22年的夏天，我曾在微博上发过一条关于幸福的感想：
「当下、此刻、今日和你想要达到的彼岸同等重要，不要用自虐的方式去换取一个理想的明天。快乐是一种能力，也是一种选择。」
两年后的夏天，我竟然在《纳瓦尔宝典》里读到几乎一模一样的话，但Naval的描述更加简洁、轻盈、打动人心。
我把Naval的两篇文章整理成了双语版，分享给大家，希望能给大家带来一些启发
🩵
Happiness is a Choice
幸福是一种选择
Happiness, love, and passion...aren’t things you find—they’re choices you make.
幸福，爱，激情……这些都不是我们追寻的事物，而是我们做出的选择。
Happiness is a choice you make and a skill you develop.
The mind is just as
malleable
as the body. We spend so much time and effort trying to change the external world, other people, and our own bodies—all while accepting ourselves the way we
were programmed
in our youths.
幸福是一种选择，是一种可以培养的技能。
大脑就像身体一样，是可塑的。我们花费大量时间和精力，努力改造外部世界，改造他人，改造自己的身体，却没有考虑过改造自己的大脑，只是简单地接受了年轻时被塑造的自己。
-
malleable
[ˈmæliəbl] adj.
easily influenced or changed
可塑的，易受影响（或改变）的
-
programme
v.
to make a person, an animal, etc. behave in a particular way, so that they do it without thinking about it
训练，培养
-
in sb's youth
在某人年轻时
We accept the voice in our head as the source of all truth. But all of it is malleable, and every day is new. Memory and identity are burdens from the past preventing us from living freely in the present.
我们无条件地听从自己脑海中的声音，以为这个声音就是一切真理的来源。殊不知，大脑也是可塑的，每一天都是崭新的。记忆和身份只是来自过去的负担，让我们无法自由自在、心无旁骛地活在当下。
Happiness requires presence
幸福需要活在当下
At any given time, when you’re walking down the streets, a very small percentage of your brain is focused on the present. The rest is planning the future or regretting the past. This keeps you from having an incredible experience. It’s keeping you from seeing the beauty in everything and for being grateful for where you are. You can literally destroy your happiness if you spend all of your time living in delusions of the future.
在任何时候（比如走路的时候），大脑都只有很小一部分是关注当下的。大脑把主要精力用于规划未来或悔恨过去。这样的运行机制让人无法获得绝妙的体验，无法欣赏周遭一切事物的美妙之处，无法因为现状常怀感恩之心。如果每天都沉浸在对未来的规划和幻想中，那就是在亲手扼杀自己的幸福。
We crave experiences that will make us be present, but the cravings themselves take us from the present moment.
我们渴望那些让我们能感知当下的体验，殊不知，这样的渴望却让我们脱离了当下。
I just don’t believe in anything from my past. Anything. No memories. No regrets. No people. No trips. Nothing. A lot of our unhappiness comes from comparing things from the past to the present.
我认为，过去就是过去了，没有回忆，没有遗憾，没有放不下的人，没有忘不掉的旅行。既往不恋。人之所以感到痛苦，很多时候是因为拿以往和现在做比较。
There’s a great definition I read: “Enlightenment is the space between your thoughts.” It means enlightenment isn’t something you achieve after thirty years sitting on a mountaintop. It’s something you can achieve moment to moment, and you can be enlightened to a certain percent every single day.
关于“开悟”，我读到过一个很好的定义：“思考的间隙即开悟。”意思是说，开悟不需要在山顶修行30年，而是一个时时刻刻都可以达到的境界。你每天都可以提高自己的开悟水平。
What if this life is the paradise we were promised, and we’re just squandering it?
你有没有想过，现在的生活可能就是上帝承诺给你的天堂，而你却毫不珍惜，肆意挥霍？
The End
外刊精读社·第5季「8月班」
2024年，全新课程
