Author: Rain Zhong

Adjusting that picture frame, pushing this chair in, aligning those slippers with each other, praising that perfectly symmetrical painting, unconsciously being drawn towards that triad-chord harmony. In general, we all have an inclination towards organised things. 

调整那个相框，把这把椅子推进去，把拖鞋对齐，赞美那幅完美对称的画作，不自觉地被吸引到那个三和弦的和谐。 总的来说，我们都倾向于有组织的事情。

My mum especially… When she’s telling me to clean my room. Maybe you can call it rebellious, maybe you can say I’m lazy, but really, I just don’t see it as messy as she does. I mean, if you ask me to find anything, I can do it perfectly fine. So there’s the first thing; everyone has a different perspective on what is considered organised, and thus, when something should be organised.

尤其是我妈妈…… 当她叫我打扫房间的时候。 也许你可以称它为叛逆，也许你可以说我很懒，但真的，我只是不认为它像她那样乱。 我的意思是，如果你让我找任何东西，我完全可以做到。 所以有第一件事；每个人对什么被认为是有组织的有不同的看法，因此，什么时候应该组织一些东西。

Don’t get me wrong though, I do have an inclination towards organisation, most apparent when it comes to my timetable. I have sheets upon sheets of physical paper to write down plans, files upon files of to-do lists, all to give me the best idea of what is to come. 

不过，不要误会我的意思，我确实有组织倾向，当涉及到我的时间表时，最明显。 我有一张又一张的纸质纸来写下计划，还有一份又一份的待办事项清单，所有这些都是为了让我对未来的事情有最好的了解。

In this case, organisation provides predictability for the future, granting a sense of comfort. I can envision how I need to act, what I need to prepare for, and not be caught by any surprises.

在这种情况下，组织为未来提供了可预测性，赋予了一种舒适感。 我可以想象我需要如何行动，我需要准备什么，并且不会被任何惊喜所抓住。

Thus, organisation also gives agency. I feel that I have full control over my time, knowing how long things will take and how much effort is needed to complete tasks. 

因此，组织也赋予了代理权。 我觉得我完全可以控制自己的时间，知道事情需要多长时间，完成任务需要付出多少努力。

In this sense, having a fence around me makes me feel safe. In turn, I have the confidence to take on larger challenges, as I know my limitations and just how much I can take on. 

从这个意义上说，我周围有一个栅栏让我感到安全。 反过来，我有信心接受更大的挑战，因为我知道我的局限性，以及我能承担多少。

When everything is in order, challenges become a matter of when and not how. 

当一切都井然有序时，挑战就成了何时而不是如何挑战的问题。

Some readers (including me) may entertain the idea of being the boss of your work, and some of you may feel taken back by that thought; “I cannot manage all those tasks by myself!” In whichever group you may belong, we all crave to be organised in our work. Some of us just want to do it ourselves; some of us just rather someone else help us do it.

一些读者（包括我）可能会考虑成为你工作的老板的想法，而你们中的一些人可能会被这个想法所吸引；“我无法独自管理所有这些任务！” 无论你属于哪个群体，我们都渴望在工作中有组织。 我们中的一些人只是想自己做；我们中的一些人宁愿别人帮助我们做。

Back in my messy room, there comes one time when I do actually clean it; when guests are coming. I try to look my best also; comb my hair, wash my face, maybe switch out of my pyjamas… 

回到我凌乱的房间里，有一次我真的打扫了它；当客人来的时候。 我也尽量看起来最好；梳头，洗脸，也许换掉睡衣……

So another thing about organisation is, perhaps we do it to look better for other people. It probably brings us some sense of satisfaction to at least look like we’ve got our lives all figured out and together. 

因此，关于组织的另一件事是，也许我们这样做是为了让其他人看起来更好。 这可能会给我们带来一些满足感，至少看起来我们的生活都弄清楚了，并且在一起了。

This becomes a curious case where everyone is putting up an all-organised front, when deep down we all want to fall back into our messy bedroom. Although forcing ourselves to be organised might be superficial, it does make us do something, and take some sort of step forwards. The world wouldn’t spin if no one forced themselves to be organised and we all just gave in to our instinct of messiness.

这变成了一个奇怪的案例，每个人都在设置一个全有组织的幌子，而在内心深处，我们都想回到我们凌乱的卧室。 虽然强迫自己有条不紊可能是肤浅的，但它确实让我们做一些事情，并向前迈出某种一步。 如果没有人强迫自己有组织，世界就不会旋转，我们都只是屈服于混乱的本能。

But sometimes, we must allow ourselves to be messy… “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end”, said motivational speaker Robin Sharma.

但有时，我们必须让自己变得凌乱…… 励志演讲者Robin Sharma说：“改变一开始很难，中间是混乱的，最后是华丽的。”

If we truly want to grow into the person we seek out to be, we need to be comfortable with breaking the order in our lives; we need to allow that around us to become unpredictable and chaotic first. This breaks us out of our old fences that were no longer keeping us safe, but instead were holding us back. It will feel unnatural and dangerous; perhaps we will want to return to the garden inside the gates which we know so well. 

如果我们真的想成长为我们想要成为的人，我们需要自如地打破生活中的秩序；我们需要先让我们周围变得不可预测和混乱。 這讓我們擺脫了舊的籬笆，這些籬笆不再保護我們的安全，而是阻礙了我們。 这会感觉不自然和危险；也许我们会想回到我们非常熟悉的大门内的花园。

But just as sometimes we must force ourselves to be organised to accomplish certain tasks, we must also force ourselves to be messy sometimes to grow. The prior is strenuous, the latter is intimidating. Both builds character and construct new fences around our now-expanded garden. All until those fences are no longer sufficient to contain us anymore. Then it’s time to begin the cycle once again.

但是，就像有时我们必须强迫自己组织起来才能完成某些任务一样，我们有时也必须强迫自己变得混乱才能成长。 前者是艰苦的，后者是令人生畏的。 两者都在我们现在已经扩大的花园周围建立了个性并建造了新的栅栏。 直到那些柵欄不再足以遏制我們。 然後是時候重新開始這個週期了。

So the next time my mum tells me to clean my room… I’ll just tell her that I’m going through a period of growth.

所以下次我妈妈让我打扫房间时……我就告诉她，我正在经历一段成长期。

Last Christmas, one of my friends at school said to me: “It feels like you’ve been here forever, with all the impact you’ve had.” And this line has lived in my head rent free for the rest of the winter break. Why? Because I had not been here forever. I had only been at this school for 6 months.

去年圣诞节，我在学校的一个朋友对我说：“感觉你一直在这里，你受到的所有影响。” 在寒假的剩餘時間裡，这条线一直活在我的脑海里。 为什么？ 因为我不是永远在这里。 我只在这所学校待了6个月。

If you asked me, I could not name a single thing which I felt I had done, nevertheless talk about the impact I’ve had. Now, I have never been one to downplay myself. Ever since elementary I had learnt the importance of self-reflection, and commending yourself for your accomplishments. 

如果你问我，我无法说出任何我觉得我做过的事情，但要谈谈我的影响。 现在，我从来不是一个低估自己的人。 从小学开始，我就学会了自我反思的重要性，并赞扬自己的成就。

But it had only been 6 months, and there was just something about being at a new school, new teachers, new students, new friends, new classes. It wasn’t a rough transition, I’ve settled in pretty well, but how could I have made any impact? It had only been 6 months! I was still figuring things out, I was still exploring all the different clubs and teams and getting lost going to classes because it had only been—Stop—“It feels like you’ve been here forever.” Again, I would not have agreed; the way I saw myself, was not what the World had seen of me.

