《穷爸爸富爸爸》第2章（下）

"Well, you boys had better start thinking. You're staring at one of life's biggest lessons. If you learn the lesson, you'll enjoy a life of great freedom and security. If you don't learn the lesson, you'll wind up like Mrs. Martin and most of the people playing softball in this park. They work very hard, for little money, clinging to the illusion of job security, looking forward to a three-week vacation each year and a skimpy pension after forty-five years of work. If that excites you, I'll give you a raise to 25 cents an hour."
“你们正在学习一生中最重要的一课，你们应该学会思考。”富爸爸说道，“如果你学会了这一课，你将一生享受自由和安宁；如果没有学好这一课，你们就会像马丁太太和其他在这空场里玩垒球的人一样了此一生。他们为一点点钱而勤奋工作，兼有一种有工作的虚幻安全感，盼着一年三周的假期和工作45年后获得的一小笔养老金。如果你喜欢这样，我就把工资提到每小时25美分。”

"But these are good hard-working people. Are you making fun of them?" I demanded.
“但他们都是努力工作的好人啊，你在嘲笑他们吗？”我问道。

A smile came over rich dad's face.
一丝笑容浮上了富爸爸的面庞。

"Mrs. Martin is like a mother to me. I would never be that cruel. I may sound cruel because I'm doing my best to point something out to the two of you. I want to expand your point of view so you can see something. Something most people never have the benefit of seeing because their vision is too narrow. Most people never see the trap they are in."
“马丁太太对我就像妈妈一样，我决不会那么残忍地对她。我上面的话可能听起来很无情，可是我正尽力向你俩说明一些事情。我想拓宽你们的视野以便让你们看清一些东西。这些东西甚至大多数成年人也从未有看见过，因为他们眼界狭窄，大多数人从未认识到他们身处困境。”

Mike and I sat there uncertain of his message. He sounded cruel, yet we could sense he was desperately wanting us to know something.
迈克和我还是不太明白他的话。他听起来很无情，然而我们能感到他确实急于想让我们明白一些事情。

With a smile, rich dad said, "Doesn't that 25 cents an hour sound good? Doesn't it make your heart beat a little faster."
富爸爸笑着又说了：“25美分1小时怎么样？这样是否能让你们心跳加速？”

I shook my head "no," but it really did. Twenty five cents an hour would be big bucks to me.
我摇摇头说：“不会啊”，可事实上，25美分1小时对我而言可真是一大笔钱啊！

"OK, I'll pay you a dollar an hour," rich dad said, with a sly grin.
“好，我每小时给你1美元。”富爸爸带着狡黠的笑容说。

Now my heart was beginning to race. My brain was screaming, "Take it. Take it." I could not believe what I was hearing. Still, I said nothing.
我的心开始狂跳，头也开始发晕。“接受，快接受。”我的心里在喊，但我不相信我所听到的，所以什么也没说。

"OK, $2 an hour."
“好吧，每小时2美元。”

My little 9-year-old brain and heart nearly exploded. After all, it was 1956 and being paid $2 an hour would have made me the richest kid in the world. I couldn't imagine earning that kind of money. I wanted to say "yes." I wanted the deal. I could see a new bicycle, new baseball glove, and adoration of my friends when I flashed some cash. On top of that, Jimmy and his rich friends could never call me poor again. But somehow my mouth stayed silent.
我那9岁的大脑和心脏几乎要爆炸了。毕竟这是1956年，每小时2美元将使我成为世界上最有钱的孩子！我无法想像能挣到这么多钱。我想说“好的”，我真想达成这笔交易。我似乎看见一辆新自行车，一副新棒球手套，以及当我拿出钱时同学们羡慕的表情。最重要的是，基米和他的朋友再也不能叫我穷人了，但不知怎么我仍未开口。

Maybe my brain had overheated and blown a fuse. But deep down, I badly wanted that $2 an hour.
也许我的脑袋已经热昏了，但内心深处，我极其想要那每小时的2美元。

The ice cream had melted and was running down my hand. The ice-cream stick was empty, and under it was a sticky mess of vanilla and chocolate that ants were enjoying.
冰淇淋化了，流到了我手上。冰淇淋筒已经空了，蚂蚁正在享受着一团香精和巧克力。

Rich dad was looking at two boys staring back at him, eyes wide open and brains empty. He knew he was testing us, and he knew there was a part of our emotions that wanted to take the deal. He knew that each human being has a weak and needy part of their soul that can be bought. And he knew that each human being also had a part of their soul that was strong and filled with a resolve that could never be bought. It was only a question of which one was stronger. He had tested thousands of souls in his life. He tested souls every time he interviewed someone for a job.
富爸爸看着两个孩子盯着他，眼睛睁很大大的，脑子里却空空如也。事实上，他正在考验我们，而且他也知道我们很想接受这笔交易。他知道每个人都有可以被击中的弱点，也知道每个人都有一种强大、坚定、无法用金钱收买的精神。问题在于哪一部分更强大。他在一生中考验了成百上千的人，每次的招工面试都是一番考验。

"OK, $5 an hour."
“好，5美元1小时。”

Suddenly there was a silence from inside me. Something had changed. The offer was too big and had gotten ridiculous. Not too many grownups in 1956 made more than $5 an hour. The temptation disappeared, and a calm set in. Slowly I turned to my left to look at Mike. He looked back at me. The part of my soul that was weak and needy was silenced. The part of me that had no price took over. There was a calm and a certainty about money that entered my brain and my soul. I knew Mike had gotten to that point also.
我的内心突然平静下来了，内心发生了一些变化。这个出价太高了，显得有些荒谬。在1956年，连成年人也没有几个人可以每小时挣5美元的。诱惑消失了，平静回来了。我慢慢地转过头去看迈克，他也在看我。我灵魂中软弱而贫乏的一面沉默了，而无法用钱收买的一面占了上风。面对钱，我开始心安神定。我知道迈克也一样。

