英语故事:如果是你,你愿意放弃什么?

At a time of enormous needs in Haiti and elsewhere, when so many Americans are trying to help Haitians by sending everything from text messages to shoes, the Salwens offer an example of a family that came together to make a difference — for themselves as much as the people they were trying to help. In a column a week ago, I described neurological evidence from brain scans that altruism lights up parts of the brain normally associated with more primal gratifications such as food and sex. The Salwens’ experience confirms the selfish pleasures of selflessness.

在这个海地等世界其他地方亟需帮助的时候，许许多多的美国人都在以不同的方式帮助他们，有的发去慰问短信，有的则捐衣捐物。但萨文一家却给我们树立了一个别样的榜样，他们齐心协力，为他们自己，也为那些需要帮助的人们真正做了富有意义的事。在一周前我的另一篇专栏文章中，我说过，大脑扫描的结果显示：无私的行为会使大脑部分感受到如食物和性生活般最为原始的快感。萨文家的经历正是无私带来自私快感的一大例证。

Mr. Salwen and his wife, Joan, had always assumed that their kids would be better off in a bigger house. But after they downsized, there was much less space to retreat to, so the family members spent more time around each other. A smaller house unexpectedly turned out to be a more family-friendly house.

萨文先生和他的妻子乔安先前总是认为在大房子里，孩子们会过的更加惬意。但是在搬进小房子后，将大家隔离开来的空间少得多了，这样一来，家庭成员就可以有更多的时间呆在一起。小房子出乎意料地变成了一个更加适宜家庭生活的家。

“We essentially traded stuff for togetherness and connectedness,” Mr. Salwen told me, adding, “I can’t figure out why everybody wouldn’t want that deal.”

“其实我们是把物质和金钱转换成更加紧密无间的联系了，”萨文先生在与我谈话中这样说道，“我觉得如果有这种选择，每个人都会像我一样这么做的。”

One reason for that togetherness was the complex process of deciding how to spend the money. The Salwens researched causes and charities, finally settling on the Hunger Project, a New York City-based international development organization that has a good record of tackling global poverty.

要决定如何合理利用另一半的钱也是一个复杂的过程，萨文一家花时间研究了一些机构和慈善团体，最终决定将钱捐给“战胜饥饿项目”。这是一个设在纽约的国际发展组织，因其努力解决贫困问题而享誉全球。

The Salwens pledged $800,000 to sponsor health, microfinancing, food and other programs for about 40 villages in Ghana. They traveled to Ghana with a Hunger Project executive, John Coonrod, who is an inspiration in his own right. Over the years, he and his wife donated so much back from their modest aid-worker salaries that they were among the top Hunger Project donors in New York.

萨文一家共给该机构捐献了80万美元，共资助了加纳40个村庄，涉及项目包括健康、小额融资、食物等等。他们专程前往加纳，与他们同行的还有“战胜饥饿项目”执行官约翰·库罗，他凭借自身的能力，吸引了许多人加入了慈善行业。多年来，作为救援人员，他和夫人用尽了自己绵薄的工资捐助他人，在整个纽约的“战胜饥饿项目”名录上无疑最为耀眼。