但才6个月，在新学校、新老师、新学生、新朋友、新班级都有一些东西。 这不是一个艰难的过渡，我已经适应得很好，但我怎么能产生任何影响呢？ 才6个月！ 我还在想办法，我还在探索所有不同的俱乐部和球队，上课时迷路了，因为只有——停下来——“感觉你永远在这里。” 再说一遍，我不会同意的；我看待自己的方式，与世界所看到的我并非。

Indeed, we never really see ourselves the way the World sees us. The second you wake-up, your mind has began a game of make believe. We create a persona for ourselves, We keep tabs of all the actions we’ve performed, all the times we’ve messed up. We have an internal narrator, judging every step we take.

的确，我们从未真正以世界看待我们的方式看待自己。 你一醒来，你的头脑就开始了一场假意的游戏。 我们为自己创造一个角色，我们密切關注我们执行的所有行动，以及我们搞砸的所有时间。 我们有一个内部叙述者，评判我们采取的每一步。

We observe our life through a third-person perspective, but one that also happens to have access to the very deepest of our considerations. 

我们通过第三人称视角来观察我们的生活，但这种视角恰好也能接触到我们最深刻的考虑。

And at the end of all that, we go to sleep, having generated our own narrative on the day that has passed.

在这一切结束时，我们睡着了，在已经过去的日子里产生了我们自己的叙述。

Yet, you know this (even if you don’t want to admit it), on a more physical scale, we are the only person who doesn’t see our face as we walk down the street. If I was wearing clown make-up, with a green Mohawk, I would never know if the World just agreed to not say anything about it. A

然而，你知道这一点（即使你不想承认），在更物理的尺度上，我们是唯一一个走在大街上看不到自己脸的人。 如果我化着小丑妆，戴着绿色的莫霍克人，我永远不会知道世界是否同意不说任何话。 罗马字母的第一个字母

At the same time, we often neglect the crowns on our head we deserve to wear, forget the roads we’ve conquered to be where we are now, without someone reminding us about it. 

与此同时，我们经常忽视我们头上的冠冕，忘记我们征服的道路，没有人提醒我们。

The only times we see ourselves clearl; whether it’s the clown make up, or the shining crown; is in front of a mirror, or, in this day and age, a phone camera. Sure, we don’t have a mirror with us all the time (although you probably do have a phone with you all the time), and it’s not very practical to stare at your reflection all day, but that’s the importance of remembering to be face-to-face with yourself from time to time.

我们唯一能清楚地看到自己的时候；无论是小丑的妆，还是闪亮的皇冠；都是在镜子前，或者在这个时代，手机相机。 当然，我们不会一直带着镜子（尽管你可能一直带着手机），整天盯着你的倒影不是很实用，但这就是记住不时地与自己面对面的重要性。

Perhaps we should use that mirror to take a look at the World around us too, and our position within it. Such beauty is to be found in staring up at the night sky, to count the stars, to think about how many there are, how big they are, how far… 

也许我们应该用那面镜子看看我们周围的世界，以及我们在其中的位置。 仰望夜空，数星星，思考有多少，它们有多大，有多远，才能发现这种美……

All to remind ourselves of a more objective view of our position in the universe, because as humans, we are all biased. 

所有這些都是為了提醒自己更客觀地看待我們在宇宙中的位置，因為作為人類，我們都是有偏見的。

Every time I read a story book as a child, I imagined myself as the main character; and as we trek through life, we believe we are the main actor in that story too.

我小时候每次读故事书时，都会想象自己是主角；当我们穿越生活时，我们相信我们也是那个故事的主要演员。

In a way, we are much like stars, shinning bright in the centre of our own system, often oblivious to the billions of other stars in our galaxy. We long for attention, sending out solar flares to reinstate our existence, pulling planets into our orbit, not the other way around. However, even without these planets, we create our own flames, give ourselves the motivation to keep on shinning; just remember: shine bright, don’t burn out.

在某種程度上，我們很像星星，在我們自己的系統中心閃耀著光芒，往往忘記了我們銀河系中的數十億顆其他恆星。 我们渴望得到关注，发出太阳耀斑来恢复我们的存在，将行星拉入我们的轨道，而不是相反。 然而，即使没有这些星球，我们也会创造自己的火焰，给自己继续闪耀的动力；只要记住：闪耀光芒，不要燃烧殆尽。

This is probably a delusion, but it’s also a great blessing. Many say that humans are distinguished because of our ego. Perhaps it is this ego which allows us to block out the constant noise of the universe trying to hold us back and focus on the things driving us forward, to keep on going, to keep on striving for our goals. 

这可能是一种妄想，但它也是一种巨大的祝福。 许多人说，人类之所以与众不同，是因为我们的自我。 也许正是这种自我使我们能够阻挡宇宙不断的噪音，试图阻止我们，并专注于推动我们前进的事情，继续前进，继续努力实现我们的目标。

Ego itself is not a bad thing, it allows us to discover who we are, ego only becomes a problem when it gets too big, then we see ourselves as bigger than we truly are; then we become Narcissist, obsessed with an image of himself until the time of his demise (another reason to not stare at your phone camera for too long).

自我本身并不是一件坏事，它让我们发现我们是谁，只有当自我变得太大时，自我才会成为一个问题，然后我们认为自己比真实的要大；然后我们成为自恋者，痴迷于自己的形象，直到他去世（另一个不盯着手机摄像头看太久的原因）。

Thus, our view of the World should not blind us from the impact we have made on it. 

因此，我们对世界的看法不应该让我们对它产生的影响视而不见。

The World is not as gloomy as it looks; we shine brighter than we think we do. However we believe life seems, we are wrong. If life was just as it seems, what fun would that be?

世界并不像看起来那么阴沉；我们比我们想象的更闪耀。 无论我们如何相信生活，我们都错了。 如果生活就像看起来那样，那会有什么乐趣呢？

We are all on the move. The Earth orbits the sun, spins around on its own axis. The wind blows, trees waver in its breeze; waves rise and fall, seawater evaporates into the clouds, and drops back down in waves of rain. Even the universe expands; stars explode as black holes emit radiation.

我们都在移动。 地球围绕太阳运行，绕着自己的轴旋转。 风吹来，树木在微风中摇曳；海浪起伏，海水蒸发成云中，在雨波中落下。 甚至宇宙也会膨胀；当黑洞发出辐射时，恒星也会爆炸。

Amongst all this is life. The hummingbird’s frantic flutter of its wings. The turtle’s steady steps, moving forward with a slow but undeniable determination. The whales constantly searching the deep seas wailing cries for a mate.

在这一切之中就是生活。 蜂鸟疯狂地拍打着翅膀。 乌龟步履跷，以缓慢但不可否认的决心向前走。 鲸鱼不断在深海中寻找，嚎叫着寻找伴侣。

We, humans, are also on the move. We move as the hummingbird, passionate, vigorous, motivated to make our mark on the world. We move as the turtle, venturing forwards one step after another with the ticking of time, whether we like it or not. We move as the whale, trying to navigate a vast sea of people, all in an unwavering attempt to find our soulmate. 

