Work

Bertrand Russell

Whether work should be placed among the causes of happiness or among the causes of unhappiness may perhaps be regarded as a doubtful question. There is certainly much work which is exceedingly troublesome, and an excess of work is always very painful. I think, however, that, provided work is not excessive in amount, even the dullest work is to most people less painful than idleness. There are in work all grades, from mere relief of tediousness up to the profoundest delights, according to the nature of the work and the abilities of the worker. Most of the work that most people have to do is not in itself interesting, but even such work has certain great advantages. To begin with, it fills a good many hours of the day without the need of deciding what one shall do. Most people, when they are left free to fill their own time according to their own choice, are at a loss to think of anything sufficiently pleasant to be worth doing. And whatever they decide on, they are troubled by the feeling that something else would have been pleasanter. To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization, and at present very few people have reached this level. More over the exercise of choice is in itself tiresome. Except to people with unusual initiative it is positively agreeable to be told what to do at each hour of the day, provided the orders are not too unpleasant. Most of the idle rich suffer unspeakable boredom as the price of their freedom from drudgery. At times, they may find relief by hunting big game in Africa, or by flying round the world, but the number of such sensations is limited, especially after youth is past. Accordingly the more intelligent rich men work nearly as hard as if they were poor, while rich women for the most part keep themselves busy with innumerable trifles of whose earth-shaking importance they are firmly persuaded.

Work therefore is desirable, first and foremost, as a preventive of boredom, for the boredom that a man feels when he is doing necessary though uninteresting work is as nothing in comparison with the boredom that he feels when he has nothing to do with his days. With this advantage of work another is associated, namely that it makes holidays much more delicious when they come. Provided a man does not have to work so hard as to weaken his vigor, he is likely to find far more zest in his free time than an idle man could possibly find.

The second advantage of most paid work and of some unpaid work is that it gives chances of success and opportunities for ambition. In most work success is measured by income, and while our capitalistic society continues, this is inevitable. It is only where the best work is concerned that this measure ceases to be the natural one to apply. The desire that men feel to increase their income is quite as much a desire for success as for the extra comforts that a higher income can obtain. However dull work may be, it becomes bearable if it is a means of building up reputation, whether in the world at large or only in one's own circle. Continuity of purpose is one of the most essential ingredients of happiness in the long run, and for most men this comes chiefly through their work. In this respect those women whose lives are occupied with housework are much less fortunate than men, or than women who work outside the home. The domesticated wife does not receive wages, has no means of bettering herself, is taken for granted by her husband (who sees practically nothing of what she does), and is valued by him not for her housework but for quite other qualities. Of course this does not apply to those women who are sufficiently well-to-do to make beautiful houses and beautiful gardens and become the envy of their neighbors; but such women are comparatively few, and for the great majority housework cannot bring as much satisfaction as work of other kinds brings to men and to professional women.

The satisfaction of killing time and of affording some outlet, however modest, for ambition, belongs to most work, and is sufficient to make even a man whose work is dull happier on the average than a man who has no work at all. But when work is interesting, it is capable of giving satisfaction of a far higher order than mere relief from tediousness.

The chief element which makes work interesting is the exercise of skill. Every man who has acquired some unusual skill enjoys exercising it until it has become a matter of course, or until he can no longer improve himself. This motive to activity begins in early childhood: a boy who can stand on his head becomes reluctant to stand on his feet. A great deal of work gives the same pleasure that is to be derived from games of skill. The work of a lawyer or a politician must contain in a more delightful form a great deal of the same pleasure that is to be derived from playing bridge. Here of course there is not only the exercise of skill but the conquering of a skilled opponent. Even where this competitive element is absent, however, the performance of rare skills is agreeable. A man who can do stunts in an aeroplane finds the pleasure so great that for the sake of it he is willing to risk his life. I imagine that an able surgeon, in spite of the painful circumstances in which his work is done, derives satisfaction from the wonderful precision of his operations. The same kind of pleasure, though in a less intense form, is to be derived from a great deal of work of a humbler kind. All skilled work can be pleasurable, provided the skill required is either variable or capable of indefinite improvement. If these conditions are absent, it will cease to be interesting when a man has acquired his maximum skill. A man who runs three-mile races will cease to find pleasure in this occupation when he passes the age at which he can beat his own previous record. Fortunately there is a very considerable amount of work in which new circumstances call for new skill and a man can go on improving, at any rate until he has reached middle age. In some kinds of skilled work, such as politics, for example, it seems that men are at their best between sixty and seventy, the reason being that in such occupations a wide experience of other men is essential. For this reason successful politicians are apt to be happier at the age of seventy than any other men of equal age. Their only competitors in this respect are the men who are the heads of big businesses.

