Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes from for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose.

From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men-- above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and slso for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received. My peace of mind is often troubled by the depressing sense that I have borrowed too heavily from  the work of other men.

To ponder interminably over the reason for one's own existence or the meaning of life in general seems to me , from  an objective point of view, to be sheer folly. And yet everyone  holds certain ideals by which he guides his aspiration and his judgement. The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty, and truth. To make a goal of comfort and happiness has never appealed to me; a system of ethics built on this basis would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle.

.

divine v. 占卜；預言；（憑直覺）推測[+wh-]

He claimed that he could divine the future. 他聲稱能預卜未來。

standpoint  n. 立場，觀點，看法[C]

This is an unprofitable discussion. Our standpoints are too different. 這是一種無益的討論。我們的立場太不一樣了。

earnestly  adv. 認真地；誠摯地

.

depress    v. 使沮喪，使消沉，使心灰意冷

.

interminably [ɪnˋtɝmənəblɪ]  

adv. 無限地；冗長地；漫無止境地

.

folly  n. 愚蠢；愚笨[U]；蠢事，愚行；傻念頭[C]

蠢事，愚行；傻念頭[C]The old man felt regret for the follies of his youth. 老人很後悔他年輕時的愚行。

aspiration  n. 熱望，志向，抱負[C][U][（+for/after/to）][+to-v]

.

herd  n. 畜群；牧群[C][G]

cattle  n. 牛；牲口，家畜

The cattle are in the shed. 牛在欄內。

.