悠游度過一天的24小時：第八章 深思反省

CHAPTER VIII The Reflective Mood

第八章 深思反省

The exercise of concentrating the mind (to which at least half an hour a day should be given) is a mere preliminary, like scales on the piano. Having acquired power over that most unruly member of one's complex organism, one has naturally to put it to the yoke. Useless to possess an obedient mind unless one profits to the furthest possible degree by its obedience. A prolonged primary course of study is indicated.

練就全神貫注的能力（每天至少應(yīng)該投入半小時）只是最基本的，就像剛開始學(xué)鋼琴時的音階練習(xí)。學(xué)會了掌控思緒，這有機(jī)體最難駕馭的部分，自然而然地就要馴服它。然而，除非被馴服的頭腦能夠最大限度地發(fā)揮作用，否則擁有它就毫無意義。因此，漫長的基礎(chǔ)課程很有必要。

Now as to what this course of study should be there cannot be any question; there never has been any question. All the sensible people of all ages are agreed upon it. And it is not literature, nor is it any other art, nor is it history, nor is it any science. It is the study of one's self. Man, know thyself. These words are so hackneyed that verily I blush to write them. Yet they must be written, for they need to be written. (I take back my blush, being ashamed of it.) Man, know thyself. I say it out loud. The phrase is one of those phrases with which everyone is familiar, of which everyone acknowledges the value, and which only the most sagacious put into practice. I don't know why. I am entirely convinced that what is more than anything else lacking in the life of the average well-intentioned man of today is the reflective mood.

現(xiàn)在對這門課程的內(nèi)容不應(yīng)該有任何問題，從來都沒有問題。所有具有判斷力的人，不論老少都贊同這一點(diǎn)。這門課程不是文學(xué)，也不是任何其他藝術(shù)，既非歷史也非科學(xué)，而是關(guān)于人自身的學(xué)問。人啊，去認(rèn)識你自己吧。這些話已是老生常談，令我羞于引用，但我必須寫下來，因?yàn)橛羞@必要（我收回“羞于引用”這幾個字，并為此感到慚愧）。人啊，去認(rèn)識你自己吧，我大聲疾呼。這句格言人人皆知，其道理無人不曉，但不知為何只有最明達(dá)的人踐行這句話。我十分確定今天普通良善的人們生活中最缺乏的就是深思反省。

We do not reflect. I mean that we do not reflect upon genuinely important things; upon the problem of our happiness, upon the main direction in which we are going, upon what life is giving to us, upon the share which reason has (or has not) in determining our actions, and upon the relation between our principles and our conduct.

我們不反思。我的意思是我們不細(xì)想那些真正重要的事情：我們的幸福、我們?nèi)松闹鞣较颉⑸钯n予我們的一切、理智在多大程度上決定了（或是不能決定）我們的行動、以及我們的原則和行為之間的關(guān)系。

And yet you are in search of happiness, are you not? Have you discovered it?

然而你正在尋求幸福，不是嗎？你找尋到了沒有？

The chances are that you have not. The chances are that you have already come to believe that happiness is unattainable. But men have attained it. And they have attained it by realising that happiness does not spring from the procuring of physical or mental pleasure, but from the development of reason and the adjustment of conduct to principles.

也許你還未找到，也許你已經(jīng)發(fā)覺幸福是無法企及的，但有的人確實(shí)得到了幸福。因?yàn)樗麄冾I(lǐng)悟到幸福并非源于肉體或精神上的享樂，而在于充實(shí)自己的理性思考，并采取符合自己原則的行為方式。

I suppose that you will not have the audacity to deny this. And if you admit it, and still devote no part of your day to the deliberate consideration of your reason, principles, and conduct, you admit also that while striving for a certain thing you are regularly leaving undone the one act which is necessary to the attainment of that thing.

我想你沒有膽量否認(rèn)這一點(diǎn)。假如你承認(rèn)這一點(diǎn)，卻仍然絲毫不花時間用心去認(rèn)真思考自己的理性、原則與行為，那么你也要承認(rèn)，在你努力想完成某事時，你總是沒落實(shí)對實(shí)現(xiàn)你的目標(biāo)很關(guān)鍵的行動。

Now, shall I blush, or will you?

此刻，是該我臉紅，還是你啊？

Do not fear that I mean to thrust certain principles upon your attention. I care not (in this place) what your principles are. Your principles may induce you to believe in the righteousness of burglary. I don't mind. All I urge is that a life in which conduct does not fairly well accord with principles is a silly life; and that conduct can only be made to accord with principles by means of daily examination, reflection, and resolution. What leads to the permanent sorrowfulness of burglars is that their principles are contrary to burglary. If they genuinely believed in the moral excellence of burglary, penal servitude would simply mean so many happy years for them; all martyrs are happy, because their conduct and their principles agree.

