My younger son said something to me the other day that took me completely by surprise and haunts me still. We were sitting in a café at St Pancras Station, where we occasionally meet when I'm in London, talking about the financial crisis and the unrest that seems to be building across Europe - the background to the weekend G8 summit. He suddenly looked up and said very earnestly, "Have you ever felt frightened for the future?" I was startled. I've never felt frightened for the future, but clearly he did. This was not the result of our different generational circumstances. My generation has enjoyed a welfare state, steady employment and may be debt-free before the end of the working life. His generation starts with student debts, quickly adds a mortgage and the cost of child care, and faces insecure employment prospects. No, his worries were wider. He spoke about pre-war Europe when recession and austerity led to civil unrest and the rise of the dictators. Was history going to repeat itself?
某天我小儿子跟我说的话让我大吃一惊，直到现在还萦绕在我耳边。我在伦敦时跟他偶遇，于是在St Pancras车站附近的一家咖啡店小坐，谈论着经济危机和在欧洲正不断蔓延的动荡 - 这也是周末G8峰会召开的背景。他突然抬头然后热切的说：“你担忧过未来吗？”我震惊了。我从来不担心未来，但显然他很担心。这不是我们之间代沟的问题。我们这一代人福利好，工作稳定，可能到职业生涯快结束时一直都没负债。可他这一代人有贷学金，然后是房贷，儿童保育费，工作前景堪虞。他担忧的还不止这些。他说（二）战前的欧洲，经济衰退和紧缩措施最终导致国家动荡，从而产生了独裁者。难道历史就要重演了吗？