正文
行走的力量:趁年轻多去旅行吧!
旅行让你充满激情地迎接新挑战
Just as traveling is humbling, it is also empowering. You realize you can do things you never thought possible. For example, I have lived for the past two years in Grenada, West Indies. I have always enjoyed driving on the right side of nicely paved and open roads of the U.S. Here, I was thrown into driving on the left side of the road on twisty mountain passes down broken roads that aren’t much bigger than a one-lane driveway, yet they expect two-way traffic to freely meet around the blind corners. Add to the lovely mix the fact that there are drop-offs with no guard rail along most of the drive, and far below the sheer free fall you see the rooftops of homes.
正如旅行让你谦卑,旅行赋予你力量。你会意识到,你能做你以前认为不可能的事情。例如,在过去的两年里我一直住在西印度群岛的格林纳达。我很享受在美国平坦空旷的公路上靠右行驶的感觉。想想我曾经沿着不比单行道宽多少的崎岖山路靠左行驶,希冀着在看不到对面来车的拐角处有条双行道来避免撞车。更可怕的是,沿途几乎看不到护栏的公路上还有陡坡,而下面是可以自由落体的悬崖,悬崖下还住着人家。
So, if I lose control, I not only kill myself, but I land on a house and kill a nice family having dinner. No pressure! Yet, after more than a few white-knuckled moments, I can now drive comfortably with the locals and don’t bat an eye at the drop offs, the livestock in the road, the pot holes, or the fact that there is no way I should have made it through that tight squeeze with that oncoming car without losing a mirror. Conquering this fear helped me learn that I could adapt to more than I felt I was capable of conquering. I think that’s a good thing to learn at any age, but you can apply it longer throughout your lifetime if you start early.
所以,如果失控了,杀死的不只我自己,车子砸向屋顶,还要殃及正在吃饭一个幸福家庭。现在轻松了!经历多次紧张时刻后,我可以舒服地与当地人一起驾车,不必为陡坡、路上的家畜或坑槽而汗涔涔,也不必担心对面来车无路可逃而挂掉倒车镜。对这种恐惧的征服让我知道,我应对恐惧的能力出乎我的意料。我觉得这种经历对任何年龄的人都是件好事情,如果早体验,那么你一生中会受益更多。
5. Traveling gives you empathy for global suffering.
旅行让你与世界同甘苦
When you travel, you learn how much you truly have that you take for granted. Many people live in poverty that is unfathomable to those who have never walked their streets and heard their stories. Watching the wars and famines on the news takes on a whole new meaning when you have a personal connection with the people there. You lose the callousness and egotistic attitude that can sometimes develop when you can’t relate to that region of the world. And, it compels you to help others and give back.
旅行时,你会重新审视你认为理应拥有的东西。许多人生活在贫穷中,那种未走近他们、不知道他们故事的人无法理解的贫穷。亲眼目睹人们饱受战争与饥饿之苦时,新闻中播放的战争与饥饿会在你眼前呈现出全新的概念。在你不知道人们遭受苦难时,无情与自私悄然滋长,但接触过遭受苦难的人之后,这样的态度就会消失,你将伸出援手帮助他人。
6. Traveling pushes your educational horizons.
旅行增长见识
Sadly, I never liked history in school. Just reading the stories in books seemed so boring to me. However, when I visited the palace of Versailles in France, marveled at the architecture of basilicas in Africa, climbed the ruins of castles in Ireland, visited the White House, and walked the halls of the Louvre, I couldn’t help but get a new appreciation for history. Traveling makes history come alive. The stories are no longer pictures in a book, but tangible memories you remember much longer than anything you could study in school.
令人难过的是,我在学校从不喜欢历史。读书本上那些故事似乎无聊至极。但在我参观法国凡尔赛宫时、赞叹非洲大教堂的建筑风格时、登上爱尔兰城堡废墟时、踏入白宫时、徜徉在卢浮宫的殿堂时,我情不自禁地对历史产生了鉴赏之情。旅行赋予历史生命。书中的故事不再是图片,而是有形的记忆,它比书本上学到的任何东西都留存更久远。
7. We are never guaranteed old age, so enjoy life’s experiences now!
我们不能决定自己的寿命,所以现在就开始享受生活体验吧!
I think a lot of young people put off traveling because they want to be responsible, work hard, get married, have kids, and build up a life. However, I think it’s a mistake to put off traveling in exchange for the belief that you can do it when you retire and have more time. While I certainly plan to continue to travel after I retire, I also realize I am not guaranteed old age. If something happens and I don’t live to see my forties, fifties, or sixties, I will have no regrets. I have experienced the world to the best of my ability by taking every opportunity presented to me to see all of this gorgeous planet that I can. Traveling has made me the person that I am, and I’m so grateful that I have plenty of years left with this version of me to continue the adventure.
我想许多年轻人因为担负责任、努力工作、结婚生子、开创美好生活,所以推迟着旅行计划。但我觉得退休后或时间富余时再旅行的想法是错误的。我有退休后继续旅行的计划,但同时也知道生命可能随时终止。如果事情发生了,没活到40岁、50岁或60岁,我不后悔。因为我珍惜呈现在面前的每一次机会,尽我所能地溶入这个世界,尽情饱览地球的美丽。旅行成就了现在的我,这版本的我还有充足的余年继续冒险使我心怀感激。
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