不丹是世界上幸福指數最高的國家之一，但他們之所以如此快樂的原因可能令人驚訝不已——那就是每天思考死亡。究竟思考死亡和幸福感之間的關聯是什麼？進入本文前，請先想想如何表達以下單字：
A) 突如其來的
B)目瞪口呆
C) 微妙
D) 隔離
Eric Weiner, a philosophical traveler, had an unexpected experience while on a visit to Bhutan. He found himself 1) spilling his guts while talking to Karma Ura, a Bhutanese man. He told Ura about his physical symptoms that A) came out of the blue but in the end turned out to be a 2) false alarm. It was only a panic attack. Ura’s reply left him B) dumbfounded. “You need to think about death for five minutes every day. It will cure you.” Ura explained that, it is the fear of dying rather than dying itself that is troubling us.
艾瑞克・維納，一個哲學旅行家，在不丹旅行時經歷了一件出乎意料之外的事。他發現自己竟然掏心掏肺的對當地一個不丹人卡爾瑪・烏拉，訴說自己身體突然不知為何出現各種症狀，結果是虛驚一場，他只是恐慌症發作。烏拉的回應讓他目瞪口呆：「你必須每天思考死亡五分鐘。那將會治癒你。」烏拉解釋說，造成人們困擾的不是死亡本身，而是對死亡的恐懼。
Bhutan, known as one of the happiest countries on earth, provides some surprising insights into what contributes to happiness. At first glance, it seems like a land where contentment reigns and sorrow is nowhere in sight, but if you look deeper, you will find that their happiness is more C) nuanced.
不丹，是著名的世界上最快樂的國家之一，而它給了我們一些令人驚訝的關於如何獲得快樂的洞見。第一眼看來，不丹就像是一片充滿著知足而且看不見悲傷的土地，但如果你往更深處去探究，你會發現他們的快樂有著更微妙的細節。 People in Bhutan are expected to think about death five times a day. Recent research found that, while death is a psychologically threatening fact, when people contemplate it, it actually helps the auto-suggestive system to search for happy thoughts. Bhutanese people do not D) sequester death because they know that death is a natural process in life, and thinking about it makes them 3) seize the moment.
不丹的人們被期待每天思考死亡五次。近期有研究指出，雖然死亡是個對心理造成威脅的事實，但當人思考它時，卻有助於大腦自動系統尋找快樂的念頭。不丹的人們不會把自己和死亡隔離，因為他們瞭解死亡是生命自然過程的一環，而且思考死亡讓他們更加把握當下。 The Bhutanese think about death so often because death is all around them, and another reason is the Buddhist belief in reincarnation. As Buddhists say, “you shouldn’t fear dying any more than you fear discarding old clothes.” It doesn't mean that the Bhutanese don’t feel fear or sadness. They do, but they accept it because it’s all part of life. That’s their secret to happiness.
不丹人如此頻繁地思考死亡是因為，死亡處處存在於他們的環境之中；另一個原因是佛教對於轉世輪迴的信仰。就如佛教徒所說：「死亡就像換掉舊衣服一樣，不該懼怕。」這不表示不丹人不會感受到恐懼或是悲傷，而是他們能接納這些情緒，因為這都是生命的一部份。那就是他們快樂的祕訣。 口語字彙
1. Spill one’s guts 掏心掏肺，揭露自己，把自己的一切全盤托出
Guts是膽量，整句話字面上的意思是把膽量倒出來，也就是吐露真心，揭露自己的意思。
I just met him today and I am already spilling my guts. 我今天才剛認識他，我卻已經對他掏心掏肺，把我的一切都告訴了他。
2. False alarm 假警報，虛驚
Alarm是警報，整句意即假警報，表示虛驚一場的意思。
She thought she got pregnant accidentally, but it turned out to be a false alarm. 她原以為她不小心懷孕了，但結果是虛驚一場。
3. Seize the moment 把握當下
Seize是抓住的意思，整句為抓緊此刻，把握當下的意思。
The past is gone and the future is yet to come. Seize the moment! 過去已經逝去，而未來還未到來。好好把握當下吧！ | 
