Ahh, high school. Thinking back to those years brings both a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. Even though it hasn't exactly been years since I left, it certainly feels like it. I learnt a lot of things in high school that I thought were "the law" at the time, and I don't mean physics laws in the classroom. Little did I know, I would be debunking those laws myths pretty soon.
啊,中学!每当我忆及中学时光,总有几多欢笑,几多泪水。虽然中学毕业也没多久,但回想起来好像已经时过数载。中学时期,我坚守着很多当时被自己奉为金科玉律的“真理”,当然我说的并非课堂上学到的那些物理定律。当时的我并不知道,在不久的将来我会一一揭穿这些所谓的“真理”。
1. Popularity is vital.
人气至关重要。
At school, popularity was like currency, there were the rich, and there were the poor. For some reason, the rich deserved more respect (or fear) than the poor. As a kid, I didn't even realise that popularity wasn't even real! It was just a self perpetuating2) thing that people made up in their minds, projected onto others, who lived up to3) expectations. It blew up4) people's egos5) and made others feel inadequate6). Luckily, I wasn't on either end of the scale and I lived those years manoeuvring7) myself around the middle of it. If only I could go back now and tell everyone to stop being so silly and just be themselves.
在学校里,人气就像货币一样,于是就有了人气高、受欢迎的“富学生”和人气低、不受欢迎的“穷学生”。不知为何,“富学生”总能比“穷学生”赢得更多的尊重(或敬畏)。当年作为孩子的我根本不知道,所谓的人气根本就不存在!它只不过是人们在自己脑海里想象出来的一种持续的自我意识,然后把这种意识投射到那些符合自己期望的其他人身上。它使人们自我膨胀,并让他人感到自卑。幸运的是,我不在“人气榜”的两个极端,中学的那段时期我一直设法让自己保持在中间位置。希望现在的我能回到过去,告诉大家不要那么傻,做回真正的自己就好。
2. You will only have "made it" when you have a house / car / pool etc.
只有在有了房子、车子、泳池等等时你才算是“成功人士”。
The process goes like this: go to school, get a degree, get a good job, earn good money, buy a big house, buy a big car, then buy as much as you can = live a good life. Well, that's what we're taught. I don't want to criticise the school system (too much) here, but that's exactly what it is, a system. Like a factory, we go through one end and come out the other. They tell us all the same thing and hope we get on with it. Then they measure their success by how much we can buy fifteen years later. I guess that's how there are many more (over-)consumers in the world than there are minimalists8).
整个流程就是这样:上学读书,取得学位,找到好工作,赚很多钱,买大房子,买豪车,然后买很多你想要的东西,就等于过上了好生活。这就是我们被灌输的思想。我不想在这里(过多地)批判学校的教育体制,但现在的教育体制确确实实就是这样。它就像一座工厂,我们从一个入口进去,从另一端被制造出来。他们给我们灌输同样的思想,并希望我们能够按照这种观念走下去。然后他们用我们15年以后的购买能力来衡量他们的成功。我想这就是为什么世界上的(过度)消费者远远多于最低限要求者的原因。
3. Grades are everything.
分数就是王道。
Yes, grades do matter, but they're not the be-all and end-all9) of everything. You need good grades if you're planning to go to university and get a degree, which, even in this internet centered, entrepreneurial10) world, I still think is relevant. However, you don't need to burn yourself out and sacrifice everything to get top grades and you don't need to bring your self confidence down if you don't get what you want either. Just doing your best and keeping a balance is enough.
不可否认,分数确实很重要,但是分数并非一切事情的终极目标。虽然,即使是在这个以互联网、自我创业为主导的时代,分数也非常重要——比如你想要上大学取得学位就需要好的分数,但是,你真的不需要去耗尽全力、牺牲一切来获得高分。如果你的学习成绩不理想,也完全没必要对自己失去信心。只要尽了全力,全面发展就足够了。
4. The lone star shines bright.
个人荣誉最闪耀。
We used to be told that it was important to stand out whenever we can. That's when you see head cheerleaders, class reps11), student body leaders, sports captains and the lot12). A lot of this is a good thing; we learn to be independent and we build up our individuality.
