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追求以公众利益为宗旨的幸福
理查德·莱亚德
在过去的50年里，我们西方国家的经济获得了史无前例的增长。我们的家园、车辆、假期、工作、教育，尤其是健康，均得以改善。依据标准经济理论，这些改善原本应该使我们更加幸福，然而，调查显示并非如此。英国人和美国人接受幸福程度的调查时说，在过去的50年里，他们的幸福程度并没有得到改善。抑郁症患者人数上升，同时犯罪率大幅增长也说明了人们对生活的不满足。
上述事实对我们个人以及社会优先考虑的诸多事情都提出了挑战。事实上，我们现在的处境是人类从未经历过的。当大多数人还在为温饱发愁时，物质条件的改善的确能令他们幸福一些。富庶国家（比如，人均年收入在两万美元以上）的人民比贫穷国家的人民幸福一些；而贫穷国家的人民，如果稍微富裕，也会幸福得多。然而，物质上的匮乏一旦消除，收入的增加便不如亲情、友情、邻里和睦等人际关系那么重要。但是，我们在追求更高的收入时牺牲了太多这样的关系，这很危险。
渴望幸福是人类本性的核心。人人都渴望这样一个社会：人们尽可能地幸福，每个人的幸福同等重要。这应当是我们这个时代的人生哲学，应当用来指导公共利益的维护准则和每个人的行为，应当逐渐取代无法使我们更加幸福的极端的个人主义。
金钱的确是影响个人幸福的关键因素之一。但是，金钱本身能使我们最终获得幸福吗？在任何一个社会，富人往往比穷人幸福。然而，当一个西方国家越来越富有的时候，其人民的幸福程度在总体上并未得到改善。随着时间的推移，我们的标准和期望随着收入的增加而上升。盖洛普民意测验每年都向美国人提问：“一个四口之家至少需要多少钱才能在这个国家生活下去？”人们说出的数字上升的幅度与平均收入增加的幅度是一样的。因为人们总是拿自己的收入和他人的收入以及他们惯于拥有的收入相比较，只有当他们认为和平均水准相比有所上升时才感到幸福。
这一过程反而达不到预期的目的。我努力工作、赚更多钱的动力是：这会使我更幸福一些。其他的社会成员也同样如此，他们也关注自己相对的生活标准。既然社会整体无法以自己为参照物而提高自己的地位，那么社会成员为使自己更加幸福所付出的努力可以说是一种浪费 —— 当休闲与工作的天平偏向工作时，工作是“没有效率”的。
为了进一步证实这一论点，我从社会地位方面加以说明。人的地位可能来源于所挣得的收入或所花费的金钱。人们工作，至少部分原因是为了提高自己的地位。然而，地位是一种等级体系：第一，第二，第三，等等，所以当一个人的地位提高了，其他人的地位就同等程度地下降。这是一种得失平衡的游戏：从整个社会看，为了提高地位而牺牲个人的生活，是一种浪费。因此，永无止境的竞争极具破坏性：我们在追求一种总体不变的东西时失去了家庭生活和平和的心境。
在某种意义上，人们最渴望的是尊重。他们追求经济地位因为它可以赢来尊重。但是，我们可以重视也可以轻视经济地位。在一个竞争日益激烈的社会，如果我们不放宽尊重的标准，社会上能力偏低的人会感到生活更加艰辛。我们应该尊重那些同他人一起合作而自己没有获益的人，那些在各个阶层上施展才能、努力工作的人。因此，让每个人都能学会一种本领尤为重要。在英国，这意味着只要年轻人愿意，一定要确保他们每个人都学会手艺，使那些学业不成功的人也能在职业生涯中感到自豪，不会在长大成人时觉得自己是失败者。
人与人之间难免产生比较，因为等级体系的存在是必要的，不可避免的。有些人得到晋升，而另一些人却没有。此外，职位得以晋升的人薪水也要提高，因为他们有才华，雇主也乐意招贤纳士。所以，在人们挑选工作和选择雇主的关键时刻，薪水作为一个重要因素影响着他们的决定。存在的问题是，大部分的职业没有客观的标准来衡量个人的业绩，所以事实上只能拿一个人同自己的同事作比较才能得到评估。然而，这种等级评定的方法非常主观，从根本上改变了雇员与雇主、雇员与同事之间的合作关系。
如果我们渴望一个更加幸福的社会，我们就应该着重强调人们所珍视的经历 —— 首要的是亲情关系、工作关系和邻里关系，人们珍视这些经历并非因为别人拥有它们，而是因为这些经历拥有内在的价值。我们当前享受的充分的舒适和安逸，看来有可能使我们的生活幸福一些，可是人与人之间关系的恶化又有可能降低了我们的幸福程度。
我们生活在一个空前的个人主义的时代。许多人都感到最重要的责任是充分发挥自己的才干，挖掘自己的潜力。这是一个可怕的、孤单的目标。当然，他们也感受到自己应该对他人承担的责任，但是在西方国家，这些责任缺乏一套清晰的理念。无论是古老的、虔诚的世界观，还是战后社会的团结精神和国家的凝聚意识，皆荡然无存。我们全然丧失了公共利益或集体意义的概念。
我们要想幸福一些，必须在改变外在环境的同时改变我们内在的态度。我说的是一种永恒的人生哲学，它能使我们在自身找到积极的力量同时也能发现他人身上蕴涵的积极因素。这种对他人和自己怀有的同情心，是可以学会的，学校应该将这种同情心教给学生。每个城市都应该有这样的政策：在年轻人中间推广更健康的人生哲学，帮助他们区别肤浅的快乐和真正的幸福。
因此，我希望在这个新的世纪我们最终能够把人类的最大幸福当作我们的公益观。这可能有两个结果。这种人生观可以明确地指导政策的制定，但是更重要的是，在日常的生活中，它会激励我们因为别人幸福而感到更大的快乐，同时帮助他人获得更大的幸福。只有这样，我们才不会以自我为中心，才会更加幸福。
Word
improvement[im"pru:vm?nt] n. [C; U (in, on)] (a sign or result of) the act of improving or the state of being improved [常与in或on连用] 改进，改善，增进（的迹象或结果） 1. Your Italian is good, but there"s still room for improvement.
2. The new heating system is certainly an improvement on the old one.
Depression[di"pre??n] n. [C; U] a feeling of sadness and hopelessness 抑郁，消沉，沮丧 1. I"m just beginning to get over the deep depression I felt about losing my job.
2. There was a feeling of gloom and depression in the office when the news of the job cuts was announced.crime