我们，人类，也在移动。 我们像蜂鸟一样移动，充满激情，充满活力，有动力为世界留下我们的印记。 我们像乌龟一样移动，随着时间的流逝，一步一个脚印地向前冒险，无论我们喜不喜欢。 我们像鲸鱼一样移动，试图在浩瀚的人海中航行，都是坚定不移地试图找到我们的灵魂伴侣。

As long as Earth keeps spinning, life will keep on moving, and so will we, determined to keep up. Because we have purpose. Maybe the Earth’s purpose. Could it be that our movement everyday gives the Earth its very purpose to keep on spinning?

只要地球继续旋转，生命就会继续移动，我们也会继续，决心跟上。 因为我们有目的。 也许是地球的目的。 難道我们每天的运动赋予了地球继续旋转的目的吗？

However, moving can be hard. Moving signals change, and change means having to adjust to new situations, change means having the leave the old, assuring, place from where we came. Yet, a snake sheds its skin to reach out and become greater, despite the process leaving it more vulnerable than before. If not shed, the old skin confines the potential of the snake, imprisoning it to a curse of stagnation.

然而，移动可能很困难。 移动信号变化，变化意味着必须适应新情况，变化意味着离开旧的、令人放心的、我们来的地方。 然而，蛇会脱皮，伸手变得更大，尽管这个过程让它比以前更脆弱。 如果不脱落，老皮就限制了蛇的潜力，使它受到停滞的诅咒。

Change symbolises growth, change symbolises the freedom for us to keep on climbing to dizzying heights, and no one said it was going to be easy.

变化象征着成长，变化象征着我们继续攀登令人眼花缭乱的高度的自由，没有人说这很容易。

When we read a fantasy story, the hero always descends into an unfamiliar world that challenges the status quo. Just like these heroes, all that keeps us from the treasure we crave and the success for which we strive, is whether we stand up to the challenge we fear. So when that call for adventure comes, shall we take up on it? Or shall we stay comfortable with the status quo?

当我们阅读一个幻想故事时，英雄总是进入一个挑战现状的陌生世界。 就像这些英雄一样，让我们无法获得我们渴望的宝藏和我们为之奋斗的成功，就是我们是否能面对我们害怕的挑战。 所以，当冒险的召唤到来时，我们要接受它吗？ 还是我们要对现状保持舒服？

I say all this, but funnily, I was born fearing change. While everyone else wanted to quickly grow up, I wanted to stay a child for as long as I could. 

我说了这一切，但有趣的是，我生来就害怕改变。 当其他人都想快点长大的时候，我想尽可能长时间地保持孩子的身份。

For eternity, if it had been up to me. An eternal life of playing with Lego, watching cartoons and reading comics sounded like the greatest dream ever; a life of nothing ever changing.

永远，如果由我来决定的话。 玩乐高、看动画片和阅读漫画的永恒生活听起来像是有史以来最伟大的梦想；从未改变的生活。

I think I’ve always found it hard to leave things behind. I never threw out any toys, broken or not. I kept all the pencil studs. I filled up my drawer with worksheets from previous years, and then filled my mother’s drawer up with even more worksheets as I got older. I needed to set out on that journey to find the fine balance between feeling nostalgic and being stuck in the past. For the past should not be as the skin which the snake refuses to shed.

我想我一直覺得把事情拋在腦後很困難。 我从来没有扔掉过任何玩具，不管有没有坏。 我保留了所有的铅笔钉。 我用往年的工作表填满了我的抽屉，然后随着年龄的增长，我用更多的工作表填满了我母亲的抽屉。 我需要踏上那段旅程，在怀旧和停留在过去之间找到微妙的平衡。 因為過去不應該是蛇拒絕脫落的面板。

Now, a decade on, I’ve been on the move a fair bit in my life. Nanjing, Japan, Korea, New York, Canada, Cambodia… with every new place, comes a new experience. However, the journey has not just been the places to which I have travelled, it has also been the steps my mind has taken outside its comfort zone. It’s been the calls I have answered to venture outside the status quo. 

现在，十年過去了，我一生中一直在移动。 南京、日本、韩国、纽约、加拿大、柬埔寨……每一个新的地方，都会有新的体验。 然而，旅程不仅仅是我旅行过的地方，也是我思想在舒适区之外迈出的一步。 我接听了走出现状的电话。

At the end of their journey, the hero also always returns to the world from which they started. 

在旅程结束时，英雄也总是回到他们开始的世界。

Whether body or mind, a place to return is needed, a place we call home. A place where we can rest, and listen carefully for our next call to action.

无论是身体还是心灵，都需要一个可以返回的地方，一个我们称之为家的地方。 一个我们可以休息的地方，并仔细倾听我们的下一次行动呼吁。

As such, I’ve come to grow excited in the face of a new challenge; whatever new situation into which I am thrown. I have come to adore being on the move, knowing that places I have left have not been left behind. 

因此，面对新的挑战，我越来越兴奋；无论我陷入什么新境地。 我喜欢移动，因为我知道我离开的地方没有被抛在后面。

They are integrated into who I am, and every time I move forward, I am bringing pieces of previous travels with me on my journey.

它们融入了我的身份，每次我前进时，我都会带着以前旅行的片段踏上旅程。

Every 365 days or so, the Earth spins back to the same place it was a year ago. But it is not the same Earth it was. Many mishaps and troubles may have come to be in the hereupon, yet, even more fortune and favour may have come our way. 

每隔365天左右，地球就會回到一年前的位置。 但它和它不一样了。 未来可能会发生许多不幸和麻烦，然而，更多的财富和恩惠可能会降临到我们身上。

If our Earth could talk, I’m betting it would say it has grown for the better compared to the last time it was spinning on this same spot. 

如果我们的地球能说话，我敢打赌，它会说，与上次在同一位置旋转时相比，它已经发展得更好了。

I wish that, after every full revolution in our lives, we too can say the same. If we can, then perhaps we are moving in the right direction.

我希望，在我们生命中的每一次彻底革命之后，我们也能说同样的话。 如果可以的话，那么也许我们正朝着正确的方向前进。

Schools of fish swim together, packs of wolves hunt together, flocks of geese migrate together. Armies of ants can build whole civilisations underground, gathering food for all to eat. Prides of lions can take down full grown elephants if they so wish, and herds of elephants can fend off any lion attacks that so dare to challenge them. 

成群结队的鱼一起游泳，成群结队的狼一起打猎，成群结队的鹅一起迁徙。 蚂蚁大军可以在地下建立整个文明，收集食物供所有人食用。 如果獅子的驕傲願意，他們可以擊倒成年大象，而大象群可以抵禦任何敢於挑戰它們的獅子的攻擊。

But perhaps these are just survival instincts engraved in their DNA. It’s not like these animals share a language with each other granting them the ability to organise positions and roles, and if they can’t communicate, can one truly say they are team working? Perhaps they share a growl, a snarl, but in no way can a geese squawking be classified at the same level as human communication. 

但也许这些只是刻在他们DNA中的生存本能。 这不像这些动物彼此共享一种语言，赋予它们组织职位和角色的能力，如果它们不能沟通，人们能真正说它们是团队合作吗？ 也许它们共享咆哮、咆哮，但鹅的叫声不能与人类交流相等。

Even so, isn’t teamwork the cooperation of a group of like-minded individuals, working together to achieve a common goal? So can one truly say a herd of elephants working towards the same goal, to survive, is not an example of teamwork?

即便如此，团队合作不是一群志同道合的人的合作，共同努力实现共同的目标吗？ 那么，人们真的可以说，一群大象朝着同一个目标努力，为了生存，不是团队合作的一个例子吗？

Consider for a moment the oxpecker. About the length of a fork, the weight of a light bulb. It’s best friend? The oxen, an animal almost 20,000 times its own body weight. 

