By Albert Einstein
Strange is our situation here upon earth．Each of us comes for a short visit，not knowing why，yet sometimes seeming to speculate a purpose．
From the standpoint of daily life，however，there is one thing we do know that man is here for the sake of other men above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends，and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy．Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men，both living and dead，and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received．My peace of mind is often troubled by the depressing sense that I have borrowed too heavily from the work of other men．
To ponder interminably over the reason for one's own existence or the meaning of life in general seems to me，from an objective point of view ，to be sheer folly．And yet everyone holds certain ideals by which he guides his aspiration and his judgment．The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness，beauty，and truth．To make a goal of comfort and happiness has never appealed to me；a system of ethics built on this basis would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle．
Words and Expressions
- speculate v．思索，推测
for the sake of为了
- exert vt．运用，发挥
peace of mind内心的平静
ponder over沉思，深思
in general一般而言，总的来说
from one's point of view从某人的观点来看
- aspiration n．愿望，志向
appeal to对……有吸引力
Read the following sentence：
The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness，beauty，and truth．
Translate it into Chinese．
Recite it and try writing it down here：
人是为了别人而活着
阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦
人类在这个世界上的处境真是奇怪。我们每个人都是来做一次短暂的访问，不知道自己为何而来，然而有时候却似乎能推测出一种目的。
但是从日常生活的观点来看，有一件事情我们是肯定知道的，那就是人在这个世界上是为了别人而活着——尤其为了那些我们自身幸福寄托在他们的微笑和安宁之上的人们，以及那些由于同情之感而使我们同他们的命运联系起来的人们。每天都有很多次，我觉察到自己的肉体生活和精神生活是如何建立在别人（包括生者和死者）的劳动之上，以及自己必须如何地奋发努力，从而使我从别人那里取得多少东西，我也可以把同等数量的东西给予别人，以此作为报答。我时常怀着一种忧郁的心情，觉得自己从别人的工作中承袭得太多，因而心里惴惴不安。
没完没了地沉思着自己生存的理由或人生的意义，从客观的观点来看，我觉得这是近乎愚蠢的行为。可是，每个人都有一些理想作为他的抱负和判断的指南针。经常在我的眼前闪耀发光，并使我充满了快乐的理想，就是真、善、美。我从来没有以追求舒适和幸福作为生活的目标，建立在这个基础上的一套伦理观念，只能满足一群牲畜的需要。