杰弗里·谢弗/Jeffrey Shaffer

　　Peace of mind is something I think about every day. It's great to have confidence when stepping out my front door that I will be able to move around the local environment without fear and return home safely.

　　But peace of mind depends on mutual trust from every citizen—that as we walk the streets and conduct our personal affairs we hold the same basic views and values about maintaining a civil society.

　　Every time a violent crime or terrorist act is perpetrated on unsuspecting victims, when a sniper starts shooting or a bomb explodes, our collective peace of mind is eroded, along with our willingness to trust all the unknown people with whom we share sidewalks, shopping malls, and other public spaces.

　　Safety precautions and technology may encourage peace of mind but they can't substitute for it. My neighborhood bank branch was robbed a few years ago. Now thick plastic slabs protect every teller's window and surveillance cameras monitor the lobby. If I am gunned down while making a deposit, the videotapes will probably help police apprehend the guilty party and bring him or her to swift justice, but that fact doesn't make me sleep better at night. I would rather have no security cameras and no robbers to worry about in my personal universe.

　　Forgive my wishful thinking, but you don't have to look far in this world to see how cultural creativity and dynamism evaporate when people are forced to devote most of their time and energy to self-defense.

　　We have spent more than 200 years trying to build a society that provides everyone with ongoing opportunities to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and it hasn't been easy. A 1915 book entitled A History of Travel in Anlerica by Seymour Dunbar described the harsh conditions facing early settlers who crossed the eastern mountain ranges and headed into the western wilderness. It explained how the constant danger and anxiety affected their outlook and behavior.

　　Writes Dunbar,“They walked with a soft and swinging stride, keeping themselves always well poised. For no man ever knew whether his next move would be a leap to the right or to the left, a dive behind a log, a dash ahead or a rush backward over the path he had come…”

　　Peace of mind can't be measured. All I know for sure is that I appreciate every moment l have it. And I am alarmed whenever I get the feeling it may be steadily slipping away.

　　平静的心态是我每天都要思考的东西。假如每天我都能满怀信心地走出家门，能无忧无虑地在附近闲逛，然后安全回家，那就太好了。

　　可是，平静的心态在于每个人之间的相互信任。也就是说，当我们走在街上，处理私事时，我们持有同样的基本观点和价值观去维系一个文明的社会。

　　当毫无戒备的无辜人士受到暴力犯罪或恐怖行动的伤害时，当枪手射出子弹或炸弹爆炸时，我们大家的平静心态就会被削弱；同时，对所有与我们走在同一条人行道上、在同一家商场购物，或是在其他公共场所占用空间的陌生人，我们也都慢慢地失去了信任感。

　　安全措施和技术或许可以帮助人们获得平静的心态，可是这些不能代替它。多年前，我家附近一家银行的分行曾遭到抢劫。现在，每个出纳员的窗口都用厚重的塑料板保护着，监控器监控着整个营业大厅。假如我在存款时被枪击倒，监控录像带就能提供线索帮警方找到犯罪团伙并立刻将其绳之以法，可是这无法让我在晚上安安稳稳地睡个好觉。我宁肯没有安全摄像系统，也不必担心有强盗来破坏我个人的生活空间。

　　请原谅我一相情愿的想法。然而，在这个世界上，只要你放眼望去，就能看到人们不得不将自己的大多数时间和精力用在自卫上，有那么多充满智慧的创造力和充沛的精力为此而“蒸发”不见了。

　　我们用了两百多年去试着建立一个社会。这个社会，为每个人提供不断的机会去享受生活、享受自由、追求幸福。可是要实现这个目标，从来就不是件容易的事。1915年，西摩·邓巴写了一本题为《美国旅行史》的书，书中描述了早期的移民在越过东部群山向西部荒野进发时所面临的严酷环境。该书阐释了长时间的危险和焦虑，会对人们的思想和行为产生怎样的影响。

　　邓巴写道：“他们迈着柔弱、摇摆的步子向前走着，总是努力让自己保持平静，因为没有人知道他下一步是需要向右还是向左，是抓住一根圆木跃入水中还是急冲向前，或者应该沿着来时的路返回……”

　　心态的平静是不能测量的。可是我能确定的是，我珍惜拥有平静心态的分分秒秒。每当我想到平静的心态也许正在不断地从身边悄悄溜走时，我就会感到焦虑。

　　在为人处世的时候，我们都需要保持平静的心态。只有这种心态，才能让我们变得自信，从容。

　　sniper ['snaip?] n.狙击手

　　They were spotted by a US sniper.

　　他们被一个美国狙击手发现了。

　　substitute ['s?bstitju:t] v.替代

　　We can use honey to substitute the sugar.

　　我们可以用蜂蜜代替砂糖。

　　dynamism ['dain?miz?m] n.物力论；活力；推动力；动态

　　The dynamism is to be seen everywhere.

　　到处可以见到蓬勃发展的景象。

　　stride [straid] n.步幅；大步；进展

　　The boy walked with a manly stride.

　　那男孩走路迈着大人的步子。

　　平静的心态是我每天都要思考的东西。

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　　安全措施和技术或许可以帮助人们获得平静的心态，可是这些不能代替它。

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　　心态的平静是不能测量的。

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　　But peace of mind depends on mutual trust from every citizen—that as we walk the streets and conduct our personal affairs we hold the same basic views and values about maintaining a civil society.

　　depend on：依靠；依赖；取决于

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　　For no man ever knew whether his next move would be a leap to the right or to the left, a dive behind a log, a dash ahead or a rush backward over the path he had come…

　　to the right：在……右边；向右

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