thepowerofhabit論習(xí)慣

1、ThePowerofHabit論習(xí)慣ByWilliamJamesHabitasecondnature!Habitistentimesnature,theDukeofWellingtonissaidtohaveexclaimed;andthedegreetowhichthisistruenoonecanprobablyappreciateaswellasonewhoisaveteransoldierhimself.Thedailydrillandtheyearsofdisciplineendbyfashioningamancompletelyoveragain,astomostoftheposs

2、ibilitiesofhisconduct.“習(xí)慣是第二天性！習(xí)慣是十倍的天性！”威靈頓公爵曾這樣大聲疾呼；對于這句話的真實理解程度，可能沒有人能夠像一個退伍老兵理解那么深刻。每天的訓(xùn)練和常年累月的紀(jì)律，到頭來把一個人大部分行為的可能性完全再塑造了一遍。Thereisastory,whichiscredibleenough,thoughitmaynotbetrue,ofapracticaljoker,who,seeingadischargedveterancarryinghomehisdinner,suddenlycalledout,Attention!whereuponthemaninsta

3、ntlybroughthishandsdown,andlosthismuttonandpotatoesinthegutter.Thedrillhadbeenthorough,anditseffectshadbecomeembodiedinthemansnervousstructure.16“一個惡作劇者，講過這樣一個故事，盡管此故事可能不真實，但是頗具可信度。看到一個退伍老兵端著飯回家，他突然大喊了一聲“立正”因此，那個老兵立即放下雙手，搞得他的羊肉和土豆都掉在水溝里了。訓(xùn)練如此徹底，以至于使其效果具體化地體現(xiàn)在了老兵的神經(jīng)結(jié)構(gòu)之中?！盧iderlesscavalry-horses,atman

4、yabattle,havebeenseentocometogetherandgothroughtheircustomaryevolutionsatthesoundofthebugle-call.Mosttraineddomesticanimals,dogsandoxen,andomnibus-andcar-horses,seemtobemachinesalmostpureandsimple,undoubtingly,unhesitatinglydoingfromminutetominutethedutiestheyhavebeentaught,andgivingnosignthatthepos

5、sibilityofanalternativeeversuggestsitselftotheirmind.Mengrownoldinprisonhaveaskedtobereadmittedafterbeingoncesetfree.InarailroadaccidenttoatravellingmenagerieintheUnitedStatessometimein1884,atiger,whosecagehadbrokenopen,issaidtohaveemerged,butpresentlycreptbackagain,asiftoomuchbewilderedbyhisnewresp

6、onsibilities,sothathewaswithoutdifficultysecured.人們常在很多戰(zhàn)斗中看到，無人騎的騎兵馬，一聽到軍號聲就會走到一起來，做出它們習(xí)慣性演練的動作。大多數(shù)受訓(xùn)過的家畜，狗和牛，公共馬車和小馬車的馬，它們看起來似乎都是幾近純粹和簡單的機器，每時每刻都在毫無懷疑，毫無猶豫地履行著教授給它們的責(zé)任，沒有任何跡象表明在它們的心中還曾出現(xiàn)過其它事情的可能性。一些在監(jiān)獄中變老的人，在釋放之后，曾要求重新入獄。據(jù)說，1884年發(fā)生在旅行動物園的一場事故之中，一個老虎籠子被撞開，老虎已經(jīng)出來了，但是沒過多久就爬回去了，這就好像是它感到對自己新的責(zé)任，茫然不知所措，于

7、是人們毫不費力就把它弄到了完全地帶。Habitisthustheenormousfly-wheelofsociety,itsmostpreciousconservativeagent.Italoneiswhatkeepsusallwithintheboundsofl1ordinance,andsavesthechildrenoffortunefromtheenviousuprisingsofthepoor.Italonepreventsthehardestandmostrepulsivel2walksoflifel3frombeingdesertedbythosebroughtuptotrea

8、dtherein.Itkeepsthefishermanandthedeck-handatseathroughthewinter;itholdstheminerinhisdarkness,andnailsthecountrymantohislog-cabinandhislonelyfarmthroughallthemonthsofsnow;itprotectsusfrominvasionbythenativesofthedesertandthefrozenzone.Itdoomsusalltofightoutthebattleofl4lifeuponthelinesofournurtureor

9、ourearlychoice,andtomakethebestofapursuitthatdisagrees,becausethereisnootherforwhichwearefitted,anditistoolatetobeginagain.Itkeepsdifferentsocialstratafrommixing.Alreadyattheageoftwenty-fiveyouseetheprofessionalmannerismsettlingdownontheyoungcommercialtraveller,ontheyoungdoctor,ontheyoungminister,on

10、theyoungcounsellor-at-law.Youseethelittlelinesofcleavagerunningthroughthecharacter,thetricksofthought,theprejudices,thewaysoftheshop,inaword,fromwhichthemancanby-and-byl5nomoreescapethanhiscoat-sleevecansuddenlyfallintoanewsetoffolds.Onthewhole,itisbestheshouldnotescape.Itiswellfortheworldthatinmost

