
<b>时间是你的朋友还是敌人？</b>

Western society promotes being busy at all times and at all costs. As a result, it seems that we are always rushing. We live by the calendar and we are run by the clock. We learn early on in life that you had better be on time for things or bad stuff will happen. Be late to turn in your papers and your grade gets lowered. Be late to pay your bills and you get stuck with a penalty. Be late to finish your work and you may be out of a job.
西方社会让人们不惜一切代价、每时每刻都忙碌不停。结果我们似乎总是在赶时间。我们生活在日程表之下，按照时钟运转。生活中我们很早就明白，你最好按时完成事情，否则坏事就要发生。没按时交论文你的分数就会降低；没按时付账单你就要被罚款；没按时完成工作你就可能被炒鱿鱼。

As a result many people conclude that time is their enemy. It must be battled and beaten. But there is no permanence in any victory over time — the clock gets reset tomorrow and the calendar at the first of the month, or at the very latest at the first of the year.
因此许多人断定，时间是他们的敌人。他们要和时间作战并且战胜它。然而，面对时间，并没有永远的胜利。明天时钟又会归零，每个月又会有新的开始，一年也会终结，来到新的一年。

Consider the popular phrase, “Life is too short to __________.” Here are some beauties you hear all the time:
想想这个流行的说法，“人生如此短暂，所以……”下面这几句动人的话你总是会听到：

Life is too short to hold on to regret.
人生如此短暂，所以不能后悔。

Life is too short to work at a job you hate.
人生如此短暂，所以不要做你讨厌的工作。

Life is too short to play small.
人生如此短暂，所以要尽情玩乐。

Life is too short to [insert your favorite here].
人生如此短暂，所以[加上你最喜欢的吧]

Aphorisms like these certainly imply that time is your enemy. However, time is not the reason why you ought to give up regret, revamp your career, or up your game. Even the shortness of life is not the reason. There is an assumption going on here that entirely misses where the real problem lies.
像这样的警句毫无疑问在暗示时间是你的敌人。然而，时间并不是你应该放弃悔恨、改换事业、尽情享乐的理由。甚至人生的短暂也不是理由。这些都是假设，而掩盖了真正的问题所在。

A short life and limited time would be a blessing in these circumstances. After all, the less time one spends in some undesired state, the better. A short amount of regret? Sounds great. A short time at a crummy job? Excellent. A short time of cowering in the corner? What could be better?
在这些情况里，短暂的人生和有限的时间其实是好事情。毕竟一个人在一些不喜欢的状态中花的时间越少越好。少一些悔恨?听起来不错。少做一些寒酸的工作?好极了。少花些时间缩在角落?还有什么能比这更好呢!
