《美食祈祷和恋爱》Chapter 58 (125):我的命运

Destiny, I feel, is also a relationship—a play between divine grace and willful self-effort. Half of it you have no control over; half of it is absolutely in your hands, and your actions will show measurable consequence. Man is neither entirely a puppet of the gods, nor is he entirely the captain of his own destiny; he's a little of both. We gallop through our lives like circus performers balancing on two speeding side-by-side horses—one foot is on the horse called "fate," the other on the horse called "free will." And the question you have to ask every day is—which horse is which? Which horse do I need to stop worrying about because it's not under my control, and which do I need to steer with concentrated effort?

命运，我认为也是一种关系——神恩与自我努力之间所进行的竞赛。有一半不在你的掌控，有一半绝对取决于你，你的行动让你看见可评量的结果。人不完全是诸神的傀儡，也不完全是自身命运的掌舵者；两者皆有。我们在人生道路上奔驰而过，犹如马戏班演员在并排奔跑的两匹马之间保持平衡——一脚踩着名叫“天命”的马，一脚踩着名叫“自由意志”的马。你每天必须问自己——哪匹马是哪匹？我得停止为哪匹马烦恼，因为其不是由我来控制的，而哪匹马则需要我集中心力驾驭？

There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under my jurisdiction. There are certain lottery tickets I can buy, thereby increasing my odds of finding contentment. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I eat and read and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life—whether I will see them as curses or opportunities (and on the occasions when I can't rise to the most optimistic viewpoint, because I'm feeling too damn sorry for myself, I can choose to keep trying to change my outlook). I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts.

我的命运大部分不是我能控制的，但有些事情的确受我管辖。有些彩票我能买，因此增加了找到满足的几率。我能决定怎么花时间，跟谁互动，和谁分享我的身体、生活、金钱和精力。我能挑选吃什么、读什么、学什么。我能选择怎么看待人生的不幸时刻——无论视之为诅咒或机会（还有些时候，因为自怜得要命而乐观不起来的时候，我能选择不断改变自己的看法）。我能选择跟他人说话的用字和语气。最重要的是，我能选择自己的想法。

This last concept is a radically new idea for me. Richard from Texas brought it to my attention recently, when I was complaining about my inability to stop brooding. He said, "Groceries, you need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select what clothes you're gonna wear every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to control. Drop everything else but that. Because if you can't learn to master your thinking, you're in deep trouble forever."

最后这项概念，对我而言是个全新的观点。德州理查最近让我留意到这点，当时我正在抱怨自己无法停止沉思。他说：“食品杂货，你得学学如何挑选你的思考，就像每天挑选穿什么衣服一样。这种能力是可以培养的。假如你那么想控制自己的生活，就从脑子着手。你只该试着去控制这样东西。除此之外，抛开一切。因为你若学不会操控自己的思考，恐怕前途不妙。”