Welcome to year 2001. To many Americans， it has a nice， familiar ring since much of our culture revolves around forecasting the new millennium， this fascinating time of great social and technological developments. Growing up in the 80's and the 90's， I remember reading books and watching movies set in the amazing 21st century. People dressed in biosuits， babies born in laboratories， cars travelling through air， and the moon has become our favorite vacation spot. These incredible images used to fill my young mind with excitement. I would lie awake at night， thinking how slowly time moved， wondering if I'd live to see the 21st century. （Keep in mind I was only ten-years-old then.） And that day has finally arrived. The future is here and now.

　　Last week， I was driving to a meeting with a movie producer. Suddenly the traffic ahead came to an abrupt halt and we went from 70 miles per hour to a total stand still. （Usual for L.A. freeways.） Trapped， we leaned back in our seats." So， Michelle， what are your plans for the New Year？ I mean what do you hope to accomplish in this year？" She asked.

　　" OK？" I thought for a moment. " You mean New Year resolutions？"

　　" Can't start the year without them." She smiled. " You know， turn over a new leaf."

　　" Yes， I know. And no， I haven't given it that much thought yet."

　　" Do you have any resolutions？"

　　Then it dawned on me how much our personal resolutions， however small and insignificant they may seem， reflect the current social mentality and， in the long run， determine the course of our society. Let's for a moment， think about the word， resolution. It means having the resolve and the firm conviction to do something， a state of being determined. I don't know about you， but it requires a lot of courage and strength to have resolve which includes persistence， perseverance， drive. It's interesting how most resolutions involve some kind of change. And this desire for change is often the motivator for progress. Therefore， by taking note of people's New Year resolutions， we can foresee the direction which our society gravitates toward. On that note， let's look at what most Americans have on their plate for this year's New Year resolutions：

　　Lose 25 pounds before the summer Quit smoking Cut back drinking Work out for 1 hour three times a week Read a novel a week Stick within a spending budget Learn a new programming language Eat five servings of vegetables a day Get a job promotion Travel the world in 80 days Floss after every meal Go to see a dentist Call home every week Watch less TV Decide what my passions are and follow them Find a better paying job with more upward mobility Etc， etc， etc？

　　Believe it or not， this is just the tip of the iceberg. The list goes on and on. And from it， we can gather that America is a youth， health and career/success obsessed society.

　　1.YOUTH

　　Looking around America， you'll notice that most faces on billboards， magazines， TV and advertisements are that of young， pretty people. In a culture that equates youth with beauty， a majority of Americans is constantly at war with aging. Before the advent of new technologies， people used to jump through hoops to shave a couple years off of their looks. But now， laser surgery is a relatively painless alternative to facelifts and skin tucks. And let us not forget all the fancy anti-aging cosmetic products and skin treatments in department stores and beauty salons. Furthermore， we have also developed holistic approaches to fighting aging： yoga， herbs， acupuncture， etc.

　　It seems like people will do almost anything to stay young. But the crazy thing is that you can't stay young forever. That's impossible. What you can do is feel youthful. And that requires much more than cosmetic changes. In order to feel young， you must exercise your mind， keep up with the world and maintain an active lifestyle. In other words， instead of spending ＄ 5000 on wrinkle removing laser surgery， why not go on an adventurous journey to an unfamiliar part of the world？ Instead of spending ＄ 50 on a bottle of anti-aging lotion， why not buy a mountain bike？

　　We should always remember the fountain of youth lies in our heart， mind and spirit.

　　2.HEALTH

　　One of the characteristics of youth is good health. And Americans are definitely on the right track.Since the early 90's， America has been on a big health kick. People are staying away from foods that are high in fat， sodium and cholesterol. More of us are quitting smoking， cutting down drinking and exercising more.We sip herbal teas， gulp fresh juices，stir fry organic vegetables，hire personal trainers， and consult nutritionists.Do you know that some Americans take ＄ 15 worth of vitamins a day？ Unbelievable， huh？

　　In addition to staying in good physical form， we try to enhance our mental and spiritual health.Most Americans lead a stressful lifestyle： too many places to go， people to see， bills to pay， etc. As a result， we are tense， stiff and wound up. In recent years， various stress reduction therapies such as yoga， meditation， massages， and aromatherapy have become a living necessity，like medicine for the overtaxed mind and the soul.After all， a sound mind in a sound body is the best state to be in.

