A local grocery store here is remodeling
一家附近的杂货店正在翻新改造

and not a single one of the changes is good
这些改造却一个也不好

for those of us who shop there.
对于我们这些在那里买东西的人来说

The grocery aisles have been rearranged
杂货店里的货廊被重新整理过了

with some going in one direction
有些朝向这边

and others going in another.
有些又朝向相反的方向

The aisles have been pushed closer together too
货廊从两边向中间变窄了

making it harder to get through them.
行走其间变得更加艰难

All of the items have been moved from their usual spots as well
而且，所有的商品都从它原本的位置挪开了。

It seems like
似乎

all of these changes have been for the purpose
所有这些变化都只有一个目的

of slowing the shoppers down
就是让买东西的人动作更慢一些

so they will make more impulse buys
他们就会做出更多的冲动消费

and give the store bigger profits.
让杂货店赚更多的钱

As I walked through the store today
今天，当我在店里走动的时候

no one was smiling
我发现没有一张笑脸

and everyone was unhappy about it.
没有人为此感到高兴

The change that bothered me the most, however,
不过，最让我气恼的改变

was in the check-out aisles.
是在收银的区域

Only a few cashiers were left working
只剩下几个收银台可以用

with huge sections being converted into self-scanning check-outs.
大部分的区域都改成了自动扫码收银区

It saddened me to see this.
这让我感到难过

I knew that
我想

people were probably going to lose their jobs because of this change.
一定会有人因为这些变化丢掉工作

I got in a cashier aisle
我走到一个收银区

and patiently waited
开始耐心等待

while I saw some other people struggling to figure out how the self scan machines worked.
这时我看到其他顾客正竭力弄明白自动扫码机的使用办法

I vowed at that moment
那一刻我暗自发誓

never to use one myself
自己绝不会用自动扫码机

even if I had to wait longer every time I shopped there.
即使每次来店里买东西，都必须等待更长的时间

When I finally arrived at the front of the aisle
当我终于来到了人工收银台前

I saw the cashier was someone I knew.
我发现收银员是我认识的人

I smiled
我报以微笑

and asked her how her family was doing.
问她家人都好吗

She smiled back with a warmth and kindness
她带着温暖和善意回馈了一个微笑

that touched my soul.
让我深受触动

We chatted happily
我们相谈甚欢

while she scanned and bagged up my groceries .
同时，她扫描我的商品，并且帮我装袋

I felt a friendship and a connection with her
我感觉到彼此之间的友情和默契

that warmed my heart.
这让我心中一暖

I wished her well before I left
在我离开前，我祝愿她一切都好

And wished good luck to her
并祝她好运

and all the other hard working cashiers there.
也祝店里其他辛勤劳作的收银员好运

Machines can do a lot for us,
机器能为我们做很多事

but there are many things they can't do.
但也有很多事他们无能为力

They can't smile.
他们不会微笑

They can't love.
他们不能付出爱意

They can't touch a heart.
他们不能触碰我们的心弦

Only we can do that.
只有我们人类可以做这些

Only we can make life worth living.
只有我们能让生活变得值得

It is time we realize that
是时候我们应该意识到

profits aren't more important than people
利益并不比人心更重要

and machines aren't more important than us.
机器也不比人更重要

It is time we see that
是时候我们应该看到

we are here not to conquer the world
我们来到世界，不是为了征服

but to be a part of it.
而是为了成为世界的一部分

It is time we learn that
是时候我们应该学会

each other,
相互彼此

and this world
还有这个世界

is what life is all about.
才是生活的意义所在