學會擺脫自負 Learning to Get Out of the Way

作者簡介：奧爾德斯·赫胥黎，是偉大的科學家托馬斯·赫胥黎的孫子，生於英格蘭的薩里郡，現住在洛杉磯，是一名多產作家。

Learning to Get Out of the Way

學會擺脫自負

In every one of the higher religions there is a strain of infinite optimism on the one hand,and on the other,of a profound the depths of our being,they all teach,there is an inner high--but an inner Light which our egotism keeps,for most of the time,in a state of more of less eclipse.

If,however,it so desires,the ego can get out of the way,so to speak,can dis--eclipse the Light and become identified wiht its divine e the unlimited optimmism of the traditional e pessinism springs from the observed fact that,though all are called,few are chosen--for the sufficient reason that few choose to be chosen.

在每種高階宗教的信仰中既包含無窮的樂觀精神，又有一種深奧的悲觀論。它們都告誡我們，在我們生命深處有一道內在的光芒——而這道光芒大多時候多多少少被我們自負的陰影所遮蓋。

然而，如果願意，自負可以離開，或者說可以讓這道光芒重新閃耀，並與創造它的神相融合，於是產生了傳統宗教無盡的樂觀主義，而其悲觀論源於人們觀察到的事實，即儘管人人皆受到召喚，卻只有極少數人受到垂青——全因幾乎無人願受到垂青。

To me,this older conception of man's nature and destiny seems more realistic,more nearly in accord with the given facts,than any form of modern utopianism.

In the Lord's Prayer we are taught to ask for the blessing which consists in not being led into reason is only too temptations are very great or unduly prolonged,most persons succumb on devise a perfect social order is probably beyond our powers,but I believe that it is perfectly possible for us to reduce the number of dangerous temptations to a level far below that which is tolerated at the present time.

在我看來，這種關於人性及命運的更老的觀念似乎比任何形式的現代烏托邦主義更現實，更符合既成事實。

主禱文教導我們要乞求上帝保佑，不被誘惑引入歧途，原因非常清楚，如果誘惑太大或延續太久，大多數人就會屈服。也許我們無力設計一種完美的社會秩序，但我相信我們完全可以將危險的誘惑減少到遠遠低於目前可忍受的程度。

A society so arranged that there shall be a minimum of dangerous temptations--this is the end towards which,as a citizen,I have to my efforts to that end,I can make use of a great variety of good ends justify the use of intrinsically bad means?

On the level of theory,the point can be argued practice,meanwhile,I find that the means employed invariably determine the nature of the end ed,as Mahatma Gandhi was never tired of insisting,the means are the end in its preliminary stages.

構建一個能將危險的誘惑最小化的社會是我作為一個公民奮鬥的目標。在為之奮鬥的過程中，我可以採用各種方式，然而目標正確就可以採用實質上不正當的手段開脫嗎?

在理論層面上，這一點可以廣泛討論;在實踐中，我同時發現，採用的手段決定目標的性質，無一例外。確實正如馬哈特瑪·甘地不厭其煩地堅持的那樣，手段是目標的初始階段。

Men have put forth enoumous efforts to make their world a better place to live in;but except in regard to gadgets,plumbing and hygiene,their sussess has been pathetically small."hell,"as the proverb has it,"is paved with good intentions."And so long as we go on trying to realize our ideals by bad or merely inappropriate means,our good intentions will come to the same bad this consists the tragedy and the irony of history.

Can I,as an individual,do anything to make future history a little less tragic and less ironic than history past and present?

I believe I a citizen,I can use all my intelligence and all my good will to develop political means that shall be of the same kind and quality as the ideal ends which I am trying to as a person,as a psychophysical roganism,I can learn how to get out of the way,so that the divine source of my life and consciousness can come out of eclipse and shine through me.

人們千方百計將這個世界建成更美好的家園，但除了小器械，管道安裝和衛生之外，他們的成就少得可憐。“地獄”正如一句諺語所說“是由善意鋪就的”。只要我們繼續試圖以卑劣或僅僅不當的手段實現理想，我們的善意將同樣釀出惡果，構成歷史的悲劇和諷刺。

作為個人，我能盡全力使未來不像過去和現在那麼富有悲劇和諷刺意味嗎?

我相信，我能。作為公民，我能以我全部的智慧和全部的善意，運用與我為之奮鬥的理想同種同質的政治手段。作為一個人，一種具備身心的有機體，我能學會如何擺脫自負，這樣賦予我生命和意識的神的光芒就能驅散陰影，照亮我全身。