be keen to get to know you better 更想认识你

迅速离你而去

The first question you tend to get asked when you meet someone at a party is "So what do you do?""And according to how impressive your answer is, people are either keen to get to know you better, or swiftly leave you behind by the nuts.在派对中你遇到别人时，常被问到的个问题是你的工作是什么？"根据你的回答有多令人印象深刻， 人们会因此更想认识你，或是迅速离你而去。

complete verdict about how valuable we are as humans 评断我们身为人的价值

snob  势利小人

We're anxious because we live in a world of snobs, people who take a tiny part of us- our professional identities - and use these to come to a complete verdict about how valuable we are as humans.我们会感到焦虑，是因为我们活在一个势利的世界 人们只看一小部份的我们像是我们的职业，全然以此评断我们身为人的价值

care about your status 在乎你的身份地位

The opposite of a snob is your mother. She doesn't care about your status, she cares about your soul.与势利截然相反是你的妈妈。她不在乎你的身份地位，她在乎的是你的灵魂。

worry so much about judgement and humiliation如此在乎别人对我们的评论并感到羞耻

Yet most people aren't our mothers - and that's why we worry so much about judgement and humiliation.但是大部份的人不是我们的妈妈 也因此我们会如此在乎别人对我们的评论并感到羞耻。

live in materialistic times活在金钱至上的时代

It's said we live in materialistic times.人们常说我们活在金钱至上的时代

poignant /ˈpɔɪnjənt/ =ADJ Something that is poignant affects you deeply and makes you feel sadness or regret. 辛酸的

But it's more poignant than that.但事实上比那更惨

be pegged to the acquisition of material things被限定在物质的获得中;和物质获得息息相关

We live in times where emotional rewards have been pegged to the acquisition of material things.在我们这个时代 人们情感的报酬只被限定在物质的获得中。

go after money, big jobs or fancy cars  追求金钱、工作、名车

is rarely these things in themselves往往不是那些事物本身

What people want when they go after money, big jobs or fancy cars is rarely these things in themselves, so much as the attention and respect - if you like "the love" - that are given to those who have them.人们在追求金钱、工作、名车的时候 想要的往往不是那些事物本身而是拥有这些东西后得到他人的注意和尊重，或是爱。

be unusually greedy 非常贪心的

someone with a particularly intense vulnerability and need for love感到强烈的脆弱、渴望爱的人

Next time you see a guy driving by in a Ferrari, don't think it's someone unusually greedy;think it's someone with a particularly intense vulnerability and need for love.

所以下一次当你看见有人开着法拉利， 不要认为他是个非常贪心的人，而是个感到强烈的脆弱、渴望爱的人。

don't manage to get to the top无法爬到高点

We're also anxious because we're constantly told we could become anything.We hear it from our earliest days. It should be great that there's so much opportunity in the modern world.But what if we fail in such a world- what if you don't manage to get to the top when there was said to be every chance?我们会感到焦虑，也因为我们 经常被告知我们可以成为任何人。我们从小时候就听到这样的说法。现代社会充满这么多机会，这应该是很棒的。但万一我们在这样的世界中失败了、万一我们无法在这种充满机会的社会中爬到高点，怎么办？

self-help shelves of bookstores 书店里励志书籍的书架上

The self-help shelves of bookstores are filled with two kinds of books that capture the modern anxious condition.书店里励志书籍的架上充满两大类的书都抓住了现代焦虑的精髓。

low self-esteem 低自尊

make it big 成功

The first have titles like 'How to make it big in 15 minutes' and 'Be an overnight millionaire.'The second have titles like: 'How to cope with low self-esteem.'有一类的书名像是"如何在15分钟内成功" 、 "一夜之间成为百万富翁"。另一类的书名像是 "如何应对低落的自我满足感"。

end up with a lot of dissatisfaction and grief 终究只有满怀的不满和痛苦

A society that tells people they could have everything, but where in fact only a tiny minority can, will end up with a lot of dissatisfaction and grief.这个社会告诉大家他们可以拥有任何东西，但事实上只有少部分的人做得到，而许多人终究只有满怀的不满和痛苦。

be rigged 被操纵的;(欺骗性地) 幕后操纵的

There's a related problem: our societies are - to a large extent - deemed to be "fair".Back in the olden days, you knew the system was totally rigged.还有个相关的问题：我们的社会在很大程度上被认为是公平的。在过去，你知道社会阶级是被操纵的。

is not to your credit 不是你的荣誉

It wasn't your fault if you were a peasant and not to your credit if you were the lord.如果你是个农夫并不是你的错；如果你是个地主也不是你的荣誉。

meritocracy /ˌmerɪˈtɒkrəsi/ N-VAR A meritocracy is a society or social system in which people get status or rewards because of what they achieve, rather than because of their wealth or social status. 贤能社会

