單身男士的情人節 我是光棍,我驕傲

You're single -- a heat-seeking bachelor, committed to no one in particular, able to party like John Belushi and sleep until noon with no one underfoot to tell you to do otherwise. It's a great life, and why shouldn't it be?
假設你是單身——一個熱衷豔遇的單身漢，那麼你既不需要向誰負責，又可以像John Belushi那樣狂歡，還可以一覺睡到自然醒，太陽照到屁股也沒人管。多美妙的生活啊，不是麼？

These days, there's no real social pressure to get married right out of high school or college, you can easily get laid without saying "I do," and most people are waiting until much later in life to tie the knot, anyway.
當今社會中，並沒有太大壓力逼迫着你在高中或大學畢業後去結婚。即便不說“我願意”，你也可以輕易跟女人上牀。很多人都選擇了晚結婚。

Still, that nagging question keeps popping into your head: Should I settle down? Should I ransom my freedom? Should I embark on the great search for my soul mate and willingly kiss my single days goodbye forever? While only you can answer this question, here are a few reasons for staying single (at least for the time being).
然而，一個鬧心的問題始終縈繞腦際：我應該安定下來麼？我應該贖回我的自由麼？我應該踏上尋找心靈伴侶的旅程、向單身的時光揮別麼？以下我們將提供一些堅持（至少是暫時堅持）單身的理由，雖然只有你自己才能回答上面的問題。

1- You can take the time to find the right woman
1.你有足夠的時間來尋找合適的女人

One of our reasons for staying single is that you can afford to wait for your true soul mate (if one even exists) to pop into the picture. You can take the time to casually wade through the barracuda-infested waters of the dating pool and set your hook for the prize catch.
單身理由之一，你可以等待，直到真正的心靈伴侶出現（如果存在的話）。面對遍佈荊棘的婚姻之路，你可以耐下性子，放長線，釣大魚。

In other words, by holding out for Miss Right (instead of Miss Always Right), you can avoid the mistake of a lifetime and marry for love -- and not out of desperation.
換句話說，耐心等待意中人的出現，可以防止一不小心找上母老虎。你是出於愛情、而不是因爲走投無路而結婚。這樣便不會留下終生遺憾。

It's sad to say, but too many guys get hitched for the wrong reasons, like they've reached a certain age, all of their friends are getting married, and they haven't been successful at dating and this woman is the first to show interest.
我們還是很遺憾地看到，有太多人因爲錯誤的原因選擇結婚，比如說，到了某個年齡，或是朋友們都結了婚，又或是情場屢屢失意後終於碰上一個對自己表現出興趣的女人。

This reason for staying single allows you to take your time playing the dating game, and increase your odds of beating the divorce statistics.
有了這個單身的理由，你大可以慢慢享受情場之歡，降低離婚風險。

2- You can focus on your career
2.你可以更加重視你的事業

Our No. 2 reason for staying single is that you can enjoy the opportunity of building your career without draining the tons of energy a permanent relationship entails. You remain free to put in long hours, work on the weekends or do whatever else you have to do to be successful. This is especially true if you're working in any kind of time-demanding field, such as medicine, law or entrepreneurship.
單身理由之二，你可以盡情打拼事業，無需爲婚姻心力交瘁。你可以投入大把時間，在週末工作，或是做那些可以讓你有所成就的事情。尤其當你的工作很費時間，例如從醫、從事法律工作或是做企業家，這一條就更加重要。

The upside is, once your business hits the big time and you're cranking mucho dinero , you'll have hordes of women throwing themselves at you. That being said, you probably still won't even have time to think about marriage.
最大的好處是，一旦事業有成，無數女人就會蜂擁而至。到那時，或許你根本無暇考慮結婚的問題。

3- You can do what you want, when you want
3.無論何時，你都可以做你想做的事

When you're single, the world is your oyster. You can pick up and go anywhere you want, do anything you want, any time you want. No one is in the background nagging at you to do chores, go shopping, or "grow up."
如果你是單身，那麼整個世界盡在掌握。不論何時何地，你可以從心所欲。沒人摧着你幹家務或去逛街，也沒人要你“別耍孩子氣”。

