理查德·卡里森/Richard Carison
To a large degree, the measure of our peace of mind is determined by how much we are able to live in the present moment. Irrespective of what happened yesterday or last year, and what may or may not happen tomorrow, the present moment is where you are—always!
Without question, many of us have mastered the neurotic art of spending much of our lives worrying about a variety of things—all at once. We allow past problems and future concerns to dominate our present moments, so much so that we end up anxious, frustrated, depressed, and hopeless. On the flip side, we also postpone our gratification, our stated priorities, and our happiness, often convincing ourselves that "someday" will be better than today. Unfortunately, the same mental dynamics that tell us to look toward the future will only repeat themselves so that "someday" never actually arrives. John Lennon once said, "Life is what's happening while we're busy making other plans." In short, we miss out on life.
Many people live as if life were a dress rehearsal for some later date. It isn't. In fact, no one has a guarantee that he or she will be here tomorrow. When our attention is in the present moment, we push fear from our minds. Fear is the concern over events that might happen in the future—we won't have enough money, our children will get into trouble, we will get old and die, whatever.
To combat fear, the best strategy is to learn to bring your attention back to the present. Mark Twain said, "l have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." I don't think I can say it any better. Practice keeping your attention on the here and now. Your efforts will pay great dividends.
在很大程度上，能不能生活在此时此刻，是衡量我们内心世界是否平和的一个标准。不论昨日或去年发生了什么，也不管将会发生什么，此刻才是我们的真正所在——并且始终都是！
诚然，许多人把生命耗费在焦虑之中，同时为一连串的事情忧心，因此而导致的神经过敏几乎成了一种我们熟稔的艺术。对过去的困惑和对未来的忧虑占据了我们当前的每时每刻。于是，我们整日忧心忡忡，灰心丧气，情绪低落，甚至悲观绝望。另一方面，我们不断推延让自己获得满足感的时间，推延应当优先考虑的事，推后自己的幸福感，并常用最有力的理由说服自己，“有一天”将会比今天更加美好。遗憾的是，如此期待未来的精神安慰只会周而复始地重复。所以，“有一天”永远都不会真正到来。约翰·列农曾经说过：“生活就是我们忙于制订其他计划时所发生的一切。”总之，我们正在失去生活。
许多人沉迷于对未来的幻想中。现在的生活，对他们而言，就像是未来生活的彩排。当注意力集中于此刻时，我们就会将恐惧抛至脑后。恐惧是我们对未来可能发生之事的忧虑——我们没有足够的钱，我们的孩子会陷入麻烦，我们会变老甚至死亡，等等。
战胜恐惧最好的策略是，学会将注意力转到现在的每时每刻。马克·吐温说过：“我一生经历过许多恐怖的事，但有一些纯粹是偶然。”我想，没有比这说得更好的了。把你的注意力集中在此时此刻，你的付出终将有所回报。
不沉陷于过去的是是非非中无法自拔，也不沉迷于未来的虚幻不能自已，只有此刻才是最真实的。
irrespective [?iris'pektiv] adj.不顾的；无关的；没关系的
The law applies to everyone irrespective of race, religion or color.
这项法律适用于任何人，不管其种族、宗教或肤色。
neurotic [nju?'r?tik] adj.神经病的；神经过敏的
For the truly neurotic, there is yet more reassurance.
对于真实的神经病患者，仍可以更加放心。
rehearsal [ri'h?:s?l] v.排练；背诵
What we have just been through is a dress rehearsal of race day.
我们刚刚经历的，只不过是大赛当天的彩排预演而已。
guarantee [?g?r?n'ti:] n.保证；担保
This radio has a two-year guarantee.
这台收音机保修两年。
在很大程度上，能不能生活在此时此刻，是衡量我们内心世界是否平和的一个标准。
许多人沉迷于对未来的幻想中。
战胜恐惧最好的策略是，学会将注意力转到现在的每时每刻。
In short, we miss out on life.
in short：简单地说；总之；总而言之
To combat fear, the best strategy is to learn to bring your attention back to the present.
bring attention to：注意到