11、ofus,bytheageofthirty,thecharacterhassetlikeplaster,andwillneversoftenagain.因此，習(xí)慣是社會的巨大飛輪，是社會最珍貴、最保守的代理人。僅憑一己之力，就把我們束縛在社會的條條框框之內(nèi)，把富家孩子從飽含嫉妒之心的窮人的暴動之中拯救出來。僅憑一己之力，就阻擋了最艱難、最令人生厭的行當(dāng)，不至于被那些在那里成長起來的人拋棄。習(xí)慣讓漁夫和水手，整個冬天都固守海上；它讓礦工呆在黑暗中,里，固守著自己的小木屋和他那孤寂的農(nóng)場；它使我們免受沙漠和嚴(yán)寒地帶土著居民的侵害。它注定讓我們所有的人為我們的教化或早期的選擇，展開一場生活之戰(zhàn)，并且

12、充分利用與先前教化或選擇不同的追求，因為沒有其它的東西適合我們，而重頭再來又太晚了。它使各個不同的階層不至于混淆起來。你會發(fā)現(xiàn)，25歲之時，年輕的旅行推銷員、年輕的醫(yī)生、年輕的牧師、年輕的法律顧問，都已經(jīng)沾上了職業(yè)習(xí)氣。你會發(fā)現(xiàn)，你在性格、思想技巧、偏見、“購物”的方式上，看到小小的分歧，簡而言之，人們對于此無法馬上回避，正如他的外衣袖子不能突然一下子適應(yīng)新的折痕一般?？傃灾詈檬撬辉摶乇?。在我們大多數(shù)人讓鄉(xiāng)下人在漫漫雪天中，到了30歲的時候，性格就已如石膏般固定，永遠再也不會軟化了，這真的是一件好事情。Iftheperiodbetweentwentyandthirtyisthecriti

13、caloneintheformationofintellectualandprofessionalhabits,theperiodbelowtwentyismoreimportantstillforthefixingofpersonalhabits,properlysocalled,suchasvocalizationandpronunciation,gesture,motion,andaddress.Hardlyeverisalanguagelearnedaftertwentyspokenwithoutaforeignaccent;hardlyevercanayouthtransferred

14、tothesocietyofhisbettersunlearnthenasalityandothervicesofspeechbredinhimbytheassociationsofhisgrowingyears.Hardlyever,indeed,nomatterhowmuchmoneytherebeinhispocket,canheevenlearntodresslikeagentleman-born.Themerchantsoffertheirwaresaseagerlytohimastotheveriestswelll6,buthesimplycannotbuytherightthin

15、gs.Aninvisiblelaw,asstrongasgravitation,keepshimwithinhisorbit,arrayedl7thisyearashewasthelast;andhowhisbetter-bredacquaintancescontrivetogetthethingstheywearwillbeforhimamysterytillhisdyingday.如果說20到30歲之間，在形成人的智力和職業(yè)習(xí)慣，是一個時期的話，那么說，20歲之前的這段時期，對于一個人個性習(xí)慣（嚴(yán)格上講），就更為至關(guān)重要，這些個性習(xí)慣包括，語音、發(fā)聲、手勢、動作、談吐等。20歲之后學(xué)習(xí)語言

16、，幾乎很少不帶外國口音；一個升到其上司的社會圈子內(nèi)的年輕人，幾乎很難忘記在他成長的歲月中，所形成的說話帶鼻音和其它言語缺陷。誠然，不管自己的口袋有多少錢，他也很難把自己打扮成一個士紳出身的模樣。商家向他和名副其實的“風(fēng)頭人物”一樣，熱心兜售商品，但他就是完全不能買對東西。一條看不見的法則，如引力般強大，將他留在他的軌道，在這一年打扮得好像他是最差的；他那些受過更良好教養(yǎng)的人，則是想方設(shè)法得到他們所穿戴的東西，而這對于他而言，到死的那一天也將是個謎。Thegreatthing,then,inalleducation,istomakeournervoussystemourallyinsteadof

17、ourenemy.Itistofundandcapitalizeouracquisitions,andliveateaseupontheinterestofthefund.Forthiswemustmakeautomaticandhabitual,asearlyaspossible,asmanyusefulactionsaswecan,andguardagainstthegrowingintowaysthatarelikelytobedisadvantageoustous,asweshouldguardagainsttheplague.Themoreofthedetailsofourdaily

18、lifewecanhandovertotheeffortlesscustodyofautomatism,themoreourhigherpowersofmindwillbesetfreefortheirownproperwork.Thereisnomoremiserablehumanbeingthanoneinwhomnothingishabitualbutindecision,andforwhomthelightingofeverycigar,thedrinkingofeverycup,thetimeofrisingandgoingtobedeveryday,andthebeginningofeverybitofwork,aresubjectsofexpressvolitionalde