考虑一下啄木鸟。 大约是叉子的长度，灯泡的重量。 这是最好的朋友吗？ 牛，一种几乎是自身体重的20,000倍的动物。

Again, not a single squeak or growl is shared among them, let alone a common language. Still, everyday they carry out their meet. 

同样，他们之间没有一个吱吱或咆哮，更不用说共同的语言了。 尽管如此，他们每天都会举行会议。

The oxpecker cleans out the wounds of the oxen, feeding off the parasites trying to infect their best buddy; in turn, the oxen gives the little bird protection from larger predators, including the lion pride patrolling their territory. Not a word is spoken throughout, yet can one really argue that this mutualism relationship is not an example of cross-species teamwork?

啄木鸟清理了牛的伤口，以试图感染它们最好的朋友的寄生虫为食；反过来，牛为小鸟提供了保护，使其免受大型捕食者的侵害，包括在它们领地巡逻的骄傲的狮子。 始终没有说一个字，但人们真的能争辩说这种互生关系不是跨物种团队合作的例子吗？

Consider again the remora fish and the great white shark. In similar fashion to the oxen-oxpecker relationship, the great white shark gets a nice clean set of 300 teeth; the remora avaials itself of free transport through the vast sea by hitchhiking onto the shark, and a great status boost by befriending such a formidable beast. 

再次考虑雷莫拉鱼和大白鲨。 与牛-牛啄木鸟关系类似，大白鲨拥有一套干净的300颗牙齿；雷莫拉通过搭便车在广阔的海上自由运输，并通过与如此强大的野兽交朋友来获得巨大的地位提升。

Just as the Coke-McDonald’s partnership can be considered teamwork between two colossal brands, the unspoken contract between the remora and the shark must also be considered as such.

就像可口可樂-麥當勞的合作可以被視為兩個巨大品牌之間的團隊合作一樣，雷莫拉和鯊魚之間的不言而喻的合同也必須被視為如此。

What about ivy and the trees on which it grows? The ivy is given a stable structure to grow on, encouraged to strive for the canopy it so seeks to reach. But the tree, it doesn’t gain anything. Giving up its own capacity to grow larger, providing the ivy strength to climb to greater heights. It doesn’t expect anything in return from the ivy, as long as the ivy is given a chance to accomplish its dreams, whether it actually does or not, the tree can proudly say that it has fulfilled its own purpose. Is this also, in a certain sense, a form of teamwork?

常春藤和它生长的树木呢？ 常春藤被赋予了稳定的生长结构，被鼓励为它所寻求的树冠而奋斗。 但这棵树，它一无所获。 放弃自己变大的能力，为爬到更高的高度提供常春藤的力量。 它不期望从常春藤那里得到任何回报，只要常春藤有机会实现它的梦想，无论它是否真的实现了，这棵树都可以自豪地说它已经实现了自己的目的。 从某种意义上说，这也是一种团队合作的形式吗？

What about the barnacle riding freely on the skin of a blue whale? What about the spider weaving its web on a canvas of leaves? The fish living rent-free in sea urchins? The birds building their nests on the tops of trees?

蓝鲸的皮肤上自由骑行的巴纳克怎么样？ 蜘蛛在树叶的画布上织网呢？ 鱼住在海胆里免租金吗？ 鸟儿在树梢筑巢？

Then there is us. What about the parents working restlessly throughout the day and night, never expecting any return on the endless hours they’ve put in? “Time is money”, but never has the time invested generated a return on profit of more time given back. Yet, these parents are willing to make this investment thousands of times over, with the same passion and determination as they had the first time. A child really is a family’s greatest investment.

然后就是我们。 父母日夜不安分地工作，从未期望他们投入的无尽时间有任何回报呢？ “时间就是金钱”，但投资的时间从未产生过更多时间回报的利润。 然而，这些父母愿意以和第一次一样的热情和决心进行数千次的投资。 孩子确实是一个家庭最大的投资。

Goodness forbid the child find out just how hard they are working either, no, the parent’s work is always behind the scenes. In front of the curtains, the parent always seems strong to the child. 

天哪，禁止孩子发现他们工作有多努力，不，父母的工作总是在幕后。 在窗帘前，父母对孩子来说总是很坚强。

For it is not the chick’s job to worry whether the nest is well, it’s only job is to fly off further and further each day. The chick does not fear the many times it will certainly fall, because no matter how many times they do, they know their parent is always there to pick them back up and send them off into the sky again. The chick does not fear the many times it will certainly fly off course, because no matter how many times they get lost, there will always be a well-made nest waiting for them to fly back to. 

因为小鸡的工作不是担心巢穴是否好，它唯一的工作就是每天飞得越来越远。 小鸡不怕它肯定会掉下来很多次，因为无论它们掉多少次，它们都知道它们的父母总是在那里把它们捡起来，然后把它们送回天空。 小鸡不怕很多次肯定会偏离航线，因为无论它们迷路多少次，总会有一个精心制作的巢穴等着它们飞回来。

Until one day, it is time for it to soar off into the world and build its own nest, in its own tree; a tree which will give it selfless support as long as it needs it, just as its family once did.

直到有一天，是时候让它翱翔到世界，在自己的树上建造自己的巢穴了；只要它需要它，一棵树就会给予它无私的支持，就像它的家人曾经所做的那样。

Only once you become a parent can you truly understand the joy of being one. The joy of working behind the scenes, so your child can shine in the spotlight. This, is love. Love is patient, love is kind, love keeps no record of wrongdoings, it does not seek for the benefit of the self, it always trusts, it always hopes, protects, perseveres. 

只有当你成为父母时，你才能真正理解成为父母的快乐。 在幕后工作的乐趣，这样您的孩子就可以在聚光灯下大放异彩。 这就是爱。 爱是耐心的，爱是善良的，爱不记录错误行为，它不寻求自我的利益，它总是信任，它总是希望，保护，坚持不懈。

A form of teamwork that needs no words to be spoken. Just as siblings can say nothing, yet say everything they need to through a single glance. Just as a parent only needs to conduct a single head gesture, their thoughts instantly understood by their child. Teamwork needs no communication, teamwork needs not to benefit the self. 

一种不需要言语的团队合作形式。 就像兄弟姐妹们可以什么都不说，但一眼就能说出他们需要的一切。 就像父母只需要做一个头部手势一样，他们的想法就会立即被孩子理解。 团队合作不需要沟通，团队合作不需要有益于自我。

Teamwork is that herd of elephants fending off a lion; teamwork is a tree supporting a nest of new-born hatchlings as the parent flies back with a beak full of worms; teamwork is the soft rustling sound of your mother loading the washing machine late at night to make sure your soccer uniform is fresh and clean for tomorrow’s practice.

团队合作是驱击狮子的大象群；团队合作是一棵树支撑着新生孵化的巢穴，父母带着满是虫子的喙飞回来；团队合作是母亲深夜装洗衣机的柔和沙沙声，以确保你的足球服为明天的训练而干净。

Teamwork may be the act of individuals coming together and operating as one, but love is the greatest form of teamwork imaginable.

团队合作可能是个人走到一起并作为一个人运作的行为，但爱是可以想象的最伟大的团队合作形式。

For them, our history started approximately 30,000 years ago… In an era where the world was cold, hard to manoeuvre and food even harder to come by. It also didn’t help that at the same time humans were rapidly expanding across the major continents, building up settlements all across the euro-Asia plane, and most importantly of all, competing for the already-limited food sources available. This rise in human activity affected one animal most significantly, one of mankind’s greatest historical rivals; Canis lupus, the grey wolf.

