这些想法可能相当有限，甚至可能有些幼稚，因为我的生活经历比许多前辈和智者的要少得多。过去的几周，我一直在用功学习备战即将到来的考试，跟同龄人一样，我也会抱怨。但与妈妈深入地谈论了一番之后，我发现自己虽然抱怨但却从未放弃学习的一大原因，那就是我知道自己的奋斗目标。尽管有时候我可能讨厌工作，但却从未想过放弃。