工作

伯特兰·罗素

工作应该被列为幸福的缘由，还是不幸的来源，这也许可以看作是个模棱两可的问题。确有很多工作令人极端烦恼，而过量的工作总是令人非常痛苦。然而，我却认为只要工作量不是过大，对大多数人而言即使是最乏味的工作也比无所事事好受些。工作有等级之分，根据工作的性质和工作者的能力，工作有仅为解闷的，也有带来无比快乐的。大多数人不得不从事的大部分工作本身并不怎么有意思，但即使这类工作也自有其好处。首先，它充实了白天的大量时光，使人无需考虑应该做些什么。如果人们能够根据自己的选择自行安排时间，大多数人会茫然无措，想不出有什么称心如意的事值得一做。而且不论他们决定做什么，他们总会心绪不宁地觉得做点别的事可能会更开心。能够明智地安排闲暇时间是文明社会的最后产物，而在目前几乎没有人达到这一境界。再说，选择本身就令人烦心。除了那些具有非凡的主动精神的人，人们肯定乐于听从别人吩咐自己何时该干何事，只要这些吩咐不过分令人不愉快。大多数无所事事的富人虽能免除劳作之苦，但为此得忍受着难以形容的无聊。有时他们可以去非洲狩猎，或环球飞行，从中找到解脱，但这类富于刺激的活动为数有限，尤其青年时期过后。所以，比较聪明的富人几乎像穷人那样辛勤地工作，而富有的太太小姐们则大多忙于无数鸡毛蒜皮的小事，可她们深信这些事有着惊天动地的重要性。

因此，工作可取之处首先就在于它能防止无聊，因为，一个人在从事虽然乏味但是必要的工作时所感到的厌倦，与他终日无所事事而感到的无聊相比，就算不得什么了。与工作的这一好处相联系的另一个好处是，工作使得节假日过起来更加滋味无穷。只要一个人不必工作得体竭力衰，他在空闲时间玩起来就会兴致勃勃，远非空闲的人可比。

大多数有报酬的工作以及某些没有报酬的工作的第二个好处是，工作带来成功和施展抱负的机会。大多数工作是以报酬来衡量成功的，只要我们的资本主义社会继续存在下去，这是不可避免的。只有在衡量最佳工作时，这一标准才不再是自然适用的。人们想增加收入的欲望同人们追求成功和高收入带来额外享受的欲望是一样的。无论所从事的工作多么单调乏味，只要它有助于自己在社会上，或仅仅在个人的小圈子里树立声誉，那也是可以忍受的。目标的连续性是最终获得幸福的最重要的因素之一，对大多数人来说，这主要来自他们的工作。就这点而言，那些整天忙于家务的妇女远不及男人或外出工作的妇女幸运。操持家务的太太领不到工资，无法自我提高，在丈夫看来，做妻子的就应该是这样（他对她所做的一切根本熟视无睹），他不是以她的家务工作，而是以别的素质来评估她。当然这不适用于那些家境相当富裕的妇女，她们将房子装点得漂漂亮亮，将花园点缀得美丽非凡，她们是左邻右舍羡慕的对象，但这样的妇女相比之下比较少。对大多数人而言，家务活不能像其他工作能给男人和职业妇女那样带来那么多的满足。

大凡工作都有打发时间，并使自己的抱负多少得到施展的满足感，这种满足感足以使一个从事单调乏味工作的人通常比一个没有工作的人快乐。而当工作有意义时，便能带来高层次的满足感，而不仅仅是摆脱无聊。