對他們來說，我們的歷史始於大約3萬年前……在一個世界寒冷、難以操縱、食物更難獲得的時代。 与此同时，人类正在各大洲迅速扩张，在整个欧亚平面上建立定居点，最重要的是，在爭奪已經有限的可用食物來源，这也無濟於事。 人类活动的这种增加对一种动物的影响最大，人类最大的历史对手之一；灰狼犬。

Humans and wolves were born to be mortal enemies.

人类和狼生来就是死敌。

To understand this rivalry we must go even further back in time. Both lived across moderate climates across plains in the euro-Asia region, both travelled in large groups consisting of many families, both primarily hunted moderately large mammals and both did so through cooperation in outnumbering their prey and ultimately wearing them down with stamina unmatched by any other living fauna. 

为了理解这种竞争，我们必须回到更远的时间。 两者都生活在欧亚地区平原上的温和气候中，都以由许多家庭组成的大群结队旅行，主要猎杀中等大小的哺乳动物，并且都通过合作使猎物数量超过猎物，并最终以任何其他活的动物无法比拟的耐力使它们疲惫不堪。

When humans first arrived in the grey wolf’s territory of the wide euro-Asia plane around 100,000 years ago, the homo-sapien precursors stood a very slim chance against their canine competitors. 

大约10万年前，当人类首次到达广阔的欧亚飞机的灰狼领土时，智人前体与它们的犬类竞争对手相比的机会非常渺茫。

Often praised for their extraordinary sense of smell, this was no different 100,000 years ago. Lost your group and can’t find your way out of the woods? Don’t worry, you can always count on a grey wolf’s ability to find its way to you. Most likely they’ll find your lost group too. But they’re not tracking all of you down to be your tour guide through the forest; they’re here to make sure you’ll never find your way out ever again. 

人们经常因其非凡的嗅觉而受到赞扬，这在10万年前也没什么不同。 失去了你的团队，找不到走出困境的路？ 别担心，你总是可以依靠灰狼找到你的路的能力。 他们很可能也会找到你丢失的团队。 但他们并没有追踪你们所有人，成为你们穿过森林的导游；他们在这里是为了确保你们再也找不到出路了。

Armed with a bite that can pack a 1,200-psi punch, comparable to the modern day hyena, one chomp can exert more than enough force to crush bones like trucks crush soda cans.

一口可以装上1200磅/平方英寸的拳头，可与现代的鬣狗相媲美，一个咬一口可以施加足够的力量来粉碎骨头，就像卡车碾碎苏打水罐一样。

But 70,000 years later, human tools had evolved to be more and more deadly. In the era known as the Upper Paleolithic age, marking the latter years of the old stone age, rapid advancements in human engineering saw the use of sharp flakes of stone to craft blades and to better their ranged spears. 

但7万年后，人类工具进化成越来越致命。 在被称为上旧石器时代的时代，标志着旧石器时代的后期，人类工程的快速发展，使用锋利的石片来制作刀片，并改进其远程长矛。

The development of the atlatls further increased the range and power with which their spears could be thrown. Some evidence even suggests the first instances of long-distance trading between humans arose around this time, allowing for even better tools to be crafted to maximise defence against predators and efficiency in hunting prey. 

Atlatls的发展进一步增加了它们可以投掷长矛的范围和力量。 一些证据甚至表明，人类之间的第一次长途交易是在这个时候出现的，这使得可以制作出更好的工具，以最大限度地提高对捕食者的防御和狩猎猎物的效率。

On top of this, our close relatives, the more brute-force focused, hack-and-slash style Neanderthals, saw a massive decrease in population; making way for the more tool-centred homo-sapiens to take control. 

除此之外，我们的近亲，更注重蛮力、砍砍砍风格的尼安德特人，人口大幅减少；为更以工具为中心的智人控制权让路。

In the case of our grey wolves, their domestication almost perfectly coincides with this prehistoric era of human development.

就我们的灰狼而言，它们的驯化几乎完全符合人类发展的史前时代。

After many millennia in a competition they are starting to lose, some factions of wild wolves living near human dwellings decided maybe it was time for a change. It started with just small things; scavenging scraps like vultures, taking advantage of campfires for warmth, gaining some trust among humans by being tamer and less aggressive. From then, more and more wolves found a reliable way of living by depending on human settlements, and over time, humans also found plenty of uses for these more docile canines. 

在经历了几千年的竞争中，他们开始输掉比赛，一些生活在人类住所附近的野狼派别决定，也许是时候做出改变了。 它只是从小事开始；像秃鹰一样捡拾碎片，利用篝火取暖，通过更驯服和不那么咄咄逼人来赢得人类的信任。 从那时起，越来越多的狼通过依靠人类定居找到了可靠的生活方式，随着时间的推移，人类也找到了这些更温順的犬類的大量用途。

This developing symbiotic relationship saw wolves tracking down prey and guarding food stores for humans, and in return gaining shelter, warmth and free meals everyday.

这种不断发展的共生关系见证了狼群追踪猎物并守护人类的食品储存，作为回报，他们每天获得庇护所、温暖和免费膳食。

However these first tamed wolves would have looked nothing like the dogs we know today, and like many other domesticated animals, most likely evolved through a drawn-out process of natural selection and selective breeding. The transformation of the wild Canis lupus into the sub-species, Canis lupus familiaris, the common dog, was affected heavily by humans’ changing needs.

然而，这些最初被驯服的狼看起来与我们今天所知道的狗毫无同，和许多其他驯养动物一样，很可能是通过自然选择和选择性繁殖的冗长的过程进化而来的。 野生狼疮犬转变为普通犬亚种，即普通犬，受到人类不断变化的需求的严重影响。

Human settlements trusted less-violent wolves, so more and more of those with shorter snouts, smaller teeth, began breeding with each other to grant their lineage the best chance of survival alongside their two-legged friends.

人类定居点信任暴力程度较低的狼，因此越来越多的鼻子较短、牙齿较小的狼群开始相互繁殖，以赋予他们的血统与两条腿的朋友一起生存的最佳机会。

As human roles in society expanded, so did the preferred attributes for these domesticated canines. Shorter, stockier builds were bred together to better herd livestock; tall, sleeker builds were bred to maximise speed and tracking; big, muscular builds were bred specifically for guard duty. After thousands of years of this selective breeding, wild wolves finally began to show some resemblance to the dog breeds we know today. 

随着人类在社会中的作用的扩大，这些驯化犬类的首选属性也在扩大。 更短、更粗壮的体型被一起繁殖，以更好地饲养牲畜；高大、更光滑的体型被繁殖，以最大限度地提高速度和跟踪；大而肌肉发达的体型被专门用于警卫。 经过数千年的这种选择性繁殖，野狼终于开始与我们今天所知的狗品种有一些相似之处。

The first dog builds similar to those around now began appearing approximately 15,000 years ago. And as we approached the modern era, dogs more and more took on the role of morale-boosting companions rather than hunting partners. 

大约15,000年前，第一批与现在相似的狗开始出现。 隨著我們接近現代，狗越來越多地扮演鼓舞士氣的同伴的角色，而不是狩獵夥伴。

The English Victorian era saw the rise in dog shows, popularising the breeding of distinct types. The parallels between the most popular dog breeds nowadays and those most-widely prioritised 15,000 years ago are uncanny; Collies reflecting the stockier builds of herd dogs, Bloodhounds reflecting the sleek tracking dogs, Bulldogs descending from the muscular lineage previously utilised in guarding humans against threats.