　　3.CAREER AND SUCCESS

　　Needless to say， there are many advantages to being young and healthy， one of which is doing and achieving more with your life. That's right. If you're young， you have your whole life ahead of you. If you're healthy， you'll live longer. Youth and health are the building blocks of success.

　　Our lives are plotted out with milestones. And we are expected to accomplish certain things by certain ages. So the sooner you can achieve these milestones， the more successful you are.

　　In a society where your happiness and self- worth are determined by your career accomplishments， people are under the pressure to devote themselves entirely to their work. Often times， people disregard their passions and interests and choose careers based on job security， pay and professional prestige. As a result， they are unhappy and their personal lives and love ones suffer. Personally， I think success means you're making a comfortable living doing what you love and enjoy.

　　Anyway， regardless of the resolution， we are all making a commitment toward betterment. And with it， there is the hope for a happier life and an improved sense of self. How odd that it is our constant dissatisfaction with the status quo that propels society forward？After all， nothing kills progress like complacency.But now the nagging question is， why must we wait for New Years to make resolutions. Today is as good as any. Right？ A brave new world awaits us and its dawn depends on our resolve to move steadily forward and towards something better， something different， and something wonderful. I took a deep breath and settled on my life's resolutions grand as it may sound， I'm determined to make the most of every second of my life. Because a bright future begins with the present and the present is here and now.

　　美好的新世界

　　歡迎來到2001年。在許多美國人看來，它有著一個美麗而熟悉的光環(huán)，因為我們的文化大都圍繞著對這個新千年作出預(yù)告――這是個迷人的社會和技術(shù)大發(fā)展的時代。在80和90年代成長起來的我還記得，那時讀書、看電影，背景都設(shè)在令人稱奇的21世紀(jì)，人們穿著生態(tài)服，嬰兒都在實驗室里出生，汽車在空中穿行，而月球則成了我們最喜歡的度假勝地。這些令人難以置信的想象，那時都在我年輕的腦海中，令我激動不已。我會在晚上躺在床上，了無睡意，想啊，這時間過得可真慢，我能活著看到21世紀(jì)嗎。（想想吧，我那時才10歲。）而那一天終于到了，未來就在眼前，就是現(xiàn)在。

　　上周，我駕車帶一個電影制片人去開會。突然，前面的車輛來了個急剎車，我們也就從時速70英里一下子停了下來。（在洛杉磯的公路上這是常事兒。）困在這兒了，我們往車座上向后一靠。"好吧，米歇爾，你新年有什么計劃？我是說你希望在這一年里做成什么？"她問道。

　　"哦！"我想了一會兒，"你是說新年決心？"

　　"開始新一年沒它們可不成。"她笑道，"你知道，就像翻開新的一頁。"

　　"是啊，我知道。但我還沒怎么想這件事呢。"

　　"那你有什么決意要做的事兒呢？"

　　我突然領(lǐng)悟到，個人的決心，不管看起來是多么小、多么無足輕重，但都反映了當(dāng)前社會的心態(tài)，甚至從長遠來說，決定了我們社會的走向。讓我們來考慮一下決心這個詞吧。它的含義是決意并堅信要干成某事，就是拿定主意，堅定不移。我不知道你怎么想，但要下決心就得有足夠的勇氣和力量，因為這要做到堅持不懈、鍥而不舍并且干勁十足。有意思的是大多數(shù)決心都涉及某種改變。這種想改變的愿望通常就是進步的動力。所以，把人們的新年決心做個記錄，我們就能預(yù)見到我們社會前進的方向。我們來看看這個記錄上大多數(shù)美國人今年的新年決心是什么：

　　在夏季來臨之前減輕25磅/戒煙/少喝酒/每周戶外工作三次每次一小時/一周讀一本小說/嚴(yán)格遵守開支預(yù)算/學(xué)習(xí)一門新的編程語言/每天吃5份蔬菜/ 獲得升職/80天內(nèi)環(huán)游世界/餐后用牙線潔牙/去看牙醫(yī)/每周往家打次電話/少看電視/找出酷愛的事并且去做/找一個薪金較高的和提升機會較多的工作等等，等等？