[kraim] n. [U] illegal activity in general; [C] an offence which is punishable by law 违法（犯罪）行为；罪，罪行
1. He has admitted committing several crimes, including two murders.
2. Petty crime is common in this area, but fortunately there isn"t much serious crime. better off richer 更富裕的
1. Most people are better off now than they used to be; they can afford almost whatever they want. 2. I"ll be better off only if my income is doubled.
as a whole as one thing or piece and not as separate parts; in general 作为整体；普遍说来；一般地说 1. Lack of education will seriously affect both individuals and society as a whole.
2. Some people are afraid of changes, but the population, as a whole, favour the economic reforms. relative to connected with; on the subject of 与···有关的，关于···的
1. If you have any information relative to the murder, please contact the police.
2. We"re planning a promotion of our new products; any suggestions relative to it are welcome. Leisure["le??(r)] n. [U] time when one is free from work or duties of any kind; free time 空闲，闲暇 1. We"ve been working all week without a moment"s leisure.
2. A reduction in average working hours has led to an increase in leisure time.
Reinforce [?ri:in"f?:s] v. add strength or support to; make stronger or firmer 加强，加固 1. They reinforced the dam with sandbags in case of floods.
2. The final technical report into the accident reinforces the findings of the initial investigations. in terms of / in ... terms with regard to; from the point of view of 至于；关于；从···观点看 1. In terms of art treasures, Italy is one of the richest countries in the world. 2. A 200-year-old building is very old in terms of American history.
derive from derive [di"raiv] from: obtain (esp. sth. non-material) from; come from; have as an origin 从···得到（尤指非物质的东西）；来自；起源于
1. The institute derives all its money from foreign investments. 2. The English word \
in partin some degree; partly 在某种程度上；部分地
1. His success was made possible in part by his wife, who supported the family for years. 2. The accident was due in part to his carelessness.
point of view a particular way of considering or judging a situation, person, event, etc. 观点，意见 1. From an economic point of view, the new construction project will benefit the town greatly. 2. I respect your point of view, but I"m not sure I agree with you.Destructive[di"str?ktiv] a. causing destruction 破坏性的；毁灭性的 1. Modern weapons (武器) have an extremely high destructive power.
2. She didn"t expect that her romantic relationship would be destructive to her family. decrease
[di"kri:s] v. (cause to) become less in size, amount, strength, or quality; reduce （使）减少，减弱，减轻，降低
1. We"re happy to learn that crime in this area has decreased by 20 per cent this year. 2. To our disappointment the boss had decreased our pay — that"s why we left that factory.