英国维多利亚时代见证了狗展的兴起，普及了不同品种的繁殖。 当今最受欢迎的狗品种与15000年前最优先的犬种之间的相似之处是不可思议的；牧羊犬反映了牧羊犬的粗壮结构，猎犬反映了光滑的跟踪犬，斗牛犬是以前用于保护人类免受威胁的肌肉血统。

While nowadays we’re probably feeding our dogs better than we feed ourselves, it is interesting to consider that both our ancestors used to fight for their survival against each other over the same food we get so easily today. The greatest rivals are born through their similarities, making them also the best companions for each other, even if that relationship takes many thousands of years to develop.

虽然如今，我们喂养我们的狗可能比喂养自己更好，但有趣的是，考虑到我们的祖先曾经为了我们今天如此容易得到的食物而互相争斗。 最大的对手是通过他们的相似性而诞生的，使他们也是彼此最好的伴侣，即使这种关系需要数千年才能发展。

With the rapid advancement of technology in the past few decades, more specifically the advancements made in AI machine learning, a fear has crept into people’s minds. Will AI one day replace us? Will the jobs of humans be in peril due to competition from robots we built ourselves? 

随着过去几十年技术的快速发展，更具体地说，人工智能机器学习的进步，一种恐惧已经悄悄进入人们的头脑。 人工智能有一天会取代我们吗？ 人类的工作会因为我们自己建造的机器人的竞争而处于危险之中吗？

To that I say, yes, there is a job which is in peril, one which has been on the decline since the increase in technological advancements. 

对此，我说，是的，有一份工作处于危险之中，自从技术进步增加以来，这份工作一直在下降。

However, it might not be the job you are expecting, and not really a “job” at all. 

然而，这可能不是你所期望的工作，根本不是真正的“工作”。

To find out what this is we must first dive into a day in the life of someone living in China, and specifically Nanjing. And have a look at how that compares to the USA. For myself right now, that means New York City.

要找出这是什么，我们必须首先深入了解生活在中国的人的一天，特别是南京。 看看它与美国相比如何。 对于我现在来说，这意味着纽约市。

Waking up in the morning in Nanjing, the first thing you do is sleepily feel around for the phone you’ve placed by you bedside table. You swear that you’re just “checking the time in the morning”, as you mindlessly scroll down TikTok and WeChat moments for 2 hours. 

在南京的早晨醒来，你做的第一件事就是昏昏欲睡地寻找你放在床头柜旁的手机。 你发誓你只是在“早上查看时间”，当你无意识地向下滚动抖音和微信时刻2个小时时。

But hey, in your defence, it’s not like there’s anything for you do anyways. 

但是，嘿，为了你的辩护，反正你什么都不做。

Vroom… goes your robot vacuum cleaner dashing around the house. Your breakfast is on the way in the back of a motorcycle, the package you ordered yesterday is due to arrive in 2 hours. The blinds still aren’t open yet? Just give a simple command to the smart-house assistant to open them.

Vroom……你的机器人吸尘器在房子周围飞来飞去。 你的早餐在摩托车后面的路上，你昨天订购的包裹预计2小时后到达。 百叶窗还没打开吗？ 只需给智能房子助手一个简单的命令来打开它们。

Going outside, you decide why take your own car given the parking prices they’re charging these days, assuming you can find a parking spot in the first place. Taking a Didi ride is much more cost efficient; its faster, and if you choose to car pool with someone else, you’re cutting down your carbon foot print. 

出门时，考虑到他们这些天收取的停车费，你决定为什么要开自己的车，假设你一开始就能找到一个停车位。 乘坐滴滴车更具成本效益；它更快，如果您选择与他人拼车，您将减少您的碳足迹。

Checking out at the grocery store, you are presented with the option to scan a QR code to pay for your items, whilst a credit card scanner sits lonely in the corner collecting dust. 

在杂货店结账时，您可以选择扫描二维码来支付您的物品，而信用卡扫描仪则孤独地坐在角落里收集灰尘。

At the bubble tea shop, instead of lining up, you find a seat first, scan the QR code which is stuck onto every table and order through there. 

在泡泡茶店，不要排队，你先找一个座位，扫描贴在每张桌子上的二维码，然后通过那里订购。

A couple of hours later, you realise your phone is running out of battery. No worries; just scan another QR code to borrow one of the many power banks available in almost every shop you walk into. Tired of taking a car everywhere and want to exercise? Borrow a public bike scattered all around the city with, you guessed it, a QR code.

几个小时后，你意识到你的手机快没电了。 别担心；只需扫描另一个二维码，即可借用你走进的几乎每家商店的众多移动电源之一。 厌倦了到处开车，想锻炼吗？ 借一辆散落在城市各处的公共自行车，你猜对了，有一个二维码。

This is the convenience of finance in China. 

这就是中国金融的便利。

All payment can be done through WeChat pay or AliPay, all errands can be done through a phone and there is almost no place you can’t get to in the city, or in the country, with the vast and intricate metro and high-speed rail lines. 

所有付款都可以通过微信支付或支付宝完成，所有差事都可以通过手机完成，在城市或乡村几乎没有一个地方是无法到达的，那里有庞大而复杂的地铁和高速铁路线。

Even when you run out of money in your WeChat/AliPay, don’t bother going to the ATM; just connect your digital wallet to your bank account, or do some online banking through the official app of your bank to transfer yourself more money. 

即使您的微信/支付宝里的钱用完了，也别费心去自动取款机；只需将您的数字钱包连接到您的银行账户，或者通过银行的官方应用程序进行网上银行业务，为自己转账更多的钱。

However, convenience is a different story in the west. 

然而，在西方，便利是另一回事。

Sure you’ve got car sharing apps such as UBER and LYFT; and as long as they don’t break down in the middle of the ride, the metro can get you to many places in New York City. 

当然，你有UBER和LYFT等汽车共享应用程序；只要它们不会在中途坏掉，地铁就可以把你带到纽约市的很多地方。

But the primary method of travel is still by your own car and on the road. In China, when the police ask you for identification you give them your social ID card; in the USA, you give them your driver’s licence.

但主要的旅行方式仍然是自己开车在路上。 在中国，当警察要求你提供身份证明时，你给他们你的社会身份证；在美国，你给他们你的驾驶执照。

The convenience of finance also looks very different to that of China. Here in the USA, you’ll find ATM machines with queues of people waiting, and without a working credit card, good luck paying for anything online. PayPal is big, but nothing like WeChat or AliPay is in China. In fact, you can’t even use PayPal on Amazon, the most visited e-commerce site in the world, due to the nature of the two sites being competitors.

金融的便利性也与中国的便利性大不相同。 在美国，你会发现ATM机上排队等候，没有有效的信用卡，祝你在网上支付任何东西好运。 PayPal很大，但在中国没有像微信或支付宝那样的。 事实上，由于这两个网站的性质是竞争对手，你甚至不能在亚马逊上使用PayPal，亚马逊是世界上访问量最大的电子商务网站。

Back in Nanjing, the use of cash has been completely eliminated. Having lived in the City for many years, I went many months on end without seeing any cash in person, and I cannot recall the last time I paid for something in physical bills. 

