Even today, there is a certain magic about Bali. The longer one stays on the island, the more one is impressed1 by the many exquisite2 sights and the scores of talented and charming people one encounters3. All the tourist hype4 aside, Bali truly is exceptional.

The island of Bali indeed presents a modern paradox5 -- an ancient, traditional society that is still incredibly alive and vital. While the basic conservatism6 of the Balinese has enabled them to preserve many of their past achievements, it has never hindered7 the acceptance of new and innovative8 elements, whether home-grown or foreign.

How are we to account for9theisland's fabled cultural wealth? A fortuitous10 congruence11 of circumstances -- accidents, really, of geography and history, seems responsible.

First and foremost, Bali is extraordinarily blessed by Nature. Lying within a narrow band of the tropics where wet and dry seasons fall roughly into balance -- providing both adequate rainfall and long periods of sunshine -- the island's soils, topography12 anti water resources are all remarkably well suited to human habitation. As a result, Bali has been civilized since very early times.

This is also the only island in "inner Indonesia" that has enjoyed centuries of more or less uninterrupted13 cultural continuity. While other traditional states in the region suffered major disruptions due to Islamization and Dutch colonization, Bali was isolated, left to go her own way.

As a result, this is the only area of Indonesia that remains "Hindu" today-retaining elements of the great fusion14 of indigenous15 and Indian cultures which took place over a thousand years ago. When Bali was, finally colonized by the Dutch, at the turn of last century, the European invaders16 were so fascinated by what they found here that a concerted17 effort was made to preserve and foster the island's traditional culture.

Balinese society remains strong and vital, moreover, because it promotes18 family and communal values. This is indeed the key -- a self-strengthening system in which religion,custom and art combine with age - old childrearing techniques and deeply- entrenched19 village institutions to produce an exceptionally well- integrated society. Feelings of alienation20 from parents and peers, so common now in the West are rare in Bali.

Children are carried everywhere until they are at least three months old,held at all times in the warm, protective embrace of family, friends and neighbors. Elaborate21 rituals22 are performed at frequent intervals23 to ensure their well-being. Every aspect of village life is organized to the nth24 degree--the individual's rights and responsibilities within the community being carefully defined by tradition.

Despite all this, it should be noted that traditional Bali was far from perfect. For the majority of Balinese peasants, it was in fact a world wracked25 by warfare,disease, pestilence26 and famine. In last century, moreover, Bali was continuously plagued27 by political violence, over-population and poverty.

Bali's unique culture should in fact be viewed as a response to difficult, uncertain conditions. Its strong village institutions served as bulwarks28 against the ever-present threat of disaster; their inherent flexibility was a guarantee of survival in the face of often overwhelming odds29.

The rapid changes now occurring on the island must be seen from this historical perspective. Certainly there are problems, some perhaps as serious as those faced in earlier times. But the Balinese are eternal30 optimists, fervently31 believing that their "Island of the Gods" enjoys a very special place indeed in the grander scheme of things.

即使在目前看來，巴厘島的風光仍然有著其獨特的魅力。游客在該島停留的時間越長，他就會對島上風景的幽微之處感觸越深，并對所遇到的達人雅士留下深刻的印象、拋開所有為招徠游客吹得天花亂墜的廣告不說，巴厘島的確是不可不游。

置身巴厘島，它確確實實能帶給你一種古今時空相互交錯的感覺——古老的、傳統(tǒng)的社會仍然保持著驚人的活力；盡管思想上的守舊性使得巴厘人繼續(xù)保持了自己舊有的文化傳統(tǒng)，但這并不妨礙他們接受新的事物，不管這些人是土生土長的巴厘人，還是后來移居至此的外來者。

那是什么樣的原因使得巴厘島上蘊含了如此豐厚的文化?或許是一種地理及歷史環(huán)境和偶然事件的巧合使然。

首要的原因是，大自然格外地垂青巴厘島。巴厘島地處熱帶狹窄地帶，它的雨季和旱季周期取得了近乎完美的季節(jié)平衡，這使得該島的降雨量和日照時間都十分充足，同時也使得巴厘島的土壤、地形及水源條件都極其適合人類的居住有鑒于此，巴厘島在很早以前就發(fā)展了人類文明。

其次，在過去的幾個世紀中，巴厘島是“印尼內陸”中惟一沒有出現(xiàn)文化斷裂的島嶼，其文化發(fā)展保持了連續(xù)性。也就是說，在印尼大部分地區(qū)先后受到伊斯蘭文化及荷蘭殖民文化的影響時，巴厘島卻沒有受到這種干擾，而是保持了自己的文化發(fā)展道路。