"Good," rich dad said softly. "Most people have a price. And they have a price because of human emotions named fear and greed. First, the fear of being without money motivates us to work hard, and then once we get that paycheck, greed or desire starts us thinking about all the wonderful things money can buy. The pattern is then set."
“很好，”富爸爸轻轻地说，“大多数人都希望有一份工资收入，之所以会这样是因为他们有恐惧和贪婪之心。先说恐惧感，没钱的恐惧会刺激我们努力工作，当我们得到报酬时，贪婪或欲望又开始让我们去想所有钱能买到的东西。于是就形成了一种模式。”

"What pattern?" I asked.
“什么模式？”我问。

"The pattern of get up, go to work, pay bills, get up, go to work, pay bills... Their lives are then run forever by two emotions, fear and greed. Offer them more money, and they continue the cycle by also increasing their spending. This is what I call the Rat Race."
“起床，上班，付账，再起床，再上班，再付账……他们的生活就是在无穷尽地为这两种感觉而奔忙：恐惧和贪婪。给他们更多的钱，他们就会以更高的开支重复这种循环。这就是我所说的‘老鼠赛跑’”。

"There is another way?" Mike asked.
“有什么法子吗？”迈克问。

"Yes," said rich dad slowly. "But only a few people find it."
“有，但只有少数人知道。

"And what is that way?" Mike asked.
“是什么方法？”迈克问道。

"That's what I hope you boys will find out as you work and study with me. That is why I took away all forms of pay."
“我希望你俩能在工作和跟我学习的过程中找到解决的办法。这就是我不给你们任何工资的原因。”

"Any hints?" Mike asked. "We're kind of tired of working hard, especially for nothing."
“有什么提示吗？”迈克问。“我们工作得很累，尤其是白干的时候。”

"Well, the first step is telling the truth," said rich dad.
“哦，第一步是讲真话。”富爸爸说。

"We haven't been lying." I said.
“我们可没撒谎。”我叫道。

"I did not say you were lying. I said to tell the truth," rich dad came back.
“我没说你们撒谎，我是说要分清真相。”

"The truth about what?" I asked.
“那什么是真相？”

"How you're feeling," rich dad said. "You don't have to say it to anyone else. Just yourself."
“靠你感觉，除了你自己谁也不能真正明白你的感觉。”

"You mean the people in this park, the people who work for you, Mrs. Martin, they don't do that?" I asked.
“你说这公园里的人，那些为你工作的人，还有马丁夫人，他们都没弄清楚这些东西？”

"I doubt it," said rich dad. "Instead, they feel the fear of not having money. Instead of confronting the fear, they react instead of think. They react emotionally instead of using their heads," rich dad said, tapping us on our heads. "'Then, they get a few bucks in their hands, and again the emotion of joy and desire and greed take over, and again they react, instead of think."
“我想是的。他们害怕没有钱，不愿面对没钱的恐惧，对此他们作出了反应但不是用他们的头脑。”富爸爸说着拍拍我们的头。“他们会去挣了点小钱，可快乐、欲望、贪婪会接着控制他们，他们会再作出反应，仍然是不加思考。”

"So their emotions do their thinking," Mike said.
“他们的感情代替了他们的思想。”迈克说。

"That's correct," said rich dad. "Instead of telling the truth about how they feel, they react to their feeling, fail to think. They feel the fear, they go to work, hoping that money will soothe the fear, but it doesn't. That old fear haunts them, and they go back to work, hoping again that money will calm their fears, and again it doesn't. Fear has them in this trap of working, earning money, working, earning money, hoping the fear will go away. But every day they get up, and that old fear wakes up with them. For millions of people, that old fear keeps them awake all night, causing a night of turmoil and worry. So they get up and go to work, hoping that a paycheck will kill that fear gnawing at their soul. Money is running their lives, and they refuse to tell the truth about that.Money is in control of their emotions and hence their souls."
“正是如此，他们不去分辨真相，不去思考，只是对感受作出反应。他们感到恐惧，于是去工作，希望钱能消除恐惧，但钱不可能消除恐惧。于是，恐惧追逐着他们，他们只好又去工作，希望钱能消除恐惧，但还是无法摆脱恐惧。恐惧使他们落入工作的陷阶，挣钱——工作——挣钱，希望有一天能消除恐惧。但每天他们起床时，就会发现恐惧又同他们一起醒来了。恐惧使成千上万的人彻夜难眠，忧心忡忡。所以他们又起床去工作了，希望薪水能杀死那该死的恐惧。钱主宰着他们的生活，他们拒绝去分辨真相，钱控制了他们的情感和灵魂。”

Rich dad sat quietly, letting his words sink in. Mike and I heard what he said, but really did not understand fully what he was talking about. I just knew that I often wondered why grownups hurried off to work. It did not seem like much fun, and they never looked that happy, but something kept them hurrying off to work.
富爸爸静静地坐着，让他的话音渐渐消失。迈克和我听着他的话，但不能完全明白他在讲些什么。我经常奇怪于大人们为什么总是急急忙忙去工作，这事看起来真是无趣，而且他们看上去也不快活，但好像总有些东西使他们不断地急着去工作。