安全感及理性――欧洲黄金时代.doc

安全感及理性――欧洲黄金时代 　　If I try to find some useful phrase to sum up the time of my childhood and youth before the First World War， I hope I can put it most succinctly（简明扼要地）by calling it the Golden Age of Security. Everything in our Austrian Monarchy（?W地利君主制）， then almost a thousand years old， seemed built to last， and the state itself was the ultimate guarantor（保证）of durability（持久性）. The rights it gave its citizens were affirmed by our parliament（议会）， a freely elected assembly representing the people， and every duty was precisely defined. Our currency（货币）， the Austrian crown（克朗）， circulated（流通）in the form of shiny gold coins， thus vouching for（担保）its own immutability（不变，永恒）. Everyone knew how much he owned and what his income was， what was allowed and what was not. Every family had its own budget and knew how much could be spent on food and lodging（住宿）， summer holidays and social functions， and of course you had to put a small sum aside for unforeseen contingencies（未预见到的意外）such as illness and the doctor. If you owned a house you regarded it as a secure home for your children and grandchildren； property in town or country was passed on from generation to generation. While a baby was still in the cradle（摇篮）， you contributed the first small sums to its way through life， depositing them in a money box or savings account（储蓄账号）， a little reserve（储备）for the future. Anything radical or violent seemed impossible in such an age of reason. This sense of security was an asse（t资产）owned by millions， something desirable， an ideal of life held in common by al（l全体公认的）. The era of security was also the golden age of the insurance industry（保险业）. You insured your house against fire and theft， your land against damage by storms and hail， your body against accidents and sickness； you bought annuities（养老金）for your old age； you put insurance policies in your girl childrens cradles to provide their future dowries（嫁妆）. Only those who could look forward with confidence to the future enjoyed th