“All I know is I’m losing my mind,” Franny said. “I’m just sick of ego, ego, ego. My own and everybody else’s. I’m sick of everybody that wants to get somewhere, do something distinguished and all, be somebody interesting. It’s disgusting - it is, it is. I don’t care what anybody says . . . I’m not afraid to compete. It’s just the opposite. Don’t you see that? I’m afraid I will compete - that’s what scares me. That’s why I quit the Theater Department. Just because I’m so horribly conditioned to accept everybody else’s values, and just because I like applause and people to rave about me, doesn’t make it right. I’m ashamed of it. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody. I’m sick of myself and everybody else that wants to make some kind of a “splash.”

I ‘m sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody. 可以翻译为：我痛恨我自己没有勇气去成为一个什么也不是的人。塞林格在上世纪就敏感地发现了现代人精神疾病的核心——the neccessary to be exceptional. Paper, movie, music and so on socia medias 无不在告诉你要变得 exceptional。

视频链接

It’s a rather simple question that quickly gets to the core of someone’s sense of well-being
这是一个相当简单的问题，很快就会触及一个人的幸福感

and legitimacy: did your childhood leave you feeling that you were - on balance - OK as
和存在意义的核心：你的童年是否让你觉得你 - 总的来说 - 还不错

you were, or did you somewhere along the way derive an impression that you needed to be
，或者你是否在此过程中的某个地方得到了这样的印象 您需要与众不同才能

extraordinary in order to deserve a place on the earth? And, to raise an associated
在地球上占有一席之地？ 顺便，引出一个相关的

question: are you therefore now relaxed about your status - or else either a manic overachiever
问题：因此，您现在是否对自己的地位放松了——或者是一个狂躁的超级成功者

or filled with shame at your so-called mediocrity?
，或者对您所谓的平庸感到羞耻？

Around twenty percent of us will be in the uncomfortable cohort, alternately refusing
我们中大约 20% 的人会处于不舒服的队列中，或者拒绝

to believe that anything could ever be enough or cursing ourselves as ‘failures’ (by
相信任何事情都足够，或者诅咒自己是“失败者”（

which we in essence mean that we have not managed to beat insane statistical odds).
这实际上意味着我们没有设法战胜疯狂的统计几率）。

At school, we probably worked very hard, not because we were drawn to the topics, but because
在学校，我们可能非常努力地学习，不是因为我们被这些主题所吸引，而是因为

we felt compelled for reasons that were - at the time - not entirely clear; we just knew
我们出于当时还不完全清楚的原因而感到被迫； 我们只知道

we had to come close at the top of the class and revise every evening. We may not be exceptional
我们必须接近全班第一，并且每天晚上都要复习。 我们现在可能并不例外

right now, but we are seldom without an acute sense of pressure to be so.
，但我们很少没有强烈的压力感。

In childhood, the story might have gone like this. A parent needed us to be special - by
在童年，故事可能是这样的。 父母需要我们与众不同——

virtue of intelligence, looks or popularity - in order to shore up a floundering sense
凭借智慧、外表或受欢迎程度——以支撑

of their own self. The child needed to achieve and could not, therefore, just be; their own
他们自己挣扎的自我意识。 孩子需要成就，因此不能成就； 他们自己的

motives and tastes were not to be part of the picture. The parent was - privately - in
动机和品味不会成为画面的一部分。 私下里，父母很

pain, unable to value themselves, battling an unnamed depression, furious with the course
痛苦，无法评价自己，与一种无名的抑郁症作斗争，对

of their own lives, perhaps covertly tortured by their spouse. And the child’s mission,
自己的生活感到愤怒，也许暗中受到配偶的折磨。 孩子的使命是让一切变得更好

for which there was no option but to volunteer, was to make it all somehow better.
，除了志愿服务之外别无选择。

