你生命的意义

你生命的意义

Every January for the past 20 years, I have taken a few moments to ponder the answer to the question "what is the meaning of life?"

在过去的20年里，每年的1月，我都会花一些时间来思考“生命的意义是什么”这个问题的答案。

It's one of those enormous questions that's so important -- philosophically and practically in terms of how we live our lives -- and yet we never stop to really think about the answer. Given that you might be able to formulate your response in less than a minute, the wisdom-to-effort ratio for this philosophical exercise could not be more advantageous.

这是一个非常重要的巨大的问题——从哲学和实践的角度来说，关于我们如何生活——然而我们从来没有停下来去思考这个问题的答案。考虑到您可能能够在不到一分钟的时间内形成您的回答，这个哲学练习的智慧与努力的比例是最有利的。

This simple exercise might even help you live longer. According to two separate studies published in 2014 -- one among 9,000 participants over age 65 and another among 6,000 people between 20 and 75 -- those who could articulate the meaning and purpose of their lives died later than those who saw their lives as aimless. It didn't seem to matter what meaning participants ascribed to their life, whether it was personal (like happiness), creative (like making art) or altruistic (like making the world a better place). It was having an answer to the question that mattered.

这个简单的练习甚至可以帮助你活得更久。根据2014年发表的两项独立研究——一项在9000名65岁以上的参与者中进行，另一项在6000名20岁至75岁之间的参与者中进行——能够清晰表达自己生活的意义和目的的人，比那些认为自己的生活漫无目的的人死得晚。参与者赋予自己生活的意义似乎无关紧要，无论是个人的(比如幸福)、创造性的(比如创造艺术)还是利他的(比如让世界变得更美好)。重要的是找到问题的答案。

The connection to longevity could be causal (having purpose may help one cope with daily stress, as other research has shown), but it could also be that those who think about life's meaning are more likely to do other activities that promote good health.

与长寿之间的联系可能是因果关系(正如其他研究表明的那样，有目标可能有助于应对日常压力)，但也可能是那些思考生命意义的人更有可能从事其他促进健康的活动。

The reason I ask this question year after year is because my answer changes over time, which I find interesting and insightful. There is no objectively correct answer, I believe, only answers that are right for you at any given time.

我之所以年复一年地问这个问题，是因为我的答案会随着时间的推移而改变，我发现这很有趣，也很有见地。没有客观正确的答案，我相信，只有在任何时候都适合你的答案。

My favorite answer, though, is the Zen-like circular reasoning attributed to writer Robert Byrne, who put it, "The purpose of life is a life of purpose." Some have concluded that life's meaning is subjective. "There is not one big cosmic meaning for all," Anaïs Nin wrote in her diary. "There is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person."

不过，我最喜欢的答案是作家罗伯特·伯恩(Robert Byrne)提出的禅宗式的循环推理，他说:“生活的目的就是有目的的生活。”有些人认为生命的意义是主观的。“对所有人来说，没有一个大的宇宙意义，”阿奈斯·宁(Anais Nin)在她的日记中写道。“只有我们每个人赋予自己生命的意义，一个独特的意义，一个独特的情节，就像一部独特的小说，一本适合每个人的书。”

I agree, which is why I recommend formulating your own answer. "Each man must look to himself to teach him the meaning of life. It is not something discovered: It is something molded," wrote Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, well-known for his book "The Little Prince."

我同意，这就是为什么我建议制定你自己的答案。安托万·德·圣-埃克苏佩里(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)因其著作“小王子”(The Little Prince)而闻名，他写道：“每个人都必须依靠自己来教导自己生命的意义。这不是发现的东西，而是塑造出来的东西。”

Taking a few moments to record your answer to the question "what is the meaning of life?" is the kind of simple exercise that effectively adds meaning to your life. And then I suggest answering it every year. Looking back at how your thinking has evolved and been influenced by experience tells you something more about yourself. Cumulatively, it gets you closer to a deeper self-understanding.

花点时间记录下你对“生命的意义是什么”这个问题的答案，这是一种能有效地为你的生活增添意义的简单练习。然后我建议每年都回答这个问题。回顾你的思维是如何进化和受经验影响的，会让你更了解自己。慢慢地，它会让你更深入地了解自己。

In 1997, my answer was "the discovery, pursuit and attainment of one's bliss," inspired by myth expert Joseph Campbell. A year later, is was to make "the world a better place." In 2002, the year I got engaged, it was simply "Love." And the year we conceived our oldest daughter, it was the less-romantic "continuation of one's DNA to the next generation." But most years, my answer is some combination of love, legacy, happiness, experience and helping others.

1997年，我的答案是“发现、追求和实现一个人的幸福，”灵感来自神话专家约瑟夫坎贝尔。一年后，是为了让“世界变得更美好”。2002年，也就是我订婚的那一年，我只说了一句“爱”。而在我们怀上大女儿的那一年，“一个人的DNA延续到下一代”就不那么浪漫了。但大多数时候，我的答案是爱、遗产、幸福、经历和帮助他人的结合。

As a practical matter, if you want to do the annual "Meaning" exercise, I suggest not looking at past answers before answering anew, to avoid biasing your answer. I write them down on the same now-yellowing piece of loose-leaf paper, and keep it someplace safe.

实际上，如果你想做年度“意义”练习，我建议你在重新回答之前不要看过去的答案，以免让你的答案产生偏见。我把它们写在同一张泛黄的活页纸上，放在安全的地方。

The last use of this experiment is to try to turn your answer into action. If you conclude, as Tolstoy and Aristotle did, that the meaning of life to help others, that should help motivate you to do more of it. If "love," is the answer, then love more. If it's "find your bliss," then get searching for it.

这个实验的最后一个用途是把你的答案变成行动。如果你像托尔斯泰和亚里士多德那样得出这样的结论:生活的意义在于帮助他人，这应该有助于激励你去做得更多。如果“爱”是答案，那么爱得更多。如果是“找到你的幸福”，那就去寻找它。

This is not a theoretical exercise. Whatever small step you make toward finding the meaning of life is a step toward a more meaningful, and longer, life.

这不是一个理论练习。无论你朝着发现生命的意义迈出了怎样的一小步，你都是朝着更有意义、更长寿的生活迈出了一步。