November 4th and beyond - 11月4日與往後

About a week ago, I proudly faxed my absentee ballot from Taiwan to the US, voting for Obama of course.
差不多一個禮拜前，我很得意的把我的選票從台灣傳真到美國，當然選票是投給歐巴馬的。

His eloquence and attention to the issues that matter cause me to believe this man is truly different, and has arrived in the nick of time.
他的口才和在重要問題的專注上，讓我相信這個人真的是與眾不同，並且出現在最緊急的時候。

In his post-election speech, he mentioned three issues to highlight the troubles facing the American people: two wars, a planet in peril, and the economic crisis (in that order).
他在後期選舉的致詞中，他提到了三個問題點來強調現在美國人民正面臨的困難：兩個戰爭、一個置於危險中的星球和經濟危機(按照順序)。

That he mentioned our "planet in peril" is a strong sign that the global environment is much on his mind -- a refreshing reference, as this issue seems eclipsed by news of the economy.
一個讓人耳目一新的依據--當他提到了我們的星球置於危險中，是個有力的徵兆在他的思想中存在著地球的環境，不過這個問題好像被經濟新聞給蓋過去了。

The recent economic crisis has spurred governments into a frenzy. But what of the ecological crisis? Is it only lip service we pay to this very real threat?
最近的經濟危機讓政府驚慌。但是那生態危機勒？對於這個真正的問題我們只會開空頭支票而已嗎？

If we acted with the same diligence in response to climate change, pollution, and loss of natural habitat, much could be averted.
如果我們可以像響應氣候變化一樣努力的話，就可以防止汙染及自然生態環境的損失。

But we turn our eyes to other stories as the media prioritizes our information for us, and we forget that the mass media consists of corporations who suffer from the same psychosis which is causing this ecological meltdown: the belief that money is everything.
但是我們被媒體優先發佈的訊息給轉移到其他的事件上，而且我們卻忘了有許多媒體公司也一樣，受到金錢就是一切的洗腦，而導致生態的崩潰。

If we fail to remember who we are and where we come from (i.e. single cell organisms in the sea), our fate will not be pretty, nor will the fate of those species who rely on our better judgment.
如果我們不能記得我們是誰或是我們是從哪裡來的(舉例在海裡的微生物細胞)，我們的命運將不再是美麗的，和那些需要依靠我們的生物種類的命運也將是一樣的。

Like someone noticing another drowning within arm's reach, our capacity to recognize, influence, and manage our impact on the environment enshrines us with responsibility.
就像某些人發現了有人在身邊溺水，我們要認清自己本身的能力並賦予我們責任去影響及處理對環境的衝擊。

Another disturbing observation is that most discussion on the financial and environmental crises consider only human comforts. Commentators reflect on technology's ability to manipulate natural systems, thus postponing or preventing our social and economic collapse.
另一項惱人的觀點是，很多有關經濟和環境危機的議論都是以人類的舒適為考量。評論員反映我們在技術的能力上來操縱大自然的系統，這樣可以延後或防止社會和經濟的崩盤。

What a remarkably selfish people we, the world's most educated and wealthy, have become.
在這世界上受過教育和最富裕的我們，卻成為了最自私的人。

Do we care whether a mother shark's fin is hewn off for five star soup, while she searches for food? Or whether migratory birds fry in electrical wiring as they seek safe places to nest? Is it a concern whether or not toxins, industry and climate change eliminate entire species?
我們會去在乎一隻母親鯊魚在尋找食物中魚鰭會被割下來做成魚翅湯嗎？或是侯鳥在尋找安全的地方築巢時飛進了電網內？不管有沒有毒素這是讓人擔心的，產業和氣候變化會除去全部的生態類型嗎？

I pray an awareness spreads on the heels of the November 4th landmark election, that we humans are cohabitants and stewards of all the life on Planet Earth.
我祈禱，隨著11月4日的一個新的開始後，我們人類是地球上所有的生命體的共存者及服務者。

What a lonely world this would be, if the mass extinction continues.
如果大量的撲滅延續著，那麼這個世界會變的多孤單阿。