Cultivating a Hobby培養一種業余愛好

By Winston Churchill

The cultivation of a hobby and new forms of interest is therefore a policy of first importance to a public man .But this is not a business that can be untaken in a day or swiftly improvised by a mere command of the will. The growth of alternative mental interests is a long process. The seeds must be carefully chosen; they must fall on good ground; they must be sedulously tended, if the vivifying fruits are to be at band when needed.

對一個公眾人物來說，培養一種業余愛好、一種新的興趣顯得尤為重要。但這不是一件一朝一日或憑一時的意氣就能一蹴而就的事情。這種替代憂慮的心理興趣培養是一個長期的過程。它的種子必須要精挑細選，然后播撒到肥沃的土壤中，要想得到籽粒飽滿、需要時隨手可摘的果實，還必須對他們精心呵護。

To be really happy really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real. It is no use starting late in life to say: “I will take an interest in this or that.” Such an attempt only aggravates the strain of mental effort. A man may acquire great knowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work, and yet hardly get any benefit or relief. It is no use dong what you like; you have got to like what you do. Broadly speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes; those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death. It is no use offering the manual laborer, tired out with a hard week’s sweat and effort, the chance of playing a game of football or baseball on Saturday afternoon. It is no use inviting the politician or the professional or businessman, who has been working or worrying about serious things for six days, to work or worry about trifling things at the week-end.

要想真正的快樂，而且每次都能真正奏效，一個人必須有兩種或三種業余愛好，而且必須是真正的業余愛好。一個人到了晚年才說：“我要培養這種或那種興趣。”那已經沒有任何意義了。這種嘗試只能更加增加大腦的壓力。一個人可能具有與他日常工作無關的大量的知識，但這些知識并無助于他減輕心理壓力。隨心所欲的做你喜歡的工作不會幫你減輕心理壓力，而是你必須設法喜歡你目前所做的工作。大致來說，人可分為三類：第一類人是累死;第二類人是愁死;第三類人是煩死。體力勞動者經過一周的辛勤勞動已經筋疲力盡，再讓他們在周六下午踢足球或打棒球無助于消除他們的疲勞。讓那些為一些大事已經連續工作或煩惱了六天的政治家、專業人員或工商界人士來說，在周末的時候讓他們為一些雞毛蒜皮的小事煩惱費神，也不會使他們身心輕松。