我们当时一直被灌输这样一种思想:只要有机会就要好好表现自己,这是非常重要的,所以你能看到拉拉队队长、班级代表、学生会领导、运动队队长等等。当然,这也是一种好事,我们可以从中学会独立,并发展自己的个性。
However, sometimes the idea of individual merit13) is pushed so hard that teamwork, humility and fairness is often forgotten. Even when we have to work in teams, a lot of us still strive to either take over, lead the team, or take as much credit as possible. When we're older, we toot our own horns14) as loud as we can to show others what we've accomplished. It's not our fault completely, but sometimes we care more about ourselves than the project at hand or the bigger picture. I think the product of a team is much more than the sum of all the individuals, no matter how great they think they are.
然而,有时太过推崇这种个人荣誉观常常让我们忘了还有团队合作、谦逊和公平。即使是在需要我们团队合作时,许多人还是想要当领导者管理团队,或是尽可能多地抢占功劳。当我们年龄再大些的时候,就开始向他人大肆宣扬我们之前的辉煌成绩。当然这并非全是我们的错,但是有时我们确实不顾手边的项目或是大局利益,而更多地关心自己。我认为,无论个人认为自己有多强,所有个体的总和也还是比不上一个团队的力量和成就。
5. This is how life is going to be.
生活就是这个样子了。
I remember coming out of several boring years of high school thinking, "Oh my goodness, my life is going to suck15)." But, I quickly realised that high school has basically nothing to do with real life. Yes you learn a couple of things, but most of the academic stuff you learnt you'll never use again. Plus, high school doesn't foreshadow16) how you'll perform for the rest of your life. Once you leave for university, you'll have a chance to start again, to be whoever you want to be. You can debunk all these myths and change the way you live and think.
我记得在过了几年枯燥的中学生活后,我想:“我的天哪,我的人生真是无聊透顶、糟糕透了。”不过,我很快就意识到,中学生活基本算不上是真实的现实生活。是的,你在中学时期学到了一些东西,但是绝大多数学业上的知识你以后根本就用不上。另外,中学时期的表现无法预示你在未来的表现。一旦你进入大学,你就拥有一个重新开始的机会,成为任何你想要成为的人。你可以揭穿所有这些谬见,换一种生活和思考方式。
Okay okay, high school wasn't all that bad. Yes, it seemed to drag on17) but most importantly, I made some great friends, some of whom I have a feeling I will still be having occasional chats with twenty years from now.
好吧好吧,其实中学也没有那么不好。虽然中学时代好像过得很漫长,但最重要的是,我在中学时期结交了很多很棒的朋友,那种就算是20年后我相信也仍然会偶尔出来一起聊天的好朋友。
High school, and university for that matter, is what you make of it, and after debunking these negative myths from high school, I wish you have the best university years to come.
中学(还有大学也一样)过得怎样,全靠你自己。在揭穿了中学里的这些错误观念后,我祝愿你们迎来一段最棒的大学时光。
1. debunk [di:5bQNk] vt. 揭穿……的吹嘘(或虚假等)
2. perpetuate [pE:5petjueIt] vt. 使永久,使永恒;使长存;保持
3. live up to: 符合;不辜负(期望)
4. blow up: <口> 放大
5. ego [5i:^EJ] n. 自我中心;自负;自尊心
6. inadequate [In5AdIkwEt] adj. 不适当的;不够格的;不能胜任的;不充分的
7. manoeuvre [mE5nu:vE(r)] vi. 设法调整
8. minimalist [5mInImElIEt] n. 最低限要求者
9. be-all and end-all: <口> 根本,主要因素,全部;终极目标;顶点
10. entrepreneurial [7CntrEprE5nErIEl] adj. 企业家的
11. rep [rep] n.<口> 代表
12. the lot: 全部,整个儿
13. merit [5merIt] n. 功绩,功劳
14. toot one's own horn: 自吹自擂
15. suck [sQk] vi. 显得糟糕;令人极不愉快,令人讨厌
16. foreshadow [fC:5FAdEu] vt. 预示;是……的预兆
17. drag on: 拖延;使拖延