| The other night I had a conversation with a young woman who had a number of decisions ahead of her, one of which was whether she should go to grad school or travel the world. 不久前的一个晚上，我和一个年轻女孩聊天，她有很多事情拿不定主意，其中一个是她不知道是去研究所工作还是环游世界? I told her to travel. Hands down. No excuse. Just go. 我告诉她应该去旅行。放下手头的一切。没有任何理由，去旅游吧。 She sighed. “Yeah, but…” 她叹了口气。“是的，但是……” Never were more fatal words spoken. 但接下来，她并没有再说出什么致命性的话。 Yeah, but… what about debt? 是的，但是……欠的钱怎么办呢？ Yeah, but… what about my job? 是的，但是……工作呢？ Yeah, but… what about my boyfriend (or dog or car or whatever)? 是的，但是……我的男朋友呢（或小狗，汽车以及其他的东西）？ “Yeah, but…” is pernicious. Because it makes it sound like we have the best of intentions when really we are just too scared to do what we should. It allows us to be cowards, while sounding noble. “是的，但是……”这句话很不好。听起来就好像我们很多美好的想法没有实现只是因为顾虑太多。这句话听起来冠冕堂皇，其实只不过表明我们是懦夫。 Most people I know who waited to travel the world never did. Be careful of the yeah-but. The yeah-but will kill your dreams. I was so stirred by this conversation that I shared it with a group of about thirty young adults last night, many who were asking these very questions. 我认识的大多数人都有环游世界的愿望，却一直没有付诸行动。当心“是的，但是...” 这句话，它会扼杀你很多梦想。这次聊天在我心中掀起很大波澜，昨晚我跟一群30岁左右的年轻人说起这个话题，他们当中很多人问的也是这些问题。 When you get older, life seems to just sort of happen to you. Your youth is a time of total empowerment. You get to do what you want. As you mature and gain new responsibilities, you have to be very intentional about making sure you don’t lose sight of what’s important. So if you still have a reasonable amount of control over your circumstances，you should do what really matters. Because life won’t always be just about you. 随着年纪的增大，人生似乎愈来愈带着几分宿命的味道。年少的时光是唯一一段自己可以完全做主的时光。你可以做任何你想做的事。随着你逐渐成熟，不断扛起新的责任，你得时刻提醒自己不要忘了什么才是重要的。因此，如果你的生活仍然有一部分能够自由支配的话，应该去做那些重要的事情。因为生活不会永远只属于你一个人。 During early adulthood your worldview is still being formed. It’s important to steward this time — to give yourself opportunities to grow. A good way to do that is to travel. 刚成年时，你的世界观仍在形成期。如何管理这段时期非常重要，要给自己一个成长的机会。一个好办法就是去旅游。 There are three reasons to travel while you’re young: 为什么要在年轻的时候去旅行，这里有3个理由： 1. Traveling teaches you to live an adventure 旅游会使你的生活变得冒险刺激； When you look back on your life, you will have moments of which you are proud and maybe a few you regret. It’s likely that the following won’t be on the latter list: 当你回顾人生，你会有很多值得骄傲的时刻，可能也有一些会让你遗憾。 希望这些不会出现在你遗憾的清单上： Bicycled across the Golden Gate Bridge. 骑自行车穿越金门大桥。 Appeared on Italian TV. 出现在意大利电视台上。 Hiked a Mayan ruin. 徒步走在玛雅废墟上。 Learned Spanish in three months. 三个月内学会西班牙语。 Toured Europe by train. 坐火车游欧洲。 They’re not on mine (fun fact: I’ve done all of the above). 至少我不会觉得遗憾（很高兴，这些我全都做过了）。 You should take the time to see the world and taste the fullness of life. It’s worth whatever investment or money or sacrifice of time required on your part. It’s not about being a tourist. It’s about experiencing true risk and adventure so you don’t have to live in fear for the rest of your life. 你应该花时间去看看这个世界，体验完整的人生。对你来说，花再多的钱和时间都是值得的。这不仅仅是要做一个旅行者，而是为了体验真正的冒险，这样你的余生将不会有遗憾。 2. Traveling helps you encounter compassion 旅游会使你心怀怜悯之心 In your youth, you will make choices that will define you. The disciplines you begin now will be with you for the rest of your life. Traveling will change you like little else can. It will put you in places that will force you to care for issues that are bigger than you. 年轻的时候，你做什么决定都取决于你自己。你应该从现在起就开始控制你的行为，这将会伴随你的余生。就像其他东西一样，旅游会改变你。它会带你去到那些地方，迫使你关心那些比你自己的世界更广阔的事情。 If you go to southeast Asia, you may encounter the slave trade. If eastern Europe, you may see the effects of genocide and religious persecution. If Haiti, you’ll witness the the ugly side Western paternalism. 如果你去东南亚，你可能会遇到奴隶交易；去东欧，你会看到种族灭绝和宗教迫害；而在海地，你会亲眼目睹到西方家长作风的丑陋面。 You will begin to understand that the world is both a big and small place. You will have a new-found respect for the pain and suffering that over half of the world takes for granted on a daily basis. And you will feel more connected to your fellow human beings in a deep and lasting way. You will learn to care. 你会开始明白，这个世界说大也大，说小也小。你会对这世界上一半以上的人们每天所遭受的习以为常的痛苦和磨难产生深切的同情，也会感受到和你的人类同胞之间更加持久而深厚的联系。你会学会关爱。 3. Traveling allows you to get some culture 旅游会增长你的文化知识 While you’re still young, you should get cultured. Get to know the world and the magnificent people that fill it. 年轻的时候应该博采众长。多了解这个世界，多向杰出的人们学习。 There’s nothing quite like walking alongside the Coliseum or seeing Michelangelo’s David in person. I can describe the city of San Juan and its amazing beaches and historic sites to you, but you really have to see it for yourself to experience it. You can read all the books in the world about the Great Wall of China or The Louvre , but being there is a different story. 没有什么能比得上在大戏院周边漫步或观赏米开朗基罗的杰作《大卫》雕像了。我可以向你描述波多黎各的圣胡安以及它那令人叹为观止的海滩和古迹，但你真的应该自己亲身体会一下。你可能读遍了世界上关于中国的长城和法国卢浮宫的书，但身临其境又是另外一种感受。 The world is a stunning place, full of outstanding works of art. See this while you’re still young. Do not squander this time, because you will never have it again. 这个世界是令人惊叹的，到处都是让人叹服的艺术品。趁着你还年轻好好看看这世界。不要浪费时间，因为青春真的一去就不会再来了。 You won’t always be young, and life won’t always be just about you. So travel and experience the world for all it’s worth. You will become a person of culture, adventure and compassion. 你不会永远年轻，你的生活中也不会永远只是你自己。现在就去旅行吧，尽情体验这个世界，因为它值得你去了解。你会成为一个博学多识、富于冒险精神和同情心的人。 |
