you are an asshole

You might be put off a bit or enraged by the title. Please do not. At least not until you hear the whole story and judge for yourself the validity or invalidity of the statement.

你可能会被这个头衔耽搁或激怒。请不要。至少在你听到整个故事并为自己判断声明的有效性或无效性之前。

A long time ago I watched the eponymous YouTube video by American comedian Louis CK. He makes a great point, albeit in vulgar language (a comedian’s prerogative):
Self-love is a good thing, but self-awareness is more important. You need once in a while, go, I am kind of an asshole. You have to have that thought once in a while. Or you are a psychopath. You know when you say to a friend of yours, “you are being an asshole.” They are like, no, I am not. Well, it’s not up to you if you are an asshole or not. It’s up to everybody else.
Louis CK

很久以前，我看了美国喜剧演员路易斯克的同名YouTube视频。他说得很有道理，尽管是粗俗的语言（喜剧演员的特权）： 自爱是件好事，但自我意识更重要。你偶尔需要一次，走吧，我是个混蛋。你必须偶尔有这样的想法。或者你是个精神病患者。你知道，当你对你的朋友说，“你是个混蛋。”他们就像，不，我不是。好吧，不管你是不是混蛋，这都不取决于你。这取决于其他人。 路易斯·克

It is rather short, but the message sticks. Counterintuitively, this is partly thanks to the vulgar language used (say, the no-no word “asshole”). We try to avoid vulgar language in public discourse because it is socially awkward and even offensive. But I am a fan. Though unrefined, vulgar language connects directly and deeply with the ideas that matter, cutting through the red tape of diction.

它相当短，但信息仍然存在。与直觉相反，这部分要归功于所使用的粗俗语言（比如说，“混蛋”这个词是不允许的）。我们尽量避免在公共演讲中使用粗俗的语言，因为它在社交上很尴尬，甚至冒犯他人。但我是个粉丝。粗俗的语言虽然不精练，但却与重要的思想直接而深刻地联系在一起，切断了繁文缛节。

Louis CK’s message is a timely and timeless reminder that humans are pitiful creatures who are madly protective of their fragile self-esteem. When confronted, their intuitive response often is to ignore or negate the question at issue, scratch for excuses, and shift focus. “The unexamined life is not worth living,” admonished Socrates. But people would rather comfortably live in the unexamined dark dank cave, untouched by the dazzling yet nourishing sun.

路易斯克的信息是一个及时和永恒的提醒，人类是可怜的生物，他们疯狂地保护他们脆弱的自尊。面对问题时，他们的直觉反应往往是忽略或否定问题，寻找借口，转移注意力。”“未经检验的生活不值得过，”苏格拉底告诫道。但人们宁愿舒适地生活在未经检查的黑暗潮湿的山洞里，而不被耀眼却营养丰富的太阳所触及。

People are reluctant to admit their wrong-doing because somehow admission of sins is seen as a sign of spinelessness. Populists like Donald Trump have used this against his contenders and predecessors. Plus, to unaccustomed confessors, it does not feel as great as being recognized or praised for some heroic act.

人们不愿承认自己的错误行为，因为不知何故，认罪被视为懦弱的表现。像唐纳德·特朗普这样的民粹主义者利用这一点反对他的竞争者和前任。另外，对于不习惯忏悔的人来说，这并没有因为某些英雄行为而被认可或赞扬的感觉那么好。

Another reason people shy away from admissions is they are not being held accountable or the consequences are not immediate. This is why I like poker. The essence of poker is to maximize value and minimize loss. To do this, you have to make as many good decisions (and as few bad ones) as possible. You are rewarded for making good ones and punished for making bad ones. You are responsible for your own fortunes or misfortunes. You cannot turn a blind eye to your weaknesses and blame bad luck if you want to be consistently profitable.

人们不愿被录取的另一个原因是他们没有被追究责任，或者后果并不直接。这就是我喜欢扑克的原因。扑克的本质是最大化价值和最小化损失。要做到这一点，你必须做出尽可能多的好的决定（以及尽可能少的坏的决定）。你因做好事而受到奖励，因做坏事而受到惩罚。你要为自己的命运或不幸负责。如果你想持续盈利，你就不能对自己的弱点视而不见，也不能责怪运气不好。

Louis CK is spot on because we are assholes at one point or another. Life is full of undesirable truths. We have to deconstruct these truths to get to the sunny side of them so that we can live with them and live happier lives. Paradoxically, those who admit the fastest that they are assholes are the least assholy.

路易斯凯因我们在某一点上是混蛋而成为焦点。生活中充满了不受欢迎的真理。我们必须解构这些真理，才能到达它们阳光灿烂的一面，这样我们才能和它们一起生活，过上更幸福的生活。自相矛盾的是，那些承认自己是混蛋的人最不混蛋。

P.S. The workplace is where work-related misconceptions fester. Come join Eric to reexamine the concepts and principles we have taken for granted for far too long.

P.S.工作场所是与工作相关的误解最为猖獗的地方。来和埃里克一起重新审视我们长久以来认为理所当然的概念和原则。