You're absolutely free to hang out with your buddies, party until dawn and find plenty of time for your personal interests and hobbies. Best of all, you have the luxury of being all by yourself, if you feel like it.
你可以盡情和弟兄們出去狂歡至天明，留出足夠時間從事興趣愛好。最妙的是，你可以做你喜歡的自己。

4- You can enjoy a sexual smorgasbord
4.你有更多機會一夜風流

One of the best reasons for staying single is that you're not stuck with the same sex partner for the rest of your life. The dating universe is yours to conquer. You can happily sample all the different fare at the sexual buffet, and keep your taste buds primed for the next dish being served.
單身理由中最具吸引力的一條，你無需和某個固定的性夥伴度過下半輩子。情場就躺在你的腳下。你可以遍嘗魚水之歡，時刻性致盎然 。

What's more, you never have to wrestle with sexual boredom or lack of variety (and you'll be the envy of all your married friends).
此外，你不用擔心會對千篇一律的交歡方式索然，並會讓有婦之夫們眼紅。

5- You can build wealth
5.你可以積累財富

Staying single means not being forced into buying a 10,000-megawatt diamond ring (so your fiance can impress her friends with the huge price tag) or any of the other bloodsucking financial drains that marriage entails, for that matter.
堅持單身，意味着你不必硬着頭皮去買天價鑽石（以便你的未婚妻在朋友面前炫耀），也免得被婚姻慢慢榨乾血汗錢。

And you won't be stuck having to regularly shell out for the flowers, more jewelry and the other gifts that a wife demands (it's like paying maintenance fees on a condo).
你也無需在鮮花、珠寶或是其他女人感興趣的玩意兒上面砸錢（那些就好比給房子支付維護費用）。

By staying single, you're not legally or financially obligated to anyone but yourself. But once you John Hancock the dotted line on that marriage contract, she has you by the balls forever.
堅持單身，金錢和法律方面你只需對自己負責。而一旦在那張白紙上籤下黑字，她這輩子都靠你養了。

You can take this money (that somehow spontaneously becomes "hers" once you get married) and invest it in important things like sex-drenched singles' cruises, buying cool cars or building equity in a house.
你可以用那些錢（一旦結婚，這些錢無條件轉入她的帳下）做一些有意義的事情，比如參加瘋狂的單身派對，買好車，購好房。

6- You can enjoy serenity
6.你可以享受寧靜

Another reason for staying single is that being alone means peace and quiet. When you don't live with a woman, you're not subjected to her never-ending mood swings and emotional storms, or her blaming you for everything that she screws up in her life.
另一個單身理由是，你可以享受到寧靜。和女人生活，你就得接受女人的喜怒無常，女人的火山爆發，女人做錯事情卻讓你跪搓衣板。

And, of course, no fights. As long as you keep her as a casual girlfriend and not a wife, if she gets too uppity you can simply walk away, free and clear.
此外，沒有爆發戰爭的危險。只要她是你普通的女友而不是妻子，一旦她讓你不爽，分手就是了，一清二白。

7- You can keep your toys
7.你可以留着那些玩具

When you're single, you can hang on to all your fun toys -- that classic Mustang, the speedboat, the Harley -- all of which seem to magically disappear overnight once you get married.
保持單身，你可以留着那些有趣的玩具——野馬車、哈雷機車、模型賽艇——一旦結婚，那些玩意彷彿一下子就不見蹤影。

Your wife won't want you to have these things because they take the focus off her and she feels it's her money that she could be better spending on clothes and shoes.
你的妻子不會希望你留着它們，因爲她認爲，那些東西會讓你減少對自己的關注，同時，她會覺得那是她的錢，花在衣服和鞋子上才更合適。

8- You don't have to compromise
8.你無須妥協

Being single means you don't have to constantly find a "middle ground" -- meaning, doing what she wants to do (whether you like it or not). This includes being forced to see chick flicks or suffer antique fairs and dinner with her friends. And you'd better toe the line buddy, or you'll have hell to pay and no more sex for you.
保持單身，意味着你不必老是唯唯諾諾，做那些不論你喜不喜歡都得做的事情，包括：欣賞你愛我我愛你的言情片，看那些老得掉渣的展覽，和她的女伴們共進晚餐。你若不從，老婆很生氣，後果很嚴重，有牀也沒法上。