第1444期:我见青山多妩媚

今天的题目是辛弃疾一首词中最出名的两句,与他金戈铁马的那些猛词调调不同,透着一股无奈和回味,有种特别无力的中老年的苍凉。

我见青山多妩媚,料青山见我应如是。情与貌,略相似。

不恨古人吾不见,恨古人不见吾狂耳。知我者,二三子。

我初见这句词时,无端地想到了一句英语成语,keep up with the Joneses,意思是跟邻居攀比。但我的这个联想简直毫无道理。

这句成语很多人都知道,意思是 To maintain the same lifestyle as one’s neighbors or peers.

例句:

A: “Why did she buy such an expensive car?”

B: “Well, she lives in a wealthy part of town—I bet she just wants to keep up with the Joneses.”

(例句采自The Free Dictionary)

这句英文成语的出处有很多说法,Jones一家是谁?跟他家比什么?没必要去考证了。详见维基百科:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_up_with_the_Joneses

前阵子我讲过一件小事,说的是魔都丰城时代,很多人把抗原自测盒装在手提袋里挂在门把手上等居委上门收,那个手提袋的品牌就是一场奢侈品包装袋大赛。你说那是苦中作乐也罢,说是魔都这座镀金的城里人们镀金的那颗心也罢,总之每个人都不甘落于人后,in all aspects, by all means.

现代人普遍活在两个泡泡里,一个是邻里,一个是同僚。

跟邻居比,暗自较劲。八十年代时你家包饺子,我家就炖排骨,便宜了两家的小孩子。

跟同僚比,明争暗斗,每个职场中人感受到的peer pressure就出自于此。

于是人人都不开心,谁都不放松。

We desperately try to keep up with the Joneses, all the while the Joneses are miserable trying to keep up with us.

如果每个人都在跟邻居和同事攀比的话,可想而知那种不安和焦虑肯定不是你的专利。每个人都绷紧着神经——神经。

昨晚睡前读到一句Marcus Aurelius(马可·奥里利乌斯)的名言:

“Don’t set your mind on things you don’t possess as if they were yours, but count the blessings you actually possess and think how much you would desire them if they weren’t already yours.

But watch yourself, that you don’t value these things to the point of being troubled if you should lose them.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.

今天想邀请你来翻译一下这段话,分享一下你的感悟。

我多想今日的邻居们再像八十年代那样,你家炖排骨,我就涮羊肉,楼上闻到了羊膻气,马上就去烤鸡翅。而在其他事情上,都用不着去比较。自家厨房灶上的东西熟了,就是自家的好日子。