建設的な目的は,娯楽と浪費の生活を送っている少年の精神の中では,容易には芽ばえない。なぜなら,そのような場合は,考えがつねに次の快楽に向いており,遠くにある目的達成には向かわないからである。
But constructive purposes do not easily form themselves in a boy’s mind if he is living a life of distractions and dissipations, for in that case his thoughts will always be directed towards the next pleasure rather than towards the distant achievement.
From: The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, chap.4:Boredom and excitement http://russell-j.com/beginner/HA14-060.HTM#r366-c018-2
何らかの真面目かつ建設的な目的を持っている青少年は,目的の達成の途上で必要だとわかれば,自主的に多くの退屈に耐えるだろう。
A boy or young man who has some serious constructive purpose will endure voluntarily a great deal of boredom if he finds that it is necessary by the way.
From: The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, chap.4:Boredom and excitement http://russell-j.com/beginner/HA14-060.HTM#r366-c018
子供が最もよく育つのは,若い苗木と同じく,邪魔されないで同じ土壌の中に置かれているときである。多すぎる旅行やあまりにも種々雑多な印象は,幼い子供たちにとってよくないし,大人になった時に,実りある単調さに耐えることをできなくしてしまう。
A child develops best when, like a young plant, he is left undisturbed in the same soil. Too much travel, too much variety of impressions, are not good for the young, and cause them as they grow up to become incapable of enduring fruitful monotony.
From: The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, chap.4:Boredom and excitement http://russell-j.com/beginner/HA14-060.HTM#r366-c017-3
r366-c017-2
興奮はさせるが,体はまったく動かさないような快楽,たとえば観劇などは,たまにしか与えるべきでない。この種の興奮は,麻薬に似ており,より多量に求められるようになるだろうし,興奮しているときに肉体を少しも動かさないというのは,本能に反する。
Pleasures which are exciting and at the same time involve no physical exertion, such, for example, as the theatre, should occur very rarely. The excitement is in the nature of a drug, of which more and more will come to be required, and the physical passivity during the excitement is contrary to instinct.
From: The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, chap.4:Boredom and excitement http://russell-j.com/beginner/HA14-060.HTM#r366-c017-2
r366-c017
幼少期の喜びは,主として,子供自身が多少の努力と創意工夫によって,自分の環境から引き出すようなものでなければならない。
The pleasures of childhood should in the main be such as the child extracts from his environment by means of some effort and inventiveness.
From: The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, chap.4:Boredom and excitement http://russell-j.com/beginner/HA14-060.HTM#r366-c017
r366-c016-2
彼ら(現代の親)は子供たちに,ショー(注:演劇,映画,各種見せ物,現代で言えばテレビほか)だの,おいしい食物だのといった,受動的な娯楽をあまりにもたくさん与えすぎており,やや特別の機会は別にして,毎日同じような日々を持つことが子供にとってどんなに重要であるかを,理解していない。
They (Modern parents) provide their children with far too many passive amusements, such as shows and good things to eat, and they do not realise the importance to a child of having one day like another, except, of course, for somewhat rare occasions.
From: The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, chap.4:Boredom and excitement http://russell-j.com/beginner/HA14-060.HTM#r366-c016-2
r366-c016
多少とも単調な生活に耐える能力は,幼少期に獲得されるべきものである。
The capacity to endure a more or less monotonous life is one which should be acquired in childhood.
From: The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, chap.4:Boredom and excitement http://russell-j.com/beginner/HA14-060.HTM#r366-c016
r366-c015 退屈に耐える力をある程度持っていることは,幸福な生活にとって不可欠であり,若い人たちに教えられるべき事柄の一つである。
.A certain power of enduring boredom is therefore essential to a happy life, and is one of the things that ought to be taught to the young.
From: The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, chap.4:Boredom and excitement http://russell-j.com/beginner/HA14-040.HTM#r366-c015
r366-c014-2
過度の興奮に慣れた人は,胡椒(コショウ)を病的にほしがる人に似ており,そのような人は,ついには,ほかの人なら誰でも窒息しそうなほど多量の胡椒でさえ味がわからなくなる。
A person accustomed to too much excitement is like a person with a morbid craving for pepper, who comes last to be unable even to taste a quantity of pepper which would cause anyone else to choke.
From: The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, chap.4:Boredom and excitement http://russell-j.com/beginner/HA14-040.HTM#r366-014-2
r366-c014
過剰に興奮に満ちた生活は,心身を消耗させる生活であり,そこでは,快楽の必須の部分と考えられるようになったスリルを得る(自分に与える)ために,絶えずより強い刺激が必要となる。
A life too full of excitement is an exhausting life, in which continually stronger stimuli are needed to give the thrill that has come to be thought an essential part of pleasure.
From: The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, chap.4:Boredom and excitement http://russell-j.com/beginner/HA14-040.HTM#r366-014