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Why is it that the featureless turnpikes and interstates are the routes of choice for so many of us? Why doesn't everybody try slowing down and exploring the countryside? But more and more, the fast lane seems to be the only way for us to go. In fact, most Americans are constantly in a hurry—and not just to get from Point A to Point B. Our country has become a nation in search of the quick fix—in more ways than one.
为什么我们大多数人都选择那种毫无特色的收费高速公路和州际公路作路线呢？为什么大家不试着放慢速度来欣赏一下乡村风景呢？渐渐地，快车道似乎成为我们出行的唯一选择。事实上，多数美国人总是匆匆忙忙——并不仅仅表现在从A点到达B点这一个方面。我们的国家已经成为在很多方面都追求捷径的国家。
Now instead of later: Americans understood the principle of deferred gratification. We put a little of each paycheck away "for a rainy day." If we wanted a new sofa or a week at a lakeside cabin, we saved up for it, and the banks helped us out by providing special Christmas Club and vacation Club accounts. If we lived in the right part of the country, we planted corn and beans and waited patiently for the harvest. If we wanted to be thinner, we simply ate less of our favorite foods and waited patiently for the scale to drop, a pound at a time. But today we aren't so patient. We take out loans instead of making deposits, or we use our credit card to get that furniture or vacation trip—relax now, pay later. We buy our food, like our clothing, ready-made and off the rack. And if we're in a hurry to lose weight, we try the latest miracle diet, guaranteed to take away ten pounds in ten days... unless we’re rich enough to afford liposuction.
只求现在，不顾将来：以前，美国人懂得愿望不是一朝能实现的道理。我们会从每次的收入中抽取一部分攒起来，以备不时之需。如果我们想买个新沙发或去湖边的小屋度假一周，我们会为此攒钱，而且银行也会为我们提供各种储蓄产品，帮我们实现这些愿望，如圣诞储蓄、度假储蓄账户等；如果我们居住的地区条件允许的话，我们会种植玉米和大豆，耐心地等待收获；如果我们想变瘦，我们就少吃自己喜爱的食物，不急不躁地等待体重一磅一磅地减下来。但是，如今我们不再有耐心。我们不再攒钱而是贷款，或者用信用卡去买家具、度假旅行——先享受，再付钱；我们像买衣服一样从货架上购买现成的食物；如果我们急着减肥，我们会尝试最新推出的、承诺在十天内减掉十磅的奇效减肥食谱……如果有足够的钱，我们还会去做吸脂手术。
