如何建立自信：英语精读讲义

In well-meaning attempts to boost our confidence 短語搭配

在善意地试图增强我们的自信时

ahead of challenging moments,

在面临挑战的时刻之前，

people often try to draw our attention to our strengths, 短語搭配

人们通常会把我们的注意力引向我们的优点，

our intelligence,

我们的聪明才智，

our competence,

我们的能力，

our experience.

我们的经验。

But this can, curiously, have some awkward consequences.

但奇怪的是，这可能会带来一些尴尬的后果。

There's a type of under-confidence

有一种不自信

that arises specifically when we grow too attached to our own dignity 短語搭配

正是因为我们太在意自己的尊严

and become anxious around any situation that might seem to threaten it.

并对任何似乎会威胁到尊严的情况感到焦虑时才会出现。

We hold back from challenges 短語動詞

我们对挑战退缩，

in which there's any risk of ending up looking ridiculous, 短語動詞

只要有任何可能让我们最终显得可笑的风险，

which comprises, of course,

这当然包括了

almost all the most interesting situations.

几乎所有最有趣的情况。

In a foreign city,

在陌生的城市，

we might grow reluctant to ask anyone 短語搭配

我们可能会不愿去问任何人

to guide us to the nice bars

哪里有不错的酒吧，

because they might think us

因为他们可能会觉得我们

an ignorant,

是一个无知的、

pitiable,

可怜的、

lost tourist.

迷路的游客。

We might long to kiss someone,

我们可能很想亲吻某人，

but never let on 短語動詞

但从不表现出来，

out of a fear that they could dismiss us 短語搭配

出于害怕他们会拒绝我们，

as a predatory loser.

把我们当成贪婪的失败者。

Or at work,

或者在工作中，

we don't apply for a promotion 短語搭配

我们不去申请晋升，

in case the senior management deems us 語法

以防高层管理人员认为我们

delusionally arrogant.

狂妄自大。

In a concerted bid never to look foolish, 短語搭配

为了绝不显得愚蠢，我们齐心协力，

we don't venture very far from our cocoon

不敢走出自己的舒适圈太远，

and thereby,

因而，

from time to time at least,

至少有时，

miss out on the best opportunities of our lives. 短語動詞

错失了一生中最好的机会。

At the heart of our under-confidence 語法

我们不自信的核心

is a skewed picture of how dignified

是对一个人应当多有尊严，

it is normal for a person to be.

有着一种扭曲的认知。

We imagine that it might be possible,

我们以为也许可以，

after a certain age,

在达到一定年龄后，

to place ourselves beyond mockery. 習語

让自己免受嘲笑。

We trust that it's an option

我们相信可以有这么一个选择，

to lead a good life

去过上美好的生活，

without regularly making a complete idiot of ourselves. 習語

而无需经常把自己搞得像个十足的白痴。

One of the most charming books

近代早期欧洲写过的

ever written in early modern Europe

最迷人的书籍之一，

is called In Praise of Folly 文化背景

叫作《愚人颂》，

by the Dutch scholar and philosopher Erasmus.

作者是荷兰学者和哲学家伊拉斯谟。

In its pages,

在书中，

Erasmus advances a hugely liberating argument. 短語搭配

伊拉斯谟提出了一个极具解放意义的论点。

In a warm tone,

他用温和的语气，

he reminds us that everyone,

提醒我们，每个人，

however important and learned they might be, 語法

无论多么重要或博学，

is a fool.

都是一个傻瓜。

No one is spared,

没有人能例外，

not even the author.

即使是作者本人。

However well-schooled he himself was,

尽管他自己受过良好的教育，

Erasmus remained,

伊拉斯谟依然，

he insists,

他坚持认为，

as much of a nitwit as anyone else. 語法

和其他任何人一样是个笨蛋。

His judgment is faulty,

他的判断会出错，

his passions get the better of him. 習語

他会被情感冲昏头脑。

He is prey to superstition 習語

他容易迷信

and irrational fear.

和产生非理性的恐惧。

He's shy whenever he has to meet new people.

每当他不得不结识新朋友时，他都会害羞。

He drops things at elegant dinners.

他会在优雅的晚宴上掉东西。

This is deeply cheering,

这让人深感欣慰，

for it means that our own repeated idiocies

因为这意味着我们自己一再的愚蠢行为

don't have to exclude us from the best company.