Enable[i"neibl] vt. make able; give the power, means, or right to do sth. 使能够；提供做···的权力（措施，手段）
1. The eagle"s long wings enable it to glide for long distances.
2. This dictionary will enable you to have a better command of English synonyms.
Comparison [k?m"p?ris?n] n. [C (between, with)] a statement of the points of similarity and difference between two things; [U] the act of comparing [常与between或with连用] 比较；对照 1. You can"t make a comparison between these two schools — they"re too different. 2. The tallest buildings in London are small in \\ by comparison with those in New York. inevitable
[in"evit?bl] a. which cannot be avoided or prevented from happening; certain to happen 不可避免的，必然发生的
1. It was inevitable that he"d find out her secret sooner or later. 2. After the peace talks broke down, war seemed inevitable. Occupation [??kju"pei??n] n. [C] a job; employment 工作，职业
1. Men in manual occupations tend to be less likely to get stress-related illnesses. 2. My occupation is teaching English; I enjoy the work and like to challenge the students.
in effectin fact, although perhaps not appearing so; in operation 事实上，实际上；在实施中，生效 1. The newly built road has not improved the traffic problem; it makes it worse in effect. 2. The existing system of taxation will remain in effect until next May.
Evaluate[i"v?ljueit] v. calculate or judge the value or degree of 评价，评估；估计 1. Is it good to evaluate a policeman"s performance by the number of arrests he"s made? 2. You should be able to evaluate your own plan, i.e. to judge whether it"ll be workable. Religious[ri"lid??s] a. of religion 宗教（上）的
1. Though he was born in a Christian family, he"s not really very religious. 2. They don"t eat meat for religious reasons. leave sth. \\ sb. with sb.
allow (sth. \\ sb.) to be the responsibility of (someone) or to be decided by (sth.) 把···留交；委托；交由 1. Leave the problem with me; I"ll see what I can do about it.
2. He was left with the child to look after while his wife was traveling abroad.
Collective [k?"lektiv] a. of or shared by a number of people or groups of people considered as one or acting as one 集体的，共同的；集合的
1. If the team makes a strong collective effort, it will win the game.
2. It"s a collective decision made by all board (董事会) members, not by myself.
物质财富与幸福生活
马歇尔·布雷恩
物质财富未必会带给你幸福。这是一个无可争辩的生活现实，但有时这一事实却难以理解，尤其在这个竭力向你灌输相反观念的社会里。
通常，你会陷入这样一种思维模式：“要是我拥有了X，我的生活就会完美无缺，幸福无比了。”你非常想要的东西可能是一台新电视机、一辆新车或者是一双特别的鞋子等等。尔后，你就购买了，几天都在因为得到了它而喜滋滋的。可是，过了段时间，你感到厌烦了，或者东西给用旧了。你会发觉这样一个模式在你自己的生活中不断地重复。比如在你小时候，你父母或祖父母可能花费了成千上万美元给你买玩具：自卸货车、芭比娃娃、电视游戏、电动汽车，等等等等。所有的那些玩具最终都会遭你厌倦、被你玩坏或因你长大而被搁置一边。它们带来了一阵子或者一星期的快乐，可时间一长，它们变得一文不值，你的兴趣转向了某个新玩意儿。
这样一种模式自然让人们提出以下的问题：“假如物质的东西带来的幸福只是昙花一现，那么这一切又意味着什么呢？”或许这就意味着，你得以一天一件的速度购置物品，才能维持住你因得到新东西而感受到的那种短暂的快感。循着这个思路，你可以接着考虑下面的这些问题： ●什么是幸福？
●感到幸福意味着什么？ ●我这一生想做些什么？
物质上的幸福和精神上的幸福是不同的。物质上的幸福基于生活所需的一切必需品和奢侈品；精神上的幸福则基于生活必需品和奢侈品之外的一切东西。我的一个朋友持有这样一个哲学观：
你无论赚多少钱，你都想要更多的钱。假如你一年挣25,000美元，你会认为要是挣到50,000美元，你就会感到幸福了。于是，你就开始挣50,000美元。等挣够了那个数目，你又会想，假如挣到100,000美元你就会感到幸福了，就这样周而复始，终其一生。无论你一年挣25,000美元还是10,000,000美元，情况都是一样。因为你赚得越多，你的品味就越昂贵。依我看，不妨学会一年挣得25,000美元就感到满足，想出一个轻轻松松把它们赚到手的办法，然后用余下的时间去做你想做的事情。
根据这个哲学观，要想令你的生活富有意义，你可以寻找除物质幸福以外的东西。
衡量“财富”这东西，办法不止一种。传统上它是用金钱来衡量，但是还有很多其他的度量标准。在与金钱没有丝毫关系的方面，你照样可以“腰缠万贯”。例如：