不要擔(dān)心我想強(qiáng)迫你將注意力轉(zhuǎn)向某些原則。我不介意（就目前的立場）你的原則是什么。按你的原則，也許你認(rèn)為入室行竊是正當(dāng)之舉，我不在乎。我強(qiáng)調(diào)的只是行為與原則相互違背的人生是毫無意義的；只有通過日復(fù)一日的審視、自省和決心，才能讓行為符合原則。令竊賊終生痛悔的是他們偷盜的行為和他們的原則是背道而馳的。如果他們堅(jiān)信入室行竊是高尚義舉，勞役拘禁之年將是他們的快樂年華；而所有烈士都是幸福的，因?yàn)樗麄兊男袨楹驮瓌t相互吻合。

As for reason (which makes conduct, and is not unconnected with the making of principles), it plays a far smaller part in our lives than we fancy. We are supposed to be reasonable but we are much more instinctive than reasonable. And the less we reflect, the less reasonable we shall be. The next time you get cross with the waiter because your steak is over-cooked, ask reason to step into the cabinet-room of your mind, and consult her. She will probably tell you that the waiter did not cook the steak, and had no control over the cooking of the steak; and that even if he alone was to blame, you accomplished nothing good by getting cross; you merely lost your dignity, looked a fool in the eyes of sensible men, and soured the waiter, while producing no effect whatever on the steak.

至于理性（理性產(chǎn)生行動，且與原則的建立也不無關(guān)系），它在我們生活中所起的作用比我們想象的小得多。我們應(yīng)該通情達(dá)理，可我們更多地依循本能，而不是理性。我們反省得越少，理性就喪失得越多。下次你因牛排過熟對服務(wù)員大動肝火時，請把理智換入大腦的密室，咨詢一番。她很可能會告訴你牛排不是服務(wù)員煎的，他不管這檔事，即便整件事都是他造成的，你跟他生氣也于事無補(bǔ)，那只會降低你的人格，在智者眼里你就像個傻子，讓服務(wù)員很沮喪，而對牛排卻產(chǎn)生不了任何作用。

The result of this consultation with reason (for which she makes no charge) will be that when once more your steak is over-cooked you will treat the waiter as a fellow-creature, remain quite calm in a kindly spirit, and politely insist on having a fresh steak. The gain will be obvious and solid.

向理性咨詢的結(jié)果（她不索求咨詢費(fèi)）將是：下次再遇到牛排煎得過熟時，你應(yīng)把服務(wù)員視如同儕，和顏悅色，禮貌地堅(jiān)持要求換一盤。這樣一來，收獲是明顯而實(shí)在的。

In the formation or modification of principles, and the practice of conduct, much help can be derived from printed books (issued at sixpence each and upwards). I mentioned in my last chapter Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus. Certain even more widely known works will occur at once to the memory. I may also mention Pascal1, La Bruyere2, and Emerson3. For myself, you do not catch me travelling without my Marcus Aurelius. Yes, books are valuable. But not reading of books will take the place of a daily, candid, honest examination of what one has recently done, and what one is about to do—of a steady looking at one's self in the face (disconcerting though the sight may be).

建立或修正原則并將原則付諸實(shí)踐時，可以從書本上獲得很多幫助（每本需6便士或更貴一些）。我在上一章提到了馬可.奧勒利烏斯和愛比克泰德。即刻我還想起了一些更有名的書籍，如帕斯卡、拉布呂耶爾和愛默生的著作。至于我，旅行時馬可.奧勒利烏斯的作品是必備的。是的，書籍是寶貴的。但閱讀不能取代每日坦然而誠實(shí)地審視自己最近做過以及即將要做的事情——直面正視自己（雖然這目光可能令人有些不安）。

When shall this important business be accomplished? The solitude of the evening journey home appears to me to be suitable for it. A reflective mood naturally follows the exertion of having earned the day's living. Of course if, instead of attending to an elementary and profoundly important duty, you prefer to read the paper (which you might just as well read while waiting for your dinner) I have nothing to say. But attend to it at some time of the day you must. I now come to the evening hours.

這項(xiàng)重要的工作應(yīng)該在什么時候做呢？我認(rèn)為傍晚獨(dú)自回家時就適合做這件事。為生計(jì)忙碌一天后，人們自然會回顧當(dāng)天的作為。當(dāng)然，如果你執(zhí)意不完成這一基本且相當(dāng)重要的任務(wù)，而寧愿看報(bào)（其實(shí)最好在等晚餐時看），我也無話可說。但一天中你務(wù)必得抽時間反省。接下來我就談?wù)勍砩系臅r間。

(1)帕斯卡（1623—1662），法國數(shù)學(xué)家、物理學(xué)家、哲學(xué)家。

(2)拉布呂耶爾（1645—1696），法國散文家、小說家。

(3)愛默生（1803—1882)，美國散文作家、詩人、哲學(xué)家。