属于那些值得拥有

But now we're told our societies are meritocracies, places where rewards go to those who merit them; the hardworking clever among us.但是现在人们说我们的社会是选贤举能。报酬是属于那些值得拥有，勤奋聪明过人的人。

sounds lovely  听起来很棒

It sounds lovely - but there's a nasty sting in the tail.听起来很棒，但是美好的背后却有着糟糕的下场。

those at the bottom 在社会底层的人

those at the top在上流阶层的人

If you really believe in a society where those at the top deserve to get there, that has to mean those at the bottom deserve to be there too.

如果你真的相信在社会中有些人在上流阶层确实是他们应得的，这就意味着有些人在社会底层也是他们应得的。

make poverty seem somehow deserved让贫穷看起来是应得的

Meritocracies make poverty seem not just unpleasant, but also somehow deserved.

选贤举能的社会让贫穷看起来 不仅使人厌恶，也看起来是应得的。

be blessed by the Goddess of fortune被幸运之神眷顾

In Medieval England, people used to call the poor 'unfortunates'.

Literally, people who had not been blessed by the Goddess of fortune.在中世纪的英国，人们称贫困的人为 "不幸的人"。字面上的意思是：不被幸运之神眷顾的人。

adv. 显著地

Nowadays, especially in the US (where meritocracy is big), they call them - rather tellingly - 'losers'.

在现代，特别是在选贤举能观念强烈的美国 他们称贫困的人为 "输家"。

become the central verdict on your character 主要的基准

professional position  职业身份

We scarcely believe in "luck" nowadays as something that explains where we end up. No one will believe you if you say you were fired because of "bad luck". Your professional position has become the central verdict on your character.如今，我们几乎不相信运气能解释我们的成就。没有人会相信你说自己是因为运气不好而被开除。你的职业身份已经成为评断你是什么人主要的基准。

suicide rates rise exponentially  /ˌekspəˈnenʃəli/ 自杀率呈指数上升

No wonder suicide rates rise exponentially the moment a society joins the so-called 'modern world'.也难怪当社会进入所谓的现代世界时 自杀率会翻倍地上升。

be meritocratic  /ˌmerɪtəˈkrætɪk/  (社会或社会制度)评功论赏的; 任人唯才的; 以功绩定地位的

determine a critical share of where people end up in the hierarchy /ˈhaɪərɑːki/关键性地决定人们最后落在哪个阶级

not least 尤其是

entirely deserve to be where they are完全是他们应得的

How can we cope?First off, by refusing to believe that any society really can be meritocratic: luck or accident continue to determine a critical share of where people end up in the hierarchy.Treat no one - not least yourself - as though they entirely deserve to be where they are.我们能怎么办首先，别相信任何社会真的是选贤举能的。运气和意外仍然关键性地决定人们最后落在哪个阶级。对待人们时 -- 尤其对自己-- 不要认为 他们在哪个阶层完全是他们应得的。

make up your own definition of success创造属于自己的成功定义

 society's

Secondly, make up your own definition of success instead of uncritically leaning on society's.第二，创造属于自己的成功定义 而不要盲目地顺从社会的定义。

the value system of industrial capitalism业化资本主义价值体系所定义的价值

There are so many ways to succeed, and many of them have nothing to do with status as its currently defined within the value system of industrial capitalism.有非常多种成功的方式，其中很多跟目前工业化资本主义价值体系所定义的身份地位没有关系。

rarely succeed at empathy or family life很少能在同情心或家庭生活上成功

Those who succeed at making money rarely succeed at empathy or family life.有非常多种成功的方式，其中很多跟目前工业化资本主义价值体系所定义的身份地位没有关系，成功赚到财富的人，很少能在同情心或家庭生活上成功。

let our outer achievements define our sense of self entirely让我们外在的成就来完全定义自我

Thirdly, and most importantly, we should refuse to let our outer achievements define our sense of self entirely.第三，也是重要的 我们应该避免让我们外在的成就来完全定义自我。

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