回到南京，现金的使用已经完全消除了。 在城市生活了很多年，我几个月都没有看到任何现金，我不記得上次用实物账单支付某件事是什么时候了。

This is why a saying has emerged in the last few years; the “job” of a thief has completely gone out of business, as there’s just no cash around for them to steal. Pick pocketing a wallet gives you nothing but the baby picture of the owner, a credit card that expired 5 years ago and up to 4 years in jail.

这就是为什么在过去几年里出现了一句谚语；小偷的“工作”已经完全倒闭了，因为周围没有现金供他们偷。 拿起钱包，除了主人的婴儿照片，一张5年前过期的信用卡，最多入狱4年，什么都没有给你。

Whether you’re an artist working on a painting, or a songwriter trying to create the perfect album cover, or a popular local magazine using it as the theme of one of their monthly issues, colour lies near the centre of our world.

无论您是正在创作绘画的艺术家，还是试图创作完美专辑封面的词曲作者，还是将其作为月刊主题的热门本地杂志，色彩都位于我们世界的中心。

Rihanna’s 2017 album cover, “ANTI”, uses a striking red with a golden-coloured crown, depicted on a white canvas with a black blotch of a balloon, which is almost coloured perfectly to contracts with the rest of the colour choices in the image. 

蕾哈娜2017年的专辑封面《ANTI》使用了醒目的红色，带有金色皇冠，描绘在白色画布上，上面有一个气球的黑色斑点，其颜色几乎完美，与图像中的其他颜色选择相结合。

Kendrick Lamar’s 2015, “To Pimp a Butterfly”, uses a timeless black and grey, representing that the grim issues expressed through his music have always been with us, and will not be going away any time soon. 

肯德里克·拉马尔（Kendrick Lamar）2015年的《拉皮条蝴蝶》使用了永恒的黑色和灰色，代表着通过他的音乐表达的严峻问题一直与我们同在，不会很快消失。

Paramore’s, “After Laughter”, chooses a handful of bright and jolly pinks, purples, blues and yellows; ironically contrasting the melancholic messages hidden in the album’s lyrics. Toning them down also creates an almost artificial feel to the image, again mocking the fake joyfulness of the cover as opposed to the lyrical content. 

帕拉摩尔乐队的《After Laughter》选择了少量明亮欢快的粉红色、紫色、蓝色和黄色；讽刺地对比了专辑歌词中隐藏的忧郁信息。 降低音调也给形象造成了一种近乎人为的感觉，再次嘲笑封面的虚假欢乐，而不是抒情内容。

I should also like to share the album cover of James Blake’s, “The Colour in Anything”. Being painted out, the use of dark green with grey and blue creates a sense of withering; it’s a gloomy atmosphere that prepares audiences for the somber journey they will undertake through the music therein. 

我还想分享詹姆斯·布莱克的专辑封面《The Color in Anything》。 涂漆时，使用深绿色与灰色和蓝色营造出一种枯萎的感觉；这种阴郁的气氛让观众为通过其中的音乐进行的阴郁旅程做好准备。

We too, are made of colours, with them commonly used to represent our moods. Blue may be the universally-agreed-upon colour of depression, but with pigments of it rarely existing in nature, blue has also become rare and luxurious throughout the history of its use. 

我们也是由颜色组成的，它们通常被用来代表我们的心情。 蓝色可能是普遍认可的忧郁颜色，但由于其颜料在自然界中很少存在，在整个使用历史中，蓝色也变得稀有和奢华。

Many artists have used this quality of blue in paintings to highlight a sense of royalty, especially as to different wardrobes. Famously, Vermeer’s, “Girl with a Pearl Earring”, uses a magnificent blue on the subject’s turban, creating an illusion of richness. It is this sense of grandeur we associate with the colour blue that gives it such an overwhelming edge in every “favourite colour” study ever conducted.

许多艺术家在绘画中使用这种蓝色品质来突出一种皇室的感觉，特别是在不同的衣柜上。 著名的维米尔的《戴珍珠耳环的女孩》在主题的头巾上使用了华丽的蓝色，营造出一种丰富的错觉。 正是这种与蓝色联系在一起的宏伟感，在曾经进行的每项“最喜欢的颜色”研究中，它都具有如此压倒性的优势。

Moving adjacent on the chromatic wheel, we come across an interesting choice. “My favourite colour is lilac”, Says Gilderoy Lockhart in the Harry Potter series. Perhaps you don’t like Lockhart as a character, perhaps you don’t like Harry Potter as a series, perhaps you don’t even like reading; whatever the case, it does not take away from the fact that lilac is a fun colour to explore. 

在色轮上相邻移动，我们遇到了一个有趣的选择。 吉尔德罗伊·洛克哈特在《哈利·波特》系列中说：“我最喜欢的颜色是丁香色。” 也许你不喜欢洛克哈特这个角色，也许你不喜欢《哈利·波特》这个系列，也许你甚至不喜欢阅读；无论如何，这并没有影响淡紫色是一种有趣的探索颜色的事实。

Being constantly overshadowed by its more popular counterparts in purple and pink, many may not even be familiar with the appearance of the colour. Named after the flower of the same colour, lilac may very well be known in its royal, serene and calm state. 

经常被紫色和粉色的更受欢迎的同类产品所掩盖，许多人甚至可能不熟悉这种颜色的外观。 丁香以同色的花命名，以其皇家、宁静和平静的状态而闻名。

It does not attract too much attention, yet is naturally beautiful, and seems to have everything under control. 

它没有引起太多的注意，但自然而然美丽，似乎一切都在掌控之中。

It is perhaps due to this facet of lilac that the colour makes for such a popular choice among children with autism and ADHD. A bedroom painted lilac creates a sense of safety and promotes a feeling of love. And what possible better use for a colour could there be?

也许正是由于淡紫色的这一方面，这种颜色在自闭症和多动症儿童中成为如此受欢迎的选择。 卧室涂成淡紫色，营造出一种安全感，并促进一种爱的感觉。 一种颜色有什么可能更好的用途呢？

You are on a beach. Swish- Swoosh- the waves wash up and down the sandy shore. 

你在海滩上。 嗖嗖-嗖嗖-海浪在沙滩上上下下。

You are indoors on a pouring day. Ta- ta- ta- ta- the raindrops beat down on the roof of your house.

在下大雨的日子里，你在室内。 塔-塔-塔-塔-雨滴打在你房子的屋顶上。

You are walking down a midnight road.  Chi- chi- chi- the crickets chirp in the nearby distance. 

你正在走一条午夜路。 Chi-chi-chi-蟋蟀在附近鸣叫。

Radio static, whirring fans, waterfalls, the sounds of the early morning, your family members cooking away in the kitchen; all these are, as scientists coin it, white noise. 

收音机的静电、嗡嗡的风扇、瀑布、清晨的声音、你的家人在厨房里做饭；正如科学家所说，所有这些都是白噪声。

Only when these sounds disappear do you suddenly acknowledge their existence. Just a few moments ago, the so-thought “silence” was stable, the world felt seemingly at peace, balanced, as all things should be; but now, the “true” silence is growing eerily uncomfortable. You can’t exactly put your finger on why. 

只有当这些声音消失时，你才会突然承认它们的存在。 就在几分钟前，所想的“沉默”是稳定的，世界似乎感到和平、平衡，一切都应该如此；但现在，「真正的」沉默越来越令人毛骨悚然。 你无法确切地确定原因。

Suddenly, thoughts from all sorts of places come out from the depths of your brain, mostly questions previously neglected by the consciousness. “Where am I?”, “What am I doing?”, “I swear someone is watching me”, or even, “What is the meaning of life?”.

