什麼是真正的愛：英語精讀講義

The world is sick for a surprisingly modest-sounding reason. 表達脈絡

這個世界病了，原因聽起來卻平淡無奇。

We don't understand love.

我們不懂什麼是愛。

And yet, we're rather convinced that we do. 文法

然而，我們卻對此深信不疑。

We talk a lot of love, of course,

當然，我們經常談論愛，

but generally in terms of a dizzying rapture 慣用語

但通常是指那種令人目眩的神魂顛倒，

lasting a few months

持續幾個月，

focused on someone's beauty, intelligence, and strength.

專注於某個人的美貌、智慧和力量。

We have high ideals and refer with confidence

我們有著崇高的理想，並自信地談論著

to concepts like justice, equality, and rights.

正義、平等和權利等概念。

And yet, somehow in the mix, 慣用語

然而，在這個過程中，不知何故，

we avoid talking of the sort of love

我們避免談論那種

that would give true life to any of these. 慣用語

能賦予這些概念真正生命力的愛。

We are law-abiding and righteous,

我們遵紀守法、剛正不阿，

but we are, in the grandest sense,

但在最宏大的意義上，

in the public square without love.

我們在公共廣場上卻是缺乏愛的。

The most convincing discussion of love in the West

在西方，關於愛最有說服力的論述

came from Jesus of Nazareth, 文化背景

來自拿撒勒的耶穌，

which has been unfortunate

這卻令人感到遺憾，

given how easy it is for rational types 文法

因為理性主義者很容易

to confuse an overcoming of supernatural faith 片語搭配

把克服超自然信仰

with a neglect of the subject of love.

與忽視愛這個主題混為一談。

To move forward, 表達脈絡

為了向前邁進，

we might require a new philosophy of love.

我們可能需要一種新的愛情哲學。

In effect, a powerful secular religion of love.

實際上，就是一種強大的世俗的愛的宗教。

This should be read out after the news

這些內容應該在新聞結束後宣讀，

and its tenets taught to CEOs and supply chain managers.

其宗旨應該教授給執行長和供應鏈經理。

We should put it on T-shirts

我們應該把它印在T恤上，

and it should be as common 文法

並且這句話應該變得很普及，

and more useful to say,

甚至更有用，那就是說：

"I'm trying to learn to love,"

「我正在努力學習如何去愛，」

as to announce a desire to become fit or famous.

就像宣布想要健身或出名一樣。

It's no insult to have to acknowledge 語氣意圖

承認我們不懂愛並不是一種恥辱，

that even though we inhabit a culture soaked in romanticism, 講解

儘管我們生活在一個充滿浪漫主義的文化中，

we have problems understanding love.

我們在理解愛上依然存在問題。

And even though we've had plenty of crushes

儘管我們有過很多次迷戀，

and heard plenty of songs about love,

聽過無數關於愛的情歌，

we're still taking our first steps 慣用語

我們依然才剛剛邁出第一步，

towards grasping what love might actually be.

去理解愛究竟可能是什麼。

Here, then, are seven key constituent ingredients of love.

那麼，以下是構成愛的七個核心要素。

Charity.

寬容。

Love means, above anything else, benevolence and gentleness

愛首先意味著仁慈和溫和，

towards what is failed, disgraced, broken, unappealing, 文法

對待其他人以及我們自身中那些失敗、不光彩、破碎、不吸引人、

angry, and foul in other people and in ourselves.

憤怒和醜陋的部分。

Love isn't about an admiration for strength. 表達脈絡

愛不在於對力量的欽佩。

It's about directing sympathy in a most unexpected direction

它在於將同情心引向最意想不到的方向，

at what is messed up, lost, and in pieces, 講解

指向那些一團糟、迷失、支離破碎的事物，

and at what we might hate, resent, and be frightened of.

指向那些我們可能討厭、怨恨和害怕的事物。

Anyone can express an interest in perfection. 表達脈絡

任何人都可以對完美表現出興趣。

To love is to devote an active charity

去愛，意味著奉獻一種積極的寬容

towards the mistakes and aberrations.

去對待錯誤和偏差。

One day, we will all require the charity of others.

總有一天，我們都會需要他人的寬容。

In one way or another, we'll be on our knees 慣用語

我們遲早都會有屈膝求人的時候，

and we will need people to look past our evident failings 片語動詞

我們需要人們不計較我們明顯的缺點，

in a tender search for our deeply hidden merits. 慣用語

溫柔地尋找我們深藏的優點。

Imagination.

想像力。

To love with imagination is to look beneath the surface 慣用語

帶著想像力去愛，意味著透過表象看本質，

where there may be rage, cynicism, brittleness, or transgression,

在憤怒、憤世嫉俗、脆弱或越軌的背後，

and to picture the suffering and pain

去想像那種苦難和傷痛，

that got a person to this place. 慣用語

是什麼讓一個人變成了現在的樣子。

To love with imagination is to fill in the better reasons 片語動詞

帶著想像力去愛，意味著去腦補出更好的理由，

why others are behaving as they do.

解釋別人為什麼會有那樣的行為。

Imaginative love knows that we are all somewhere desperate.

