又中又英｜Dream

Many in the US wonder nowadays if the American Dream is still possible. It is based on the ideal of democracy, freedom, and equality for everyone to achieve success through hard work. American writer James Truslow Adams popularized the phrase “American Dream” in his 1931 book The Epic of America, which he wrote during a severe global economic downturn called the Great Depression that began in 1929 and lasted for about ten years. Other countries followed in later years with their own versions of a dream for their people. In November 2012, President Xi Jinping used the phrase the “Chinese Dream” to mean a better life for the people through socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Singapore’s new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong spoke recently about the Singapore Dream, which he said should no longer be just the 5Cs, which means cash, car, credit card, condo, and country club. He said chasing after such materialistic things causes stress and anxiety in society. The adjective “materialistic” means believing that money and possessions are the most important things in life. Wong wants to build a society which values every Singaporean, not just top people such as doctors. He said Singapore should respect late bloomers and people who get their second wind after many failures.

A late bloomer is someone who becomes successful or acquires skills later in life than other people. A second wind means the return of strength and motivation to continue after being unsuccessful or too tired.  I agree with Wong that societies should redefine success so that people don’t blindly chase materialistic things, late bloomers are as valued as super achievers, and every type of job is respected.

今时今日，许多在美国的人都在思忖，「美国梦」仍然可能吗？这是建基于一个理念，就是人皆拥有民主、自由与平等，透过勤奋工作可达致成功。美国作家詹姆斯‧特鲁斯洛‧亚当斯以其一九三一年的著作《美国史诗》，将「美国梦」一词变得通俗流行，此书是他在经济大萧条（Great Depression）期间写成的，这一全球经济大衰退于一九二九年开始，持续约十年之久。过了好些年后，亦有其他国家仿效，给予人民自己版本的「梦」。于二零一二年十一月，国家主席习近平就曾用上「中国梦」一词，意指透过具中国特色的社会主义，给人民实现更好的生活。

新加坡的新任总理黄循财，最近亦谈及「新加坡梦」——他说那不应只是5Cs，即现金、汽车、信用卡、私人公寓与乡村俱乐部。他说，追逐这类物质主义（materialistic）的东西，只会为社会带来压力与焦虑。形容词“materialistic”是指信奉金钱和财产为人生中最重要的东西。黄希望能建立一个重视每一位新加坡人的社会，而非只看重上等人，例如医生。他说，新加坡应该尊重大器晚成的人（late bloomers），以及经历多次挫败却能再次振作（second wind）的人。

A late bloomer是指比其他人更迟成功或获得技能的人。A second wind就是在失败或疲倦过后，恢复体力或斗志。我认同黄的看法，社会应该重新定义成功，好让人们不再盲目追求物质主义（materialistic）的事物，大器晚成的人（late bloomers）与成就非凡者也能获得同等的重视，以及每一个工种都能获得尊重。
 
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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