It seems odd to look at achievement through this lens, not as the thing the newspapers
从这个角度来看成就似乎很奇怪，不是像报纸

tell us it is, but - very often - as a species of mental illness. Those who put up the skyscrapers,
告诉我们的那样，而是 - 通常 - 作为一种精神疾病。 那些盖摩天大楼、

write the bestselling books, perform on stage, or make partner may, in fact, be the unwell
写畅销书、登台表演、搭档的人，其实可能是身体不好的

ones. Whereas the characters who - without agony - can bear an ordinary life, the so-called
人。 而那些能够毫无痛苦地忍受平凡生活的人物，即所谓

contented ‘mediocrities’, may in fact be the emotional superstars, the aristocrats
知足常乐的“平庸之辈”，实际上可能是情感巨星、

of the spirit, the captains of the heart. The world divides into the privileged who
精神贵族、心灵统帅。世界分为

can be ordinary and the damned compelled to be remarkable.
可以平凡的特权者和被迫卓越的该死的人。

The best possible outcome for the latter is to have a breakdown. Suddenly, after years
后者最好的结果就是崩溃。 突然之间，经过多年

of achievement, they can - if they are lucky - no longer get out bed. They fall into a
的成就，他们可以 - 如果他们幸运的话- 不再下床。 他们陷入了

profound depression. They develop all-consuming social anxiety. They refuse to eat. They babble
深深的沮丧。 他们发展出全面的社交焦虑。 他们拒绝进食。 他们

incoherently. They in some way poke a very large stick in the wheels of day-to-day life
语无伦次地喋喋不休。 他们以某种方式在日常生活的轮子上戳了一根非常大的棍子，

and are allowed to stay home for a while. A breakdown is not merely a random piece of
并被允许留在家里一段时间。故障不仅仅是

madness or malfunction, it can be a very real – albeit inarticulate and inconvenient – bid
随机的疯狂或故障，它可以是非常真实的——尽管口齿不清和不方便——

for health. It is an attempt by one part of our minds to force the other into a process
为健康出价。 这是我们思想的一部分试图迫使另一部分进入

of growth, self-understanding and self-development which it has hitherto been too cowed to undertake.
成长、自我理解和自我发展的过程，而迄今为止，它一直被吓得无法进行。

If we can put it paradoxically, it is an attempt to jumpstart a process of getting well, properly
如果我们可以自相矛盾地说，它是试图通过病得很重的阶段，快速启动一个恢复健康、适当恢复

well, through a stage of falling very ill.
健康的过程。

In an apparently ill state, we might cleverly be seeking to destroy all the building blocks
在明显生病的状态下，我们可能会巧妙地寻求摧毁

of our previous driven yet unhappy careers. We may be trying to reduce our commitments
我们以前充满动力但不愉快的职业生涯的所有基石。我们可能正在努力减少我们的承诺

and our outgoings. We may be trying to throw off the cruel absurdity of others’ expectations.
和支出。 我们可能试图摆脱他人期望的残酷荒谬。

Our societies - that are often unwell at a collective and not just an individual level
我们的社会——通常在集体而非个人层面上表现不佳

  • are predictably lacking in inspiring images of good enough ordinary lives. They tend to
    ——可以预见地缺乏足够好的普通生活的鼓舞人心的形象。 他们倾向于将

associate these with being a loser. We imagine that a quiet life is something that only a
这些与失败者联系起来。 我们想象只有

failed person without options would ever seek. We relentlessly identify goodness with being
没有选择的失败者才会寻求平静的生活。我们坚持不懈地将善与处于

at the centre, in the metropolis, on the stage. We don’t like autumn mellowness or the peace
中心、大都市、舞台上相提并论。我们不喜欢秋天的柔美，也不喜欢

that comes once we are past the meridian of our hopes. But there is, of course, no center,
一旦过了我们希望的子午线就会出现的和平。 但是当然没有中心，

or rather the centre is oneself.
或者说中心就是自己。

Occasionally an artist will make things that bring such bathetic wisdom home. Here is Montaigne,
有时，艺术家会制作一些东西，将这种沐浴智慧带回家。 蒙田在他去世前几年写于 16 世纪末，

capturing the point in the third volume of his Essays, written a few years before his
在他的散文集第三卷中抓住了这一点

death towards the end of the sixteenth century: “Storming a breach, conducting an embassy,
：“冲破突破口，指挥大使馆，

ruling a nation are glittering deeds. Rebuking, laughing, buying, selling, loving, hating
统治国家都是光彩夺目的事迹。斥责，大笑， 买、卖、爱、恨

and living together gently and justly with your household - and with yourself - not getting
和与家人——以及你自己——温和公正地生活在一起——不

slack nor belying yourself, is something more remarkable, more rare and more difficult.
懈怠，不欺骗自己，是更了不起、更难得、更困难的事情。

