Celine: It's funny, I read one of mine...from '83 the other day.

 

Jesse: Yeah?

 

Celine: And what really surprised me is...that I was dealing¹ with life the same way I am now. I was much more hopeful and naive²...but the core, and the way I was feeling things, is exactly the same. It made me realize I haven't changed much at all.

 

Jesse: I don't think anybody does. People don't want to admit it, but it's like we have these innate³ set points...and nothing much that happens to us changes our disposition⁴.

 

Celine: Really? You believe that?

 

Jesse: I think so. I read this study where they followed people who'd won the lottery⁵....and people who'd become paraplegics. You'd think one extreme is gonna make you euphoric and the other suicidal. But the study shows that, after about six months...as soon as people had gotten used to their new situation...they were, more or less, the same.

 

Celine: The same?

 

Jesse: Yeah. Like, if they were basically an optimistic, jovial⁶ person...they're now an optimistic, jovial person in a wheelchair. If they're a petty, miserable⁷ asshole...they're a petty, miserable asshole with a new Cadillac, a house and a boat.

 

Celine: So I'll be forever depressed⁸ no matter what great things happen?

 

Jesse: Definitely.

 

Celine: Great.

 

Jesse: No, come on, are you depressed now?

 

Celine: No, no, I'm not depressed. But sometimes I worry I'll get to the end of my life...feeling I haven't done all I wanted to.

 

Jesse: Well, what do you want to do?

 

Celine: I...I want to paint more, I want to play my guitar every day. I want to learn Chinese. I want to write more songs. There's so many things I want to do, and I end up doing not much.

 

Jesse: All right, well, let me ask you this: Do you believe in ghosts or spirits?

 

Celine: No.

 

Jesse: No?

 

Celine: No.

 

Jesse: Okay, what about reincarnation?

 

Celine: Not at all.

 

Jesse: God?

 

Celine: No.

 

Jesse: All right.

 

Celine: That sounds terrible. No, no, no. But I don't want to be one of those people that don't believe in any magic.

 

Jesse: So then, astrology?

 

Celine: Yes, of course!

 

Jesse: There we go.

 

Celine: That makes sense, right?

 

Jesse: Obviously.

 

Celine: You're a Scorpio, I'm a Sag⁹, we get along. No, no, no. There's an Einstein quote I really, really like. He said, "If you don't believe in any kind of magic or mystery you're basically as good as dead. "

 

Jesse: Yeah, I like that. I've always felt there was some kind of mystical core to the universe. But, more recently, I've started to think that, me, my personality, whatever...That I don't have any permanent place here, you know. In eternity¹⁰ or whatever, you know. And the more I think that, I can't go through life saying this is no big deal. This is it. This is actually happening. What do you think is interesting? What do you think is funny? What is important? You know, every day's our last.

 

Celine: When I feel that way, I usually call my mom to tell her I love her.

 

Jesse: Yeah?

 

Celine: And she's always: "Are you okay? Do you have cancer? Are you gonna commit suicide?" It's almost not worth it. So, what about us?

 

Jesse: What about us?

 

Celine: No, what I mean is...

 

1. innate：先天的，与生俱来的

 

2. set point：设定值，调整点

 

3. paraplegic：下身麻痹患者，截瘫的

 

4. euphoric：精神愉快的，欣快的

 

5. suicidal：自杀的，自我毁灭的，自取灭亡的

 

6. jovial：天性快活的

 

7. reincarnation：再生，化身

 

8. Scorpio： 蝎座

 

9. Sag： 射手座

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