只有傻瓜才不考慮別人的利益。

    拋棄自己國家的傳統來創造更好的社會是一種錯誤的方式。 

    一個民族失去了自己的神話，就失去了自我。

    [1]They live on a windswept island surrounded by glaciers 『冰川；冰河』and volcanoes『火山』. What makes them so content『滿足的；甘心的』?

    [1]他們生活在海風吹拂的小島上，被冰川和火山所環繞著。是什么使他們如此滿足？ 

    [2]In a poll of 18 nations, The Gallup Organization discovered that Icelanders are the happiest people alive. All 267,809 of them. Eighty-two percent are satisfied with their personal lives. The United States ranked『位居；名列』fifth at 72 percent; Japan came in seventh with 42 percent.

    [2]美國的蓋洛普民意測驗組織對世界上18個國家的民意測驗表明：冰島人是世界上最快樂的人。參加測試的人數為26.78萬人。82%的冰島人表示滿意自己的生活；美國表示滿意自己生活的人數為72％，排列第五位；日本排列第七位，人數比率為42％。

    [3]Some people would say that happy Iceland is a statistical fluke『僥幸』. This is a country so small, an ordinary citizen can make an appointment to see the president.

    [3]有人會說：快樂的冰島僅僅是統計上的巧合。這個國家如此之小，普通的公民也能受到總統的接見。 

    [4]True, Iceland is no utopia. Icelanders are big boozers 『酒徒』, with a fishing tradition of binge『狂歡作樂』drinking. Almost a third of the births are out of wedlock『私生的』. But that’s what makes the Gallup study so interesting. Icelanders have problems like the rest of us, yet they are happy with their lot『命運；運氣』. So what gives?

    [4]確實，冰島并非天堂，冰島有傳統的打魚豪飲的習慣，酒鬼很多，近三分之一的孩子沒有父親。然而，正因為如此，蓋洛普的這項研究才顯得更加有趣。因為，像我們一樣，冰島人有許多問題，但是，他們卻安命樂天。這究竟是為什么呢？

    [5]Consider Thorir Hlynur Thorisson, 28. For his vacation, he spent a month working 16-hour days, seven days a week, as a fishing guide. It was “heaven on earth,” he says. Then after a single night off, he was back at his regular job—on a fishing boat, working six hours on, six hours off, around the clock.

    [5]讓我們來看一看，一個名叫索赫·赫利納·索雷遜的28歲的冰島人是怎樣看待生活的。索雷遜在一個月的假期中，為自己找了一份捕漁向導的工作，他一周工作7天，每天工作16個小時,他把這種生活稱作“人間的天堂”。假期結束后，他只休息了一個晚上，又接著正常工作起來——在一艘輪船上，每天6小時工作、6小時休息地輪流當班。

    [6]We would call Hlynur a workaholic『工作狂』, but so are most of his compatriots『同胞』. It pays off. With a per-capita gross domestic product of $19,905 (the U.S. figure is $27,541), Icelanders are among the wealthiest people on earth. Their tax dollars buy them excellent education and medical care. Iceland has the lowest infant mortality rate『嬰兒死亡率』in the world, and almost the highest longevity『長壽；長命』.

    [6]我們可以把赫利納稱為“工作狂”，但是，冰島人也大多和他一樣。當然，他們勞有所得，冰島國內人均生產總值為1.99萬美元（美國是2.75萬美元）。他們上繳的利稅換來了良好的教育和醫療保障。冰島的嬰兒死亡率位于世界之末，而壽命位于世界之首。 

    [7]The dour『抑郁的；悶悶不樂的』Swiss have a well-run state and all their material needs met, too, yet no one could accuse them of a cheerful outlook.

    [7]瑞士是一個秩序井然的國家，人民豐衣足食，生活富裕。可是，瑞士人卻郁郁寡歡，悶悶不樂。

    [8]Sociologist Thorolfur Thorlindsson of the University of Iceland believes the secret lies not in his country’s comforts, but in its age-old 『長期的；古老的』discomforts. They have taught Icelanders to enjoy what they have.

    [8]冰島大學社會學家索羅爾非·索林德森認為：冰島人安命樂天的秘訣在于這個國家長期處于艱難困苦之中，而不在于它的舒適。這些艱難困苦教會了冰島人“知足常樂”。

    [9]Isolated『與外界隔絕的；孤立的』in the cold North Atlantic, buffeted『沖擊；打擊』by a hostile『敵對的；有敵意的』sea, condemned『責備；責怪』to 20 hours of darkness each day in winter, the people have for centuries lived on the vagaries『難以預測的情況』of the fish catch. “Our culture is colored『影響』by the harshness『嚴酷；艱苦』of nature,” says Thorlindsson. “That’s why Icelanders have a tolerant『寬容；容忍』attitude to the problems of life. They don’t expect the same sort of stability『安定；穩定』often expected in other nations.”

    [9]冰島位于寒冷的北大西洋，常年遭受著海水的無情沖擊，冬天有20個小時是黑夜，人民世代以艱苦的捕魚業為生。“我們的文化帶著自然嚴酷的特色，”索林德森說，“這就是為什么冰島人對生活中的問題寬容的原因。冰島人并不像其他國家人民一樣，希望得到常有的穩定。”

    [10]And so it seems. Americans are considerably better off『更為富有/富裕』by material standards than ever before. Yet we seem less happy, less contented with our lot.