Whatever people may say, such secluded lives sustain in that way duties which are at least
不管人们怎么说，这种与世隔绝的生活在 至少与

as hard and as tense as those of other lives.”
其他生活一样艰巨和紧张的职责。”

In the late 1650s, the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer painted a picture called The Little
1650 年代后期，荷兰艺术家约翰内斯·维米尔 (Johannes Vermeer) 画了一幅名为《小街》的画作，至今

Street, that continues to challenge our value system to this day.
仍在挑战我们的价值体系。

Perhaps success might - after all - be nothing more than a quiet afternoon with the children,
也许成功可能——归根结底——只不过是

at home, in a modest street. You catch a similar point in certain stories by Chekhov or Raymond
在一条朴素的街道上和孩子们在家里度过一个安静的下午。在契诃夫或雷蒙德卡佛的某些故事中

Carver, in Bob Dylan’s Time out of Mind, in Thomas Jones’s study of A Wall in Naples
，在鲍勃迪伦的“精神错乱的时间”中，在托马斯琼斯对那不勒斯的墙的研究

(1782) and in the films of Eric Rohmer, in particular Le Rayon Vert (1982).
（1782 年）以及埃里克侯麦的电影中，尤其是在 Le Rayon Vert（1982 年）中，你会发现类似的观点 . 然而，

Most movies, adverts, songs and articles, however, do not tend to go this way, they
大多数电影、广告、歌曲和文章并不倾向于这样做，它们

continually explain to us the appeal of other things: sports cars, tropical island holidays,
不断地向我们解释其他事物的吸引力：跑车、热带岛屿假期、

fame, an exalted destiny, first-class air travel and being very busy. The attractions
名声、崇高的命运、头等舱的航空旅行和成为 很忙。 景点

are sometimes perfectly real. But the cumulative effect is to instill in us the idea that our
有时是完全真实的。 但累积的影响是向我们灌输这样一种观念，即我们

own lives must be close to worthless.
自己的生命必须接近一文不值。

And yet there may be immense skill, joy and nobility involved in what we are up to: in
然而，在我们所做的事情中可能蕴含着巨大的技巧、快乐和高贵：

bringing up a child to be reasonably independent and balanced; in maintaining a good-enough
培养一个孩子相当独立和平衡； 尽管存在极端困难的领域，但

relationship with a partner over many years despite areas of extreme difficulty; in keeping
多年来与合作伙伴保持足够好的关系； 保持

a home in reasonable order; in getting a lot of early nights; in doing a not very exciting
家庭秩序井然；经常早睡；

or well-paid job responsibly and cheerfully; in listening properly to other people and,
负责任和愉快地从事一份不太令人兴奋或报酬不高的工作；正确倾听他人的意见，

in general, in not succumbing to madness or rage at the paradox and compromises involved
总的来说，不屈服于对活着所涉及的悖论和妥协的疯狂或愤怒

in being alive.
。

There is already a treasury to appreciate in our circumstances when we learn to see
当我们学会在

these without prejudice or self-hatred. As we may discover once we are beyond others’
没有偏见或自我仇恨的情况下看待这些时，我们的环境中已经有一个值得欣赏的宝库。一旦我们超出了别人的期望，我们就会发现

expectations, life’s true luxuries might comprise nothing more or less than simplicity,
，生活中真正的奢侈可能不外乎就是简单、

quiet, friendship based on vulnerability, creativity without an audience, love without
安静、基于脆弱的友谊、没有观众的创造力、没有

too much hope or despair, hot baths and dried fruits, walnuts
太多希望或绝望的爱情、热水澡和干果， 核桃

and dark chocolate.
和黑巧克力。