●富有众多的朋友。一个与人为友、乐观待人的人可以拥有数以百计的好友，可以超乎其他人想象得富裕。
●富有健康的体魄。一个愿意花时间合理进食、锻炼身体、消除压力的人可以身强体健。健康的体魄比起任何数目的金钱都要有价值得多。
●富有充沛的精力。一个每天举哑铃、跑步、游泳的人能够精力充沛，身材迷人。
●富有和睦的家庭。一个愿意把时间给配偶和孩子的人可以拥有一个稳定幸福的家庭，令他获益终身。 ●富有知识。一个爱好阅读和钻研的人可以学富五车。
●富有技能。一个每天勤学苦练（某种技能、运动项目等等）的人会在所操练的领域出类拔萃。出类拔萃，自有回报。 ●富有人格魅力。一个在一切场合殚精竭虑地做到真实、坦诚的人会富有人格的魅力，受到众人的信任。
有趣的是，上述源自不同领域的这些财富都用不着上税。可你挣了钱是要缴纳所得税的，就是这么回事。没有什么（比如说）知识税。你可以分文不花地终身学习，获得丰厚才识的储备。没有人可以将其盗走、令其减少。知识很有可能就是那件你能够带入天堂的东西。
虽然所有这些可选择的财富都有别于金钱，但都能够以各自独特的方式令人受惠。撇开电视给你提供信息不说，单就购买东西这一行为本身是不会给你带来人生最大的幸福。好朋友，爱你的配偶，健康成长的孩子，充满爱的家，无愧的良心，值得奋斗的目标，你真心喜爱的工作，所有这些给你带来的满足感天长地久，意味深长。头脑简单的青少年通常是不能领悟到的，但这些东西随着年轻人逐渐成熟会变得愈加重要。
当你环顾周围的世界，明白什么对你才是至关重要的时候，你要将其铭记在心。考虑清楚你究竟心仪什么，什么才会给你真正幸福。审视一下你的发现。一番清楚的思考之后，你会吃惊于自己的发现：金钱固然极其重要，因你需要它活命；但金钱不是你唯一需要的东西。对于多数人来说，金钱本身不会带来恒久的幸福。人不是只靠面包生活的。
Word
fact of lifesth. that exists and that cannot (easily) be changed 不会\\不易改变的现实 1. Don"t be sad about your white hair: it"s just a fact of life.
2. His father"s death made him realize a fact of life: no one can live forever.
Mode[m?ud] n. [(of)] fml a way of behaving, living, operating, etc. [常与of连用]〖正式〗方式，样式 1. Her mode of life has changed a lot since she got married.
2. Railways are the most important mode of transport (运输) for the economy of this area.
wear out (cause to) be reduced to a useless state by long use; tire greatly （把···）用坏；穿破；使疲乏，使精疲力竭
1. My shoes wear out easily since I often do sports.
2. They were worn out after a long day working in the fields.
dump truck [d?mp] a vehicle with a large movable container on the front, used for carrying and emptying heavy loads of soil, stones, etc. （车身可向后倾斜的）自卸货车，翻斗车 Barbie doll Barbie ["bɑ:bi] doll 〖商标〗芭比娃娃
Temporary ["temp?r?ri] a. lasting only for a limited time 暂时的，临时的
1. As I got a new job in another city, I had to look for temporary housing the moment I got there. 2. These arrangements are only meant to be temporary while alternatives are sought.short-term a. concerning a short period of time 短期的，暂时的
high n. infml a state of great excitement and often happiness produced by or as if by a drug 〖非正式〗[(如同）由麻醉品引起的] 欣快感，情绪高涨 train of thinking 思路 extravagant
★ [ik"str?v?g?nt] a. derog wasteful, esp. of money 〖贬〗奢侈的；（尤指对钱财）浪费的 Spiritual ["spirit?u?l] a. of the spirit rather than the body 精神的；心灵的 1. Her pain is spiritual, not physical.
2. She lived entirely by spiritual values, in a world of poetry and imagination. Suggest v. give signs of or indicate indirectly 暗示，间接表明 1. The disorganized meeting suggested a lack of proper planning.
2. The victim had marks on his neck which seemed to suggest that he had been strangled to death (勒死). other than [usu. in negatives] except; apart from ［一般用于否定句］除了 1. Your application form (申请表) cannot be signed by anyone other than yourself. 2. We were given nothing other than dry bread and water for our evening meal.
Scale [skeil] n. [C] a set of numbers or standards for measuring or comparing; [C; U] size or level in relation to other things or to what is usual （用于计量或比较的）标准；等级，级别；规模，程度，范围 1. This ruler has one scale in centimeters (厘米) and another in inches. 2. The scale of this map is one centimeter to the kilometer.
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