Paradox of Our Times

 我们这个时代的尴尬

  by Olga Scheel

（请读原文，译文仅供参考）

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less common sense; more knowledge, but less judgement; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness. 

房子越来越大，家庭越来越小；便利越来越多，时间越来越少；学历越来越多，常识越来越少；知识越来越多，判断越来越少。专家越来越多，可问题也越来越多；药物越来越多，健康却越来越差。

We spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get to angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too often, and pray too seldom.

花钱疯，笑得少，开车急，发火快，熬夜晚，起床累，读书少，电视多，祷告少。

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too little and lie too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years. 

财富在增加，价值在减少。 说得太多，谎言太频，真爱太少。 学会了谋生，却不懂生活。人的寿命延长了，生活乐趣却减少了。

We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

楼房建高了，脾气变差了；路修宽了，眼光变窄了。付出多了，拥有的少了；买到的东西多了，值得欣赏的东西少了。

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not innner space. We've split the atom, but not our prejudice; we write more, but learn less, plan more, but accomplish less. 

往返月球做到了，却不愿过个马路去见新邻居。外部空间穿越了，但怯于走进内心的世界。我们能够分裂原子，却不能突破偏见；我们写得很多，但学到的很少；计划很多，但完成的很少。

We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies, but have less communication. We are long on quantity, but short on quality.

我们会赶时间，却不会等待；财富增多了，道德却滑坡了。  电脑多了，储存信息复制拷贝多了，相互交流沟通却少了。数量多了，质量却差了。

These are the times of fast foods ad slow digestion; tall men and short character; steep profits and shallow relationships. More leisure and less fun; more kinds of food but less nutrition; two incomes, but more divorce; fancier houses, but broken homes. 

吃饭变快了而消化迟缓了。 身材高大了而人格扭曲了。赚钱更多了而人情冷漠了。休闲多了，乐趣少了。食品多了，营养少了。双薪夫妻多了，离婚夫妇也多了。房子华丽了，而家庭却破碎了。

paradox      悖论；自相矛盾 

common sense    常识

wellness        健康

recklessly     鲁莽地，不顾后果地

stay up         熬夜

make a living  谋生, 赚钱过活

short temper   急性子，脾气暴躁

freeway       高速公路

prejudice     成见，偏见

nutrition      营养