英国导演迈克尔·艾普特拍了一部很牛的BBC纪录片《人生七年》(《56UP》)，导演选择了14个不同阶层的孩子进行跟踪拍摄，每七年记录一次、从7岁一直到56岁。很多文章解读说这就像之前天涯很火的那篇《寒门难再出贵子》，暴露了人生的残酷。

　　然而，一千个人眼中有一千个哈姆雷特。在这里英语君要给你换个角度另类解读这部每7年就火一次的纪录片——《人生七年》告诉我们的5条人生法则。

《人生七年》第一集

　　无论发生什么，生活都会继续。

　　Through the years, we’ve seen the participants experience deaths, divorce, and dramatic career setbacks. We’ve also seen them prevail against adversity.

　　在纪录片的56年中，我们可以看到参与拍摄的人们经历死亡、离婚、突发的职场挫折等等，也见证了他们走出逆境。

　　Over and over, we’ve seen the participants believe negative events meant their lives were finished. But people will gradually return to their personal “baseline” of happiness after a triumph or a tragedy.

　　有多少次，这些人认为他们人生中的挫折似乎意味着自己的生活完蛋了，然而并没有。人们在战胜困难或经受磨难后，会逐渐回归到最基本平常的幸福。

　　The key to happiness is to raise that baseline by cultivating an approach to life that emphasizes appreciation for the good things, as well as qualities like forgiveness and compassion.

　　幸福的秘诀就是培养这样的人生态度：欣赏生命中美好的事情、培养宽容和富有同情心的素质。

　　2. Count your blessings.

　　要记得时常感恩。

　　The most troubled—and compelling—participants in the series are the ones that are also among the most grateful for what they have.

　　纪录片中遇到麻烦最多、同时也最引人注目的角色，往往也是那些对自己所拥有的一切最懂得感恩的人。

　　Neil, for example, suffers severe mental illness and has been homeless and suicidal for long stretches of time. But Neil also provides the audience with many moments of grace, as when he recounts how grateful he is for long walks and conversations with friends.

　　比如说，影片中的尼尔患有严重的精神疾病，很长时间都流浪在外、犹豫在自杀的边缘。但尼尔带给观众的，还有很多优雅的镜头：回想起和朋友们的长途漫步、促膝而谈，他感到很满足。

　　This sense of gratitude contributes powerfully to the resilience self-cure of Neil. People who live a life ofpervasive thankfulness really do experience life differently than people who cheat themselves out of life by not feeling grateful.

　　正是这种感恩的意识，促进了尼尔的恢复和自愈。对生活毫无感恩的人其实是欺骗了自己的生活，而对生活充满感恩的人、他们的生活体验真的与众不同。

《人生七年》第二集