并不一定要把我们排除在最优秀的群体之外。

Looking like a prick,

看起来像个蠢货、

making blunders,

犯下大错，

and doing bizarre things in the night

以及在夜里做奇怪的事，

doesn't render us unfit for society. 語法

都不会让我们变得不适合这个社会。

It just makes us a bit more like

它只是让我们变得更像

the greatest scholar

那位最伟大的学者，

of the Northern European Renaissance.

属于北欧文艺复兴时期的。

There's a similarly uplifting message

同样令人振奋的信息

to be pulled from the work of Pieter Bruegel. 文化背景

也可以从老彼得·勃鲁盖尔的作品中找到。

His central work,

他的核心作品

The Dutch Proverbs,

《尼德兰箴言》，

presents a comically disenchanted view

呈现了一种带有滑稽清醒视角的，

of human nature.

关于人性的画面。

Everyone,

所有人，

he suggests,

他暗示，

is pretty much deranged.

几乎都有些精神错乱。

Here's a man throwing his money into the river.

这里有个男人把钱扔进河里。

There's a soldier squatting on the fire

那里有个士兵蹲在火上

and burning his trousers.

烧自己的裤子。

Someone is intently bashing his head against a brick wall. 習語

有人正在拼命用头撞砖墙。

Someone else is biting a pillar.

还有人在咬柱子。

Importantly, 表達脈絡

重要的是，

the painting is not an attack

这幅画不是在抨击

on just a few unusually awful people.

少数几个特别糟糕的人。

It's a picture of parts of all of us.

它描绘的是我们所有人身上的一部分。

Bruegel and Erasmus's work proposes

勃鲁盖尔和伊拉斯谟的作品提出，

that the way to greater confidence 表達脈絡

获得更大自信的方法

isn't to reassure ourselves of our own dignity.

并不是让我们确认自己的尊严。

It's to grow at peace

而是要平和地接受

with the inevitable nature of our ridiculousness.

我们荒谬的不可避免的本性。

We are idiots now. 表達脈絡

我们现在是白痴。

We've been idiots in the past,

我们过去也是白痴，

and we will be idiots again in the future.

我们未来还会是白痴。

And that's okay.

这没什么大不了的。

There aren't any other available options

并没有其他可用的选项

for human beings to be.

让人类选择成为别的样子。

Once we learn to see ourselves 語法

一旦我们学会将自己视为

as already and by nature foolish,

生来就已经愚蠢的人，

it really doesn't matter so much

这真的没那么重要了，

if we do one more thing

如果我们再做一件

that might make us look a bit stupid. 語法

可能会让我们看起来有点傻的事。

The person we try to kiss

我们想要亲吻的那个人

could indeed think us ridiculous.

确实可能会觉得我们可笑。

The individual we asked directions from

我们问路的那个人，

in a foreign city

在陌生的城市里，

might regard us with contempt. 短語搭配

可能会轻视我们。

But if these people did so, 語法

但如果这些人这么做了，

it wouldn't be news to us. 習語

对我们来说也不算什么新鲜事。

They'd only be confirming

他们只不过是在印证

what we'd already gracefully accepted

我们很久以前

in our hearts long ago,

就已经在内心从容接受的事实，

that we,

那就是我们，

like them

像他们

and every other person on the earth,

以及地球上的其他所有人一样，

are a nitwit.

都是个笨蛋。

The risk of trying and failing

尝试然后失败的风险

would have its sting substantially removed. 習語

其刺痛感将大大减轻。

The fear of humiliation

对羞辱的恐惧

would no longer stalk us in the shadows 習語

就不会再在我们脑海的阴影中

of our minds.

作祟。

We would grow free to give things a go 習語

我们会更自由地去尝试事物，

by accepting that failure

通过接受失败

was the acceptable norm.

是可接受的常态。

And every so often, 短語搭配

而偶尔，

amidst the endless rebuffs

在无尽的拒绝中——

we'd have factored in from the outset, 短語動詞

我们从一开始就已经考虑到的——

it would work.

它会成功的。

We'd get a kiss.

我们会得到一个吻。

We'd make a friend.

我们会交到一个朋友。

We'd get a raise. 短語搭配

我们会得到加薪。

The road to greater confidence 習語

通往更大自信的道路

begins with a ritual of telling oneself solemnly

始于一个仪式，即庄严地告诉自己，

every morning before heading out for the day 短語動詞

每天早上出门前，

that one is a mutton-head, 用詞

自己是个傻瓜、

a cretin,

一个白痴、

a dumbbell,

一个笨蛋、

and an imbecile.

也是一个低能儿。

One or two more acts of folly

再做一两件蠢事

should thereafter not matter very much

之后应该就无足轻重了，

at all.

根本。