智慧人生篇章 第19期:失業(yè)人員對話實(shí)業(yè)家

Some time ago at a buffet lunch in a church hall -not quite a fine dining event - I recall a livelyconversation between an unemployed man in earlymiddle age and an older, wealthy industrialist. Theyounger man commented that unemployment washard work. He complained that everyone imagined itwas like being on holiday. But he worried constantlyabout money and providing for his family whileapplying for lots of jobs - over 200, he said. It wasexhausting, more draining than when he had a job.For his part the older man acknowledged he wasn'tanxious about paying his personal bills. But he did worry about the business decisions he made.It was a burden knowing that hundreds of families depended for their livelihood on hiscompany's continued success. That was draining too. As a largely silent third party to theirconversation, I could see the impact of their exchange of views. They truly met eachother.Perhaps it's no surprise that the conversation between those two men, one unemployedand the other with a large business, took place at a community meal where there was an opentable. Our communities may need many more common tables where some of the barrierscreated by wealth, class and power can be broken down. We don't need to do less eatingtogether, but more.

不久之前在一個不怎么隆重的教堂餐會上，我聽到了一段發(fā)生在一位失業(yè)中青年人和一位稍微年長些的富有實(shí)業(yè)家之間的生動對話。中青年人說，失業(yè)真是煎熬，很多人異想天開的覺得失業(yè)就是放大假，但他一直為錢和家里的生計(jì)焦灼不安，他應(yīng)征了超過200份的工作，實(shí)在是讓人精疲力竭，比工作還累。而那位實(shí)業(yè)家當(dāng)然不必為付個人賬單焦慮，但他的確要為他所下的每一個商業(yè)指令擔(dān)心，成百上千的家庭生計(jì)要依靠他在商業(yè)上不斷成功，這是個巨大的負(fù)擔(dān)，讓人不勝負(fù)荷。作為一名大部分時間保持沉默的第三方，我能感到他們思想的碰撞，他們算是見對了人。一名失業(yè)人員和一位大實(shí)業(yè)家的對話發(fā)生在一個社區(qū)流水席上，我不覺得有什么駭人聽聞的。我們的社會需要更多這種跳出財(cái)富、等級和權(quán)力框框的餐桌，這種餐會只嫌少，不嫌多。