陈漠·《我们为何丧失慢的能力》英译

我们为何丧失慢的能力

How We Have Lost the Endowment of Patience

We are now used to racing against the clock. What we like most is the key of “fast-forward”, and the key of “refres

-h” has also been most frequently used almost in a maniac way. When we want to give a commentary, we rush to

be the first; to send letters, EMS is always the first choice; to have pictures taken, “ready while one waits” is the on

-ly way we can tolerate. As for traveling, expressway, high-speed train or maglev train is preferable; and direct flight is most desirable all times when traveling by air. The best career is the one that can bring both fame and fortune immediately and the best undertake on one’s won is the one that can bring a fortune overnight. And it is most ideal to marry someone who owns a private car and a house.
   
        We habitually jump the queue as we are impatient to stand in it and wait for our turns and simply ignore the one-meter mark at the bank. We often vie to get on a taxi, and almost inevitably accelerate to rush forward as soon as the traffic light turned yellow when driving. In order to save five minutes, we would vault over the partition fence in the middle of the road. We always hurry even when taking tours: getting aboard vehicles hurriedly, taking photos hurriedly, and then leaving hurriedly.

        At the same time, however, we are the most patient people in the world in some cases. Years ago we got into the queues and stood in it overnight patiently just for the subscription of stock purchasing in order to speculate on the stock market, and now the whole family would stand in the queue three days before the sale begins to buy an apartment house. We don’t mind standing in the queue for half a day as we like to buy goods on sale when stores have promotions. We would patiently wait for two hours sitting on plastic stools cracking melon seeds provided by the restaurant in order to have a meal in a crowded restaurant. The more crowded a restaurant, the more we prefer. We are willing to stand in the queue a month ahead to register to see a medical expert even when we just catch a cold.