突然间，来自各个地方的想法从你的大脑深处冒出来，大多数是以前被意识忽视的问题。 “我在哪里？”，“我在做什么？”，“我发誓有人在看着我”，甚至“生命的意义是什么？”。

The truth is, those thoughts have always been there, just “guarded” and kept away by the white noise of life; and it is life which raises these questions. 

事实是，这些想法一直存在，只是被生活的白噪音“保护”并远离；正是生活提出了这些问题。

Questions meant to raise doubt in ourselves, to destroy our self-confidence and tear down our self-esteem. That is what a lot of people struggling with their own psyche suffer from. 

这些问题旨在引起我们自己的怀疑，破坏我们的自信心，破坏我们的自尊。 这就是许多与自己的心理作斗争的人所遭受的痛苦。

Life is messy, and it is easy to lose yourself in the “noise” of life, or in this case, the complete silence of life. 

生活是混乱的，很容易迷失在生活的“噪音”中，或者在这种情况下，迷失在生活的完全寂静中。

The silence acts as a mirror, forcing yourself to reflect, but at some point you are no longer constructively criticizing yourself, you are doubting yourself and your abilities. “Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.” White noise is a medium, allowing self-reflection, while preventing self-destruction. Life is noisy, and white noise is the noise which drowns out all the other noise.

沉默就像一面镜子，强迫自己反思，但在某些时候，你不再建设性地批评自己，而是怀疑自己和自己的能力。 “完美平衡，一切都应该如此。” 白噪声是一种媒介，允许自我反射，同时防止自我毁灭。 生活是嘈杂的，白噪声是淹没所有其他噪音的噪音。

White noise is calming. Some listen to it before they sleep, some listen to it to help them sleep, and some straight up need it for them to fall asleep. 

白噪音让人平静。 有些人在睡觉前听它，有些人听它来帮助他们入睡，有些人直接需要它让他们入睡。

Something about a single, constant, mono-frequency, almost ignorable sound which is barely there, which calms down the “butterflies” in our stomachs. Before a high-pressure event, after a stressful incident, white noise proves to be an effective therapist for our high-motor brains. It gives our brains something to focus on, but does not take up all of our focus. 

关于单一的、恒定的、单频的、几乎可以忽略不计的声音，它平静了我们胃里的“蝴蝶”。 在高压事件之前，在压力事件之后，白噪声被证明是我们高运动大脑的有效治疗师。 它给了我们的大脑一些可以集中精力的东西，但并没有佔據我们所有的注意力。

White noise provides a needed atmosphere in life, whether you realise it or not. It is always there, in the background, giving a backdrop to everything else going on in the foreground. Appealing to the sense of hearing, white noise and sound in general makes up one fifth of the way we perceive the world. 

无论你是否意识到，白噪声都提供了生活中需要的氛围。 它总是在那里，在背景中，为前景中发生的一切提供背景。 吸引听觉，白噪声和一般声音是我们感知世界的五分之一。

The sound of the washing waves on the beach is what makes the ocean so many people’s “happy place”. 

海滩上海浪的冲刷声让海洋成为许多人的“快乐之地”。

The sound of the raindrops tapping on your roof is what makes you feel so cozy being indoors on such a day outside. The chirping of the crickets turns a chilling midnight road into one pushing you along to the safety of your home. TV static prevents awkward silences during technical difficulties. Whirling fans make unbearable summers pass just a bit faster…

雨滴敲击你的屋顶的声音是让你在外面这样的日子里在室内感到如此舒适的原因。 蟋蟀的鸣叫将一条寒冷的午夜道路变成了一条将你推向安全家园的道路。 电视静电防止在技术困难期间出现尴尬的沉默。 旋轉的球迷讓難以忍受的夏天過得更快了……

White noise gives life the context in places which would otherwise be dull or straight up unpleasant.

白噪声为生活提供了背景，否则这些地方会很沉闷或直接令人不快。

It is here I want to talk about music, more specifically background music, an almost “evolved” version of white noise.  

在这里，我想谈谈音乐，更具体地说，背景音乐，一种几乎“进化”的白噪声版本。

Recently, I have advocated that “life needs its own BGM (background music)”. Like all your favourite TV shows, cartoons, all media sources, the background music is an essential part of the bigger show. Just imagine cartoons without their theme songs, romance scenes without saxophones, comedy without sound effects, 

最近，我主张“生活需要自己的BGM（背景音乐）”。 像所有你最喜欢的电视节目、动画片、所有媒体来源一样，背景音乐是大型节目的重要组成部分。 想象一下没有主题曲的动画片，没有萨克斯风的浪漫场景，没有音效的喜剧，

Mission Impossible without “dum dum da-dum, dum dum da-dum” simply wouldn’t work. 

《碟中谍》没有“dum dum da-dum，dum dum da-dum”根本行不通。

Music sets a tone in media, and so does it set a mood in life. It really helps to indulge yourself in a musical world to motivate yourself before a task, during a task, or to commend yourself after a task. Not to mention that humming to the tune of your favorite song makes it really hard for you to be in a bad mood, no matter what you’re doing. Music acts as a companion during tough times, and acts as a buddy who’ll accompany you through your finest times. 

音樂在媒体中定下了基調，也在生活中定下了心情。 让自己沉浸在音乐世界里，在任务之前、任务期间激励自己，或者在任务结束后表扬自己，这真的很有帮助。 更不用说，无论你在做什么，随着你最喜欢的歌曲的旋律哼唱会让你很难心情不好。 音乐在困难时期充当伴侣，充当伴侣，陪伴你度过最美好的时光。

If white noise acts as a therapist, music does even more so. It goes beyond just calming minds. 

如果白噪声起到了治疗师的作用，那么音乐就更是如此了。 它不仅仅是平静心灵。

Music has healing properties, with music therapy being a real way people recover from major mental trauma. 

音乐具有治愈的特性，音乐疗法是人们从重大精神创伤中恢复的真正方式。

Listening to scores and grooving to beats are ways people use to express their emotions, and also how they deal with those emotions. 

听乐谱和节奏是人们用来表达情绪的方式，也是他们如何处理这些情绪。

Perhaps music is magical, perhaps humans just love things that sound good, perhaps music is something we’ll continue to create but never truly figure out. Whatever the case, the truth stands that people are healed through music. 

也許音樂是神奇的，也許人類只是喜歡好聽的東西，也許音樂是我們會繼續創造但永遠不會真正弄清楚的東西。 无论如何，事实是人们通过音乐得到治愈。

Trauma is dealt with, childhood demons are fought with. Lives, in some cases, are changed and saved through music.

創傷得到了處理，童年的惡魔得到了鬥爭。 在某些情况下，生活是通过音乐改变和拯救的。

In this constantly “rushing” state of the world we currently live in, we are surrounded by all sorts of distracting noise; especially in China. Next time you find yourself overwhelmed, try turning on an hour long “waterfall sounds” playlist, or tuning into your favourite song. Create an enjoyable mood for yourself. Live life at your own pace, with your own background music.

在我们目前生活的世界这个不断“匆忙”的状态下，我们被各种分散注意力的噪音所包围；特别是在中国。 下次你发现自己不知所措时，试着打开一小时的“瀑布声”播放列表，或者收听你最喜欢的歌曲。 为自己营造愉快的心情。 按照自己的节奏生活，用自己的背景音乐。