American Dreams Redux(b)|在路上的美国梦

American Dreams Redux

『在路上的美国梦』

　　The impending anxieties of turning 30 prompted Wu to plan a trip, and what he most wanted was to take a very long drive. "Strangely enough, it was as though the physical sensation of wind rushing past the car windows and scenery slipping continually into the rearview mirror assuaged my anxiety and helped me find an energy that propelled me forward," Wu said.

　　While on the road, he went out of his way to visit friends and relatives studying or working in the States. In the process, he developed a new appreciation for how he had been influenced by American culture. The preceding generation had grown up in impoverished and uncertain times, and thus tended to look upon America as a land of prosperity, progress, and limitless possibilities. Taiwanese born in the 1980s, meanwhile, grew up from the start surrounded by American entertainment and foods. Having heard the yearnings and disappointments that America had inspired in older generations and having learned from the cross-cultural experiences from peers in his own generation, Wu felt simultaneously familiar yet unfamiliar with America.

　　After half a month on the road, while standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon, Wu suddenly had an insight into the nature of the American spirit. "Imagine what it must have been like hundreds of years ago for the pioneers who first came here. Without the strength of numbers, they had to have a strong belief in themselves. Indeed, if this belief fell anything short of a type of faith, the pioneers would sooner or later have been swallowed whole by this vast expanse."

　　即将迈入而立之年的焦虑促使吴定谦筹划了这趟旅程，而他最渴望的就是能来一段长途的驾驶。他说，『奇妙的是，当感官意识到车窗外疾驶而逝的风，以及不断溜过后视镜的景色，彷佛缓和了我的焦虑并帮我找到驱策前进的能量。』

　　此行中，吴定谦也专程去拜访了在美留学或工作的亲友。在此过程中，他对于自己是如何受到美国文化的影响有了新的认识。上一代的人生长在穷困及不稳定的年代，因此往往会对美国抱有一种富裕、进步及充满无限可能的想法。而台湾的七年级生则是一出生就被美国娱乐文化及食物所包围。透过听闻美国对老一辈的启发所产生的渴望与失落，以及吸取自身年代同侪间的跨文化经验，吴定谦对美国始终感到既熟悉又陌生。

　　直到上路半个月后，当他站在大峡谷前的那一刻，吴定谦突然领悟了美国精神的本质。『设想一下几百年前初到此地开拓的人们身处的是什么样的环境。在孑然一身的条件下，他们必须对自己有坚强的信念。更确切地说，假使这份信念未能符合一种信仰，这些开拓者迟早会被这样广大的荒野给吞噬。』