使工作变得有意义的主要因素是技能的施展。任何一个掌握非凡技能的人都乐于施展其本领，直到习以为常或无法再自我提高方才停止。这一动因自孩提时代便有了：一个会倒立的孩子不愿意站立。很多工作能像竞技比赛一样带来乐趣。律师或政治家在工作中肯定会领略到与打桥牌同样的很多乐趣,而且是能给人带来更多愉快的乐趣。当然，这当中不仅仅有技能的施展，更包括战胜老练的对手。即使没有这种竞争因素，非凡技能的表现也是令人愉快的。一个能进行特技飞行的人从中获得无比的乐趣，为此甘冒生命的危险。我想一位干练的外科医生能从其精湛的手术中获得满足，尽管他的工作是在令人不愉快的环境之中进行的。从许多较为微贱的工作中能得到同样的快乐，虽然程度不那么强烈。所有需要技能的工作都能带来快乐，只要所需要的技能是有变化的，或能够无止境地改进的。要是没有这些条件，那么当一个人达到其技能的顶点时，工作就不再有意思了。一个跑3英里赛跑的人，当他过了能打破自己原先记录的年龄时，就不会再从这一活动中获得乐趣。幸而在相当多的工作中，新的环境要求新的技能，一个人至少在到达中年之前可以不断提高。在诸如政治之类需要娴熟技巧的职业中，一个人似乎要到六、七十岁才达到炉火纯青，其原因在于，在这些职业中，与别人广泛的接触和了解是至关重要的。正因为如此，成功的政治家在70岁时往往比其他同龄人快乐。在这方面，唯一能与他们媲美的是大企业的老总们。

Key Words:

troubled ['trʌbld]  

adj. 动乱的，不安的；混乱的；困惑的

relief       [ri'li:f]     

n. 减轻，解除，救济(品), 安慰，浮雕，对比

boredom        ['bɔ:dəm]

n. 厌烦，厌倦，令人厌烦的事物

excessive        [ik'sesiv] 

adj. 过多的，过分的

agreeable      [ə'gri:əbəl]     

adj. 愉快的，和蔼可亲的，欣然同意的，一致的

except     [ik'sept]  

vt. 除，除外

prep. & conj.

unusual  [ʌn'ju:ʒuəl]    

adj. 不平常的，异常的

doubtful ['dautfəl]

adj. 可疑的，疑心的，不确定的

excess     [ik'ses, 'ekses]

n. 过量，超过，过剩

adj. 过量的，额外

limited    ['limitid] 

adj. 有限的，被限制的

inevitable       [in'evitəbl]     

adj. 不可避免的，必然(发生)的

uninteresting       

adj. 无趣味的，乏味的；令人厌倦的

boredom ['bɔ:dəm]

n. 厌烦，厌倦，令人厌烦的事物

circle       ['sə:kl]    

n. 圈子，圆周，循环

v. 环绕，盘旋，包围

continuity      [.kɔnti'nju:iti]  

n. 连续性

ambition        [æm'biʃən]    

n. 雄心，野心，抱负，精力

vt. 有 ..

majority  [mə'dʒɔriti]    

n. 多数，大多数，多数党，多数派

essential [i'senʃəl] 

n. 要素，要点

adj. 必要的，重要的，本

measure ['meʒə]   

n. 措施，办法，量度，尺寸

v. 测量，量

vigor      ['vigə]    

n. 活力，精力

competitive    [kəm'petitiv]  

adj. 竞争的，比赛的

ambition [æm'biʃən]    

n. 雄心，野心，抱负，精力

vt. 有 ..

agreeable      [ə'gri:əbəl]     

adj. 愉快的，和蔼可亲的，欣然同意的，一致的

opponent      [ə'pəunənt]    

n. 对手，敌手，反对者

adj. 敌对的，反

politician [.pɔli'tiʃən]     

n. 政治家，政客

rare [rɛə]

adj. 稀罕的，稀薄的，罕见的，珍贵的

ad

unusual  [ʌn'ju:ʒuəl]    

adj. 不平常的，异常的

precision [pri'siʒən]      

n. 精确，精密度

adj. 以精准的执行而著

spite       [spait]    

n. 恶意，怨恨

vt. 刁难，伤害

considerable  [kən'sidərəbl] 

adj. 相当大的，可观的，重要的

参考资料：

大学英语精读(第三版) 第四册:Unit10B Work(3)_大学教材听力 - 可可英语