    [10]與此相比，我們美國人今天的物質生活條件比以往任何時候都好，但是卻沒有以往的快樂和滿足。 

    [11]Like Icelanders, Americans are individualists『個人主義者』. Where we seem to differ is in our sense of community『群體；團體』. Iceland, known as the land of “fire and ice,” is about living with opposing forces. It is one of the most active volcanic countries on earth, but has 4536 square miles of glacier—heat and cold, co-existing. No surprise them that its society can reconcile『使調和；使并存』another set of opposing forces: individualism and the needs of the community.

    [11]美國人和冰島人都是個人主義者，所不同的是各自的群體意識。冰島以“火和冰”而聞名遐邇，人民生活在逆境之中。冰島是世界上活火山最多的國家之一，還有4536平方英里的冰川，堪稱冷熱并存。無怪乎這個國家能很好地協調個人主義和群體需要這兩種對立的觀念，使之共存共容。

    [12]Anyone who thinks Americans invented rugged『粗魯的；粗俗的』individualism has only to visit Iceland. This nation has an ancient『古代的；遠古的』 respect for independence. Way back in the tenth century, Iceland was a commonwealth『共和國；聯邦』; today Icelanders still place high value on their freedom.

    [12]那些認為是美國人發明了個人主義的人應該到冰島去看看，這個國家在遠古就崇尚獨立，早在10世紀就建立了聯邦共和國。今天的冰島人仍然看重自由的價值。 

    [13]But here’s the paradox『矛盾；似是而非』: this individualism exists with a sense of community. For years I have known an Icelandic family that embraces『包括；接受』a family drunk and an illegitimate『私生的；非法的』child. This family never let them drift, like human flotsam『流浪者；流離失所者』, to be beached『庇護；安頓』at some government institution. “Icelanders have strong systems of support,” says Thorlindsson.

    [13]然而，這里的個人主義置于群體意識之中。在冰島，家庭中的酒鬼和私生子不會被拋棄，這是因為冰島有強有力的社會救濟制度。 

    [14]Tolerance is not hollow 『表面的；虛偽的』 phrase in Iceland. The word for “stupid”is heimskur, which roughly means “comes from home” — or as we would say, provincial『鄉下氣的；偏狹的』or narrow-minded. Icelanders believe only a dolt『笨蛋；傻瓜』is unable to see the other fellow’s position. In this sense, they might find some of what passes for political debate『討論；辯論』in the United States absolutely heimskur.

    [14]在冰島，忍耐并不是一句空話。冰島話中“愚蠢”的同義詞是“鄉巴佬””或“心胸狹隘”。冰島人認為只有傻瓜才不考慮別人的利益。以此觀點，冰島人可能會發現美國某些提交政府討論的東西是非常愚蠢的。

    [15]Most Icelanders travel out into the world as young adults. They learn that theirs is not the only way of doing things. Yet this doesn’t translate into contempt『蔑視；輕視』for their own land and its history.

    [15]大多數冰島人年輕時都要到國外去旅行。于是，他們知道自己的生活方式并非是唯一的，但是，并不會因此看不起自己的國家和歷史。

    [16]The 12th-century Icelandic sagas『英雄傳說』, studied at universities the world over, are revered『尊重；崇拜』at home. Turn on the radio and at the top of the charts『節目播出單；節目安排表』is Bubbi Morthens, a troubadour『吟游詩人』.

    [16]在世界上各大學中講授的冰島12世紀的傳說在國內頗受重視。廣播中到處都是吟游詩人巴比·莫森斯的節目。 

    [17]Last summer in the lava 『火山熔巖』fields of Iceland’s interior 『內地；內陸』, accountant Sigmar Bjornsson pointed out to me a cave where thieves had hidden. He showed me where they stored their weapons, where the villagers attacked, told me how one of the thieves, who had only one leg, walked on his hands to the glacier on the horizon『地平線；水平線』.

    [17]去年夏天，在島內溶巖區，一個叫喬恩森的會計師指給我看一個巖洞，告訴我這巖洞曾是小偷的住所，指給我看他們藏匿武器、伏擊村民的地方，并講述了一個獨腿賊是怎樣以手代腳爬到地平線上的冰川去的。

    [18]“When did they hole up『躲藏；藏匿』here?” I asked.

    [18]“他們何時藏身于此？”我問。

    [19] “About 900 years ago” was the answer. Nearly a millennium『1000年』, and the myth is still alive『存在；保留』.

    [19]“大約900年前。”將近1000年過去了，可這個故事卻依然在傳誦。
 
    [20]How many Americans have that kind of familiarity with their nation’s past, its myths『神話；傳說』, its history? How many even care?

    [20]有多少美國人對于自己祖國的過去，傳說和歷史也那般地熟悉？又有多少人留意過？ 

    [21]I wish America’s multiculturalisms and historical revisionists would grasp『理解；領會』what Icelanders understand: trashing『拋棄；扔掉』your nation’s myths is the wrong way to create a better society. “A nation has to be tolerant of newcomers『新事物』,” say psychiatrist『精神病學家』Niel Micklem. “But if it loses its myths, it loses its center.”

    [21]我希望美國的多元文化主義者和歷史修正主義者能夠理解冰島人的這種思想：拋棄自己國家的傳統來創造更好的社會是一種錯誤的方式。精神病學家尼爾·米克勒姆說：“一個民族應該接受新東西，但是，一個民族失去了自己的神話，就失去了自我。” 

    [22]Maybe I’m wrong. But I suspect『猜想；認為』that this loss of “center” is what makes so many Westerners unhappy amid their affluence『豐富；富裕』.

    [22]也許我的想法是錯誤的。但我想正是這種“自我”的失去使得如此眾多的西方人在富裕的生活中難以感受到愉快。