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Some abilities, of course, decrease with age.
当然，一些能力会随着年龄的增长而变差。
Those include abilities at tasks
这些包括完成
requiring physical strength and stamina,
需要体力和耐力，
ambition, and the power of novel reasoning
野心及在特定情况下有创意的推理力
in a circumscribed situation,
的这类任务的能力，
such as figuring out the structure of DNA,
如想出DNA的结构，
best left to scientists under the age of 30.
最好还是留给30岁以下的科学家去做。
Conversely, valuable attributes
相反的，随着年龄的增加
that increase with age include experience,
会更有价值的，包括经验，
understanding of people and human relationships,
了解人和人之间的关系，
ability to help other people
不被自我意识影响地
without your own ego getting in the way,
去帮助其他人，
and interdisciplinary thinking about large databases,
以及跨学科地思考大型数据库的能力，
such as economics and comparative history,
如经济学和比较历史等事情，
best left to scholars over the age of 60.
最好留给年龄超过 60岁的学者来做。
Hence older people are much better than younger people
因此，老年人比年轻人
at supervising, administering, advising,
在监督、管理、咨询、
strategizing, teaching, synthesizing,
战略规划、教学、综合，
and devising long-term plans.
及制定长期计划上更擅长。
I've seen this value of older people
我在老年人身上看到这个价值
with so many of my friends in their 60s,
包括我那些60多岁，
70s, 80s and 90s,
70多岁，80多岁和90多岁的朋友们，
who are still active as investment managers,
这些人依然是活跃的投资管理人，
farmers, lawyers and doctors.
农民、律师和医生。
In short, many traditional societies
总之，许多传统社会
make better use of their elderly
比我们现代化大社会，
and give their elderly more satisfying lives
更好地利用他们的老年人
than we do in modern, big societies.
也给老人更满足的生活。
Paradoxically nowadays,
矛盾的是，现在，
when we have more elderly people than ever before,
当我们比以往任何时候，
living healthier lives and with better medical care
有更多的老年人健康地生活
than ever before,
和有更好的医疗照顾，
old age is in some respects more miserable
变老在某些方面反而
than ever before.
比以往任何时候更惨。
The lives of the elderly are widely recognized
老人生活状态被公认
as constituting a disaster area
构成了现代美国社会
of modern American society.
的一个灾难性的部分。
We can surely do better by learning
我们当然可以做得更好，
from the lives of the elderly
通过学习在传统的社会中
in traditional societies.
老人的生活。
But what's true of the lives of the elderly
但，对传统社会
in traditional societies
老人生活来说是对的事情，
is true of many other features
对许多其他
of traditional societies as well.
传统社会的特点来说也是对的。
Of course, I'm not advocating that we all give up
当然，我不主张我们都放弃
agriculture and metal tools
农业和金属工具
and return to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
并返回狩猎采集的生活方式。
There are many obvious respects
在许多明显的方面
in which our lives today are far happier
我们今天的生活远比
than those in small, traditional societies.
在那些小的、传统的社会更快乐。
To mention just a few examples,
举几个例子，
our lives are longer, materially much richer,
比在传统社会中人的生活。
and less plagued by violence
我们活得更久，物质更丰富，
than are the lives of people in traditional societies.
也少受暴力迫害。
But there are also things to be admired
但传统社会中的人们
about people in traditional societies,
的一些事情也值得敬佩，
and perhaps to be learned from them.
或许应该向他们学习。
Their lives are usually socially much richer
他们的生活通常在社交上
than our lives,
比我们的生活更丰富
although materially poorer.
虽然物质上比较贫乏。
Their children are more self-confident,
他们的孩子们更自信
more independent, and more socially skilled
更独立，和在社会上更熟练，
than are our children.
比起我们的孩子。
They think more realistically about dangers than we do.
他们比我们更实际地对待危险。
They almost never die of diabetes, heart disease,
他们几乎从来不会死于糖尿病、心脏病、
stroke, and the other noncommunicable diseases
中风和其他非传染性疾病，
that will be the causes of death of almost
而这些将会是我们今天
all of us in this room today.
在这里的所有人的死因。
Features of the modern lifestyle predispose us to those diseases,
现代生活方式的特点让我们更容易患上这些疾病，
and features of the traditional lifestyle
而传统生活方式的特点
protect us against them.
保护我们免受这些疾病的伤害。
Those are just some examples of what we can learn
这些只是几个例子来说明我们能
from traditional societies.
从传统社会中学习什么。
I hope that you will find it as fascinating
我希望你会发现，
to read about traditional societies
了解传统社会
as I found it to live in those societies.
和我觉得在这些社会中生活一样引人入胜。
Thank you.
谢谢。