有想像力的愛知道，我們在某些方面都是絕望的。

It seeks out that desperation 片語動詞

它尋找出那種絕望，

and treats it with sorrowful gentleness.

並以悲憫的溫柔來對待它。

Kindness.

善良。

There are so many fighters for social justice,

有那麼多為社會正義而戰的鬥士，

so many people determined to make a better world.

那麼多決心讓世界變得更美好的人。

They denounce their enemies and feel certain of their cause, 表達脈絡

他們譴責敵人，對自己的事業深信不疑，

but along the way,

但在這個過程中，

they have a fateful habit of forgetting to be kind.

他們有一個致命的習慣，那就是忘記了善良。

In their denunciations of the evils of others,

在他們譴責他人的罪惡時，

there is precious little mercy, humility, tenderness, or grace. 文法

卻極度缺乏憐憫、謙遜、溫柔或恩典。

It's not enough to be right or just. 文法

僅僅做到正確或正義是不夠的。

To be kind is to know that everyone,

善良在於知道每個人，

even sinners,

甚至罪人，

and in a way, especially sinners,

從某種意義上說，尤其是罪人，

deserve ongoing sympathy and mercy.

都配得上持續的同情和憐憫。

It's never simply because someone is wrong 文法

我們絕不能僅僅因為某人犯了錯，

that we have any right to cease showing them the greatest kindness.

就認為我們有權停止向他們展示最大的善意。

Forgiveness.

寬恕。

To forgive

去寬恕

is to know that we are, in our own way,

就是要明白，我們以自己的方式，

as guilty as the next person. 慣用語

和其他人一樣充滿罪責。

Given what we all are, 文法

既然我們都是這樣的人，

we have no option but to cut each other some slack. 講解

我們別無選擇，只能互相包容。

Of course, we've failed and been hasty and less than admirable, 文法

當然，我們失敗過、草率過、且並不完美，

but that's no reason forever to withhold love. 文法

這絕不能成為永遠吝嗇給予愛的理由。

We learn to forgive when we are no longer self-righteous,

當我們不再自以為是時，我們就學會了寬恕，

that is,

也就是說，

when we're brave enough to fathom the darker sections of our own hearts. 講解

當我們足夠勇敢去探索自己內心深處更黑暗的角落時。

Loyalty.

忠誠。

To love means being loyal to people.

愛意味著對人忠誠。

This could be ourselves, even though the crowd no longer agrees. 文法

這也可能包括我們自己，即便大眾不再認同。

Outside, the mob may be jeering, 表達脈絡

外界，烏合之眾可能在嘲笑，

but we continue on the same side

但我們繼續站在同一邊，

with steadfastness and an unbudgeable resilient faith.

帶著堅定和不可動搖的堅韌信念。

Generosity.

慷慨。

Love overflows. 慣用語

愛是溢出的。

It isn't about loving just one person. 表達脈絡

它不只關乎愛一個人。

It encompasses the love of someone you've just met, 表達脈絡

它包含了對剛認識的人的愛，

of strangers in another land,

對異國他鄉的陌生人的愛，

of the earth,

對地球的愛，

of plants, weevils, house bats,

對植物、象鼻蟲、家蝠的愛，

and a moth by the window who might be dead by nightfall.

以及對窗邊那隻也許活不過今晚的飛蛾的愛。

Patience.

耐心。

We want others to meet our hopes right now, 片語搭配

我們希望別人現在就能滿足我們的期望，

but true love means giving people the time to mature and develop, 片語搭配

但真愛意味著給人時間去成熟和發展，

to go wrong, 表達脈絡

去犯錯，

to wander in another direction,

去偏離方向，

and not to shout at them,

不要對他們大吼大叫，

but to give them every chance to grow

而是給他們一切機會，

at their own pace towards their better selves. 片語搭配

按照他們自己的節奏成長為更好的自己。

If we can believe wholeheartedly in some of the above, 片語搭配

如果我們能全心全意相信上述的某些理念，

it won't matter who we vote for or what our cause is. 文法

我們投給誰、或者我們的事業是什麼，都不重要了。

We can count as part of what is helping.

我們就能算作是在提供幫助的一份子。

We should be almost done with romantic love by now. 片語動詞

到目前為止，我們應該已經受夠了浪漫的愛。

We should be setting our sights on the challenge of this sort of love. 慣用語

我們應該把目光投向這種更具挑戰性的愛。

Yet, it's not surprising if we're still only at the beginning.

然而，如果我們還僅僅處於起步階段，也不足為奇。

We're just starting on the path to being human. 慣用語

我們只是剛剛踏上成為真正的人的道路。

Love is a skill that we can learn. 表達脈絡

愛是一門我們可以學習的技能。

Our relationships book calmly guides us

我們這本關於人際關係的書心平氣和地指導著我們，

with calm and charm through the key issues of relationships

以冷靜和魅力帶我們解決人際關係中的關鍵問題，

to ensure that success in love

以確保在愛情中獲得成功

need not be a matter of good luck.

不必只靠運氣。

For more, click the link now.

了解更多，請現在點擊連結。