It's the resolution to be a civil, social creature. This may be a peak period for the battle against the spread of a waistline and creeping cholesterol. But it is also within our will power to fight the spread of urban rudeness and creeping hostility. Civility doesn't stop nuclear holocaust and doesn't put a roof over the head of the homeless. But it makes a difference in the shape of a community, as surely as lifting weights can make a difference in the shape of a human torso.
这是做一个文明的、社会的人的决定。今天也许是人们为减少腰围和降低胆固醇而斗争的高峰期。然而,反对城市野蛮行为和人际敌对态度的蔓延,也是我们只要愿做就能做到的事。有礼貌不能制止核战争,也不能为无家可归者提供栖身之所,但它的确能改变一个社会群体的面貌,如同举重定能改变一个人的体形一样。