5 Alone Again，Naturally

名称：5 Alone Again，Naturally
内容简介：
晨读英语美文 励志感悟
[00:00.56]Alone Again, Naturally
[00:06.11]Alone, we squander life by
[00:09.68]rejecting its full potential
[00:12.17]and wasting its remaining promises.
[00:15.08]Alone, we accept that
[00:17.35]experiences unshared are barely worthwhile,
[00:20.76]that sunsets viewed singly
[00:22.73]are not as spectacular,
[00:24.50]that time spent apart
[00:26.48]is fallow and pointless.
[00:28.65]And so we grow old believing
[00:30.95] we are nothing by ourselves,
[00:32.82]steadfastly shunning the opportunities for self-discovery
[00:35.74]and personal growth that solitude could bring us.
[00:40.42]We've even coined a word for those
[00:43.02]who prefer to be by themselves: antisocial,
[00:45.10]as if they were enemies of society.
[00:47.08]They are viewed as friendless,
[00:50.54]suspect in a world
[00:53.25]that goes around in twos or more
[00:54.84]and is wary of solitary travelers.
[00:57.65]People who need people
[00:59.86]are threatened by people who don't.
[01:02.26]The idea of seeking contentment alone is heretical,
[01:06.20]for society steadfastly decrees
[01:09.05]that our completeness lies in others.
[01:11.30]Instead, we cling to each other
[01:14.11]for solace, comfort, and safety,
[01:16.04]believing that we are nothing alone—
[01:18.61]insignificant, unfulfilled, lost—
[01:21.13]accepting solitude in the tiniest,
[01:24.85]most reluctant of slices,
[01:26.65]if at all, which is tragic,
[01:28.96]for it rejects God's precious gift of life.
[01:32.23]Ironically, most of us crave more intimacy
[01:36.36]and companionship than we can bear.
[01:38.54]We begrudge ourselves, our spouses,
[01:41.38]and our partners sufficient physical
[01:44.01]and emotional breathing room,
[01:46.09]and then bemoan the suffocation of our relationships.
[01:49.78]To point out these facts is not to suggest
[01:53.65]we should abandon all our close ties.
[01:56.57]Medical surveys show that the majority of elderly people
[02:01.30]who live alone,
[02:02.16]yet maintain frequent contact
[02:04.65]with relatives and friends,
[02:06.04]rate their physical
[02:07.46]and emotional well-being as “excellent.”
[02:10.17]Just as an apple a day kept the doctor away
[02:13.45]when they were young,
[02:15.11]an active social calendar appears
[02:17.03]to serve the same purpose now.