Collecting
原文
Lesson 59
Collecting
What in particular does a person gain when he or she becomes a serious collector?
People tend to amass possessions, sometimes without being aware of doing so.
Indeed they can have a delightful surprise when they find something useful which they did not know they owned.
Those who never have to move house become indiscriminate collectors of what can only be described as clutter.
They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards and attics for years, in the belief that they may one day need just those very things.
As they grow old, people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons,
lack of physical and mental energy, both of which are essential in turning out and throwing away, and sentiment.
Things owned for a long time are full of associations with the past,
perhaps with relatives who are dead, and so they gradually acquire a value beyond their true worth.
Some things are collected deliberately in the home in an attempt to avoid waste.
Among these I would list string and brown paper,
kept by thrifty people when a parcel has been opened, to save buying these two requisites.
Collecting small items can easily become a mania.
I know someone who always cuts sketches out from newspapers of model clothes that she would like to buy if she had the money.
As she is not rich, the chances that she will ever be able to afford such purchases are remote;
but she is never sufficiently strongminded to be able to stop the practice.
It is a harmless habit, but it litters up her desk to such an extent that every time she opens it, loose bits of paper fall out in every direction.
Collecting as a serious hobby is quite different and has many advantages.
It provides relaxation for leisure hours, as just looking at one's treasures is always a joy.
One does not have to go outside for amusement, since the collection is housed at home.
Whatever it consists of, stamps, records, first editions of books, china, glass,
antique furniture, pictures, model cars, stuffed birds, toy animals, there is always something to do in connection with it,
from finding the right place for the latest addition, to verifying facts in reference books.
This hobby educates one not only in the chosen subject, but also in general matters which have some bearing on it.
There are also other benefits.
One wants to meet like-minded collectors, to get advice, to compare notes, to exchange articles, to show off the latest find.
So one's circle of friends grows.
Soon the hobby leads to travel, perhaps to a meeting in another town,
possibly a trip abroad in search of a rare specimen, for collectors are not confined to any one country.
Over the years, one may well become an authority on one's hobby and will very probably be asked to give informal talks to little gatherings
and then, if successful, to larger audiences.
In this way self-confidence grows, first from mastering a subject, then from being able to talk about it.
Collecting, by occupying spare time so constructively, makes a person contented, with no time for boredom.
译文
第59课
收藏
一个人成为真正的收藏家后，具体能获得什么呢？
人们往往会积累财物，有时甚至自己都没有意识到这一点。
确实，当他们发现某些自己原本不知道拥有的、但却非常实用的东西时，会感到非常惊喜。
那些从未搬过家的人，会无差别地收集各种杂物——这些杂物其实只能被归类为“杂乱无章的堆积物”。
他们把不需要的物品放在抽屉、橱柜或阁楼里多年，认为有朝一日自己可能会用到那些东西。
随着年龄的增长，人们积累物品还有另外两个原因：
缺乏体力和精力——这两者都是清理和丢弃物品所必需的；此外还有情感因素。
那些已经拥有很长时间的东西，都承载着与过去相关的种种回忆和情感联系。
也许这些物品与已经去世的亲人有关联，因此它们逐渐被赋予了超出其实际价值的意义（或：这些物品因为与逝去亲人的联系而变得更有价值）。
有些物品是人们特意在家里收集起来的，目的是为了减少浪费。
在这些物品中，我会列举细绳和牛皮纸。
节俭的人在拆开包裹后，会保留这些物品，以避免再次购买这两样必需品。
收集小物件很容易变成一种狂热。
我认识一个人，她总是从报纸上剪下那些她想要购买的模特服装的图片；如果她有钱的话，一定会买下这些衣服。
由于她并不富裕，她能够负担得起这类购买的费用的可能性微乎其微。
但她始终缺乏足够的意志力来改掉这个习惯。
这其实是个无伤大雅的习惯，但这个习惯让她的办公桌变得非常杂乱——每次她打开桌子时，都会有一堆散落的纸屑从各个方向掉出来。
将收藏作为一种严肃的爱好来从事，其实有着许多独特的优势。
它为休闲时光带来了放松与愉悦；仅仅欣赏自己的收藏品，本身就是一种享受。
人们不必外出寻找娱乐方式，因为这些藏品都收藏在家里。
无论是邮票、唱片、初版书籍、瓷器、玻璃制品，
古董家具、画作、模型汽车、标本鸟、玩具动物……总有相关的事情可做，
从为最新添加的内容找到合适的位置，到在参考书中核实事实……
这个爱好不仅能让人在所选择的领域内学到知识，还能帮助人们了解与该领域相关的一些通用性知识。
还有其他一些好处。
人们希望结识志同道合的收藏家，获取建议，交流心得，交换藏品，展示最新发现。
因此，一个人的朋友圈子也会逐渐扩大。
很快，这个爱好还会促使人们去旅行，也许到另一个城镇参加聚会，
也许他们会去国外寻找稀有的标本，因为收藏家们并不局限于某个特定的国家。
随着时间的推移，一个人很可能会在自己的爱好领域成为专家，并且很可能会被邀请在一些小型聚会上进行非正式的演讲。
然后，如果讲得成功，就会面向更多听众演讲。
通过这种方式，自信心得以增长：先是源于对一门学科的掌握，然后是源于能够就此侃侃而谈。
通过利用空闲时间来从事有意义的活动，一个人会感到满足，从而不会有无聊的感觉。