If a butterfly flutters its wings, so chaos theory goes, it can cause the path of a tornado to change, and so the reverberations can be felt across the world.
混沌学理论提到,如果一只蝴蝶煽动翅膀,卷风的路线会因其改变,全世界都将感觉到随之而来的影响。
In
retrospect,
it
looks
as
if
what
was
happening
to
the
cost
of
food
in
the
Middle
East
a
few
years
ago
had
just
that
impact.
回顾往昔,若干年前中东粮食价格的波动和此如出一辙。
The
frustrations
of
Tunisian
fruitsellers
and
the
seething
anger
of
Egyptians
over
the
price
of
basic
foodstuffs
were
ignored
by
the
rest
of
the
world
then
当时其它国家并没有重视中东态势,基本食品价格令突尼斯水果商心情沮丧,令埃及人愤懑不已,
but
analysts
have
since
traced
them
as
the
roots
of
the
Arab
Spring
upheavals.
然而,分析家们认定,这一情形就是动荡不安的“阿拉伯之春”的根源。
Food
shortages
and
high
prices
have
had
consequences
throughout
the
ages
as
the
history
of
revolutions
reminds
us.
几年来,粮食短缺和高昂的物价带来的后果和以往革命带来的后果一样。
No
wonder
that
politicians
and
the
United
Nations
are
becoming
increasingly
concerned
about
rising
prices
leading
to
a
global
food
crisis.
难怪政客和联合国都越来越担心上涨的物价会导致全球粮食危机。
Drought,
the
diversion
of
corn
crops
into
the
production
of
biofuels,
the
corruption
and
chaotic
distribution
of
food
in
some
developing
nations,
旱灾、利用玉米生产生物燃料、某些发展中国家食品分配过程中存在的贪污现象,
all
these
are
shaping
a
complex
global
food
economy.
Add
in
certain
speculators
and
food
conglomerates
aiming
for
higher
profits,
这些正使全球食品经济变得复杂。谋求暴利的投机商和食品大公司的参与,
and
many
aid
charities
warn
that
this
is
a
recipe
for
disaster
for
the
poorest
in
the
developing
world.
让许多慈善援助机构都发出警告,这将为发展中国家的贫苦人民带去深重的灾难。
But
what's
it
got
to
do
with
the
ordinary
individual?
Isn't
something
as
complex
as
a
food
crisis
just
for
the
politicians
and
the
UN
to
sort
out?
普通人应该怎么做?和食品危机同等复杂的问题是否只有靠政客和联合国去解决?
Morality
is
surely
personal,
as
is
a
relationship
with
God,
道德和上帝相关,是绝对私人的。
and
one's
religious
beliefs
stretch
as
far
as
dealing
with
those
immediately
around
us.
一个人的宗教信仰能改变他与周围人相处的方式。
Once
in
a
while
the
face
of
a
starving
child
on
the
news
might
persuade
us
to
make
a
donation
to
a
charity
新闻里孩子挨饿的面孔可能一时间让我们捐款给慈善机构,
but
the
individual's
involvement
goes
no
further.
The
usual
reading
of
Christ's
parable
of
the
Good
Samaritan,
for
example,
但个人的行为并不会产生深远的影响。有关撒玛利亚人的基督教寓言故事
|