正因為如此，目前巴厘島還在很大程度保留了自己1000多年前由當?shù)匚幕c印度文化相融合的文化傳統(tǒng)，這種傳統(tǒng)使巴厘島是印尼境內惟一一個保留印度教的地區(qū)。在上個世紀初，當荷蘭殖民者們最終侵占此地時，這些歐洲侵略者們對巴厘島上所保留的文化傳統(tǒng)感到十分驚訝，他們因而商定，一定要對巴厘島上的這種文化傳統(tǒng)加以扶植，使得它能夠得以繼續(xù)保持下去。

巴厘島上的社會文化觀念依然保持著強大的活力而且它還促進了家庭及社區(qū)觀念的發(fā)展。該島的社會體制屬于一種自治性的社會結構，而維持這種結構穩(wěn)定的則是宗教、習俗、古老的兒童教育方式以及牢固的村落機構。通過這些方式，巴厘島形成了自己獨有的完整統(tǒng)一的社會體制。在當今西方國家，很多人已經不知道親情為何物，而巴厘島上這種現(xiàn)象卻極為罕見。

在嬰兒出生3個月之后，這些嬰兒會被大人們帶到各處。孩子的家長、朋友及鄰居都會對這幼小的生命極盡所有的關愛。當?shù)氐娜藗儠r常舉行各種隆重的儀式來祝福這些嬰兒的健康成長。這些村落中的日常生活由無數(shù)種既定的規(guī)矩所組成——傳統(tǒng)的風俗已經為每個個體的權利和義務做出了詳盡的規(guī)定。

盡管如此，巴厘島的生活離盡善盡美的地步還有很大的一段距離。對于當?shù)卮蠖鄶?shù)的村民來說，他們每天還受到來自戰(zhàn)爭、疾病、瘟疫及饑荒的威脅。自上個世紀以來，連續(xù)不斷的政治沖突、急劇增長的人口數(shù)量及由此而帶來的貧困交加等社會問題還一直如影隨形地纏繞著當?shù)氐陌屠迦恕?/p>

因而巴厘島的獨特文化也就可以視為是他們對困境及社會變幻不定的一種應對。它所奉行的村社制度也就可能成為他們抵擋所有災難威脅的堡壘，也正是這種文化中所固有的柔韌性成為了當?shù)卮迕窀矣诿鎸ξ磥淼谋ＷC。

針對目前巴厘島上所發(fā)生的種種巨變，我們應該以歷史的眼光來看待。不可否認，目前巴厘島還存在著諸多社會問題，有些問題的嚴重程度甚至等同于以前他們所遭受的苦難。然而巴厘人永遠都是樂觀主義者，并虔誠地相信，他們所居住的“天堂之島”實際上是世界上獨一無二的美麗家園。

注釋

1．impress vt．使感動，使銘記，給…深刻的印象

2．exquisite adj. 微妙的，有不尋常(或奧秘的)吸引力的

3．encounter vt. 意外地遇見，偶然碰到

4．hype n. (刺激興趣、促進銷售等的)天花亂墜的廣告宣傳

5．paradox n．有明顯的矛盾特點的人(或事物、行為等)

6．conservatism n．保守主義，守舊性

7．hinder vt．阻礙，阻止，妨礙

8．innovative adj．新穎的，革新的

9．account for 作出說明，作出解釋；提出理由

10．fortuitous adj．偶然的，偶然發(fā)生的

11．congruence n．一致，和諧

12．topography n，地形，地貌，地勢

13．uninterrupted adj．不中斷的，連續(xù)不斷的

14．fusion n．(音樂或其它文化形式的)融合

15．indigenous adj．當?shù)氐?，本土的，本地?/p>

16．invader n．入侵者，侵略者

17．concerted adj.商定的，一致的

18．promote vt. 促進，增進

19．entrench vt. 確立，使處于牢固地位

20．alienation n．(感情上的)疏遠，離間

21．elaborate adj．精心計劃(或制作)的

22．ritual n．(宗教等的)儀式

23．interval n．(時間、空間上的)間隔；間距

24．nth adj. 極大的，極度的，to the~degree極 度地，極端地

25．wrack vt. 折磨，使痛苦

26．pestilence n．惡性傳染病，瘟疫，疫病

27．plague vt．[口]使痛苦，使煩惱，煩擾，打擾

28．bulwark n．堡壘，壁壘

29．odds [復] n．[常用作復]可能性

30．eternal adj．永恒的，永存的，永遠不變的

31．fervently adv．強烈地，熱誠地