　　信不信由你，這才只是冰山的一角。這張單子還可以繼續(xù)列下去。從中我們能歸納出：美國是一個崇尚年輕、健康和事業(yè)成功的社會。

　　1.年輕

　　環(huán)顧美國，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)在排行榜上、雜志、電視和廣告上出現(xiàn)的大多數(shù)面孔都是年輕好看的。在一種把年輕等同為美的文化中，大多數(shù)美國人一直都在與衰老作斗爭。在新技術(shù)問世以前，人們通常要經(jīng)受一些痛苦去整容以使自己顯得年輕幾歲。而今，激光外科提供了一種相對來說痛苦較少的整容和拉皮術(shù)。更別忘了那些昂貴的抗衰老化妝品和大商場及美容店里的皮膚保養(yǎng)。此外，我們還開展了抗衰老的整體療法：瑜伽、草藥、針刺等。

　　人們似乎為了永葆青春幾乎可以不惜一切。但使人發(fā)瘋的是你不可能青春永駐，那是不可能的。你能做的就是覺得朝氣蓬勃。這要求的可不只是化妝。要想覺得年輕，你得鍛煉自己的頭腦，跟上這世界并維持一種積極的生活方式。換言之，與其花5000美元做個激光手術(shù)消除皺紋，干嗎不去世界上你沒到過的地方來個冒險之旅？與其花50美元買一瓶抗衰老乳液，干嗎不買輛山地車？

　　我們得永記，年輕之源在心中、在腦海里和精神上。

　　2.健康

　　年輕的一大特征是身體好。而美國人在這方面肯定做對了。從90年代早期開始，美國就熱衷于健康了。人們不吃那些富含脂肪、鈉和膽固醇的食物。我們中更多人戒煙，少喝酒并多健身。我們小口喝草藥茶，大口喝新鮮果汁，旺火煸炒有機蔬菜，雇傭私人教練，還咨詢營養(yǎng)學(xué)家。你知道嗎，有些美國人一天要吃價值15 美元的維生素？難以置信，啊？

　　除了保持身體健康外，我們還盡力增進心智和精神的健康。大多數(shù)美國人過著一種緊張的生活：要去那么多地方，見那么多人，付那么多帳單，等等。結(jié)果，我們緊張拘謹(jǐn)，放松不下來。近年來，各種各樣的減輕壓力療法，如瑜伽、靜坐默念、按摩及芳香療法，已成為生活中必不可少的東西，這就像給過度緊張的大腦和精神上藥。畢竟，長在健康身體上的健康頭腦才是最好的狀態(tài)。

　　3.事業(yè)和成功

　　年輕和健康的優(yōu)勢自不用說，其中之一就是可在一生中做許多事，取得許多成就。這是對的。如果你年輕，你整個的一生還長著哪。如果你健康，你就會活得更長久。年輕和健康是成功的基礎(chǔ)。

　　我們的人生是以里程碑做標(biāo)識的。而我們得在某個年齡段完成某些事。所以你越早實現(xiàn)這些里程碑，你就會越成功。

　　在一個你的幸福和個人價值是由事業(yè)上的成就決定的社會里，人們被迫將全副身心都投入到工作上。人們常常不顧自己酷愛的事物和興趣，而是根據(jù)工作保障、報酬以及職業(yè)威望來選擇所從事的職業(yè)。到頭來，他們過得不開心，個人生活和親人們也跟著遭殃。我個人認(rèn)為，成功就是你做著你熱愛并樂于做的工作，還足以過上舒適自在的生活。

　　不管怎么說，別提決心，我們都在保證朝著更好努力。這樣，就有希望過上幸福的生活，也提高了自我意識。多奇怪呀，正是我們這種對現(xiàn)狀的一直不滿意推動著社會前進。畢竟，正是自滿導(dǎo)致了停滯不前。但現(xiàn)在令人掛心的問題是，我們干嗎非得等到新年再下決心呢？今天也一樣好，不是嗎？一個美好的新世界正等著我們，而它的來臨就有賴于我們決心堅定地向前走，走向更好、異于往常且絕妙非凡。我深吸一口氣，決定實行我那聽起來比較宏偉的人生決定，我下定決心要好好用我生命里的每一秒。因為光明的未來始于現(xiàn)在，而現(xiàn)在就在眼前。

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