精美英文欣赏:学会摆脱自负 (奥尔德斯.赫胥黎

作为一个人，一种具备身心的有机体，我能学会如何摆脱自负，这样赋予我生命和意识的神的光芒就能驱散阴影，照亮我全身。

 Learning to Get Out of the Way

 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 pessimism 1.In 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 2 can get out of the way,so to speak,can dis--eclipse the Light and become identified wiht its divine source.Hence the unlimited 3 optimmism of the traditional religions.There pessinism springs from the observed fact that,though all are called,few are chosen--for the sufficient reason that few choose to be chosen.

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 4 which consists in not being led into temptation.The reason is only too obvious.Whe temptations are very great or unduly 5 prolonged,most persons succumb 6 on them.To devise a perfect social order is probably beyond our powers,but I believe that it is perfectly 7 possible for us to reduce the number of dangerous temptations to a level far below that which is tolerated at the present time.

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 strive.In my efforts to that end,I can make use of a great variety of means.Do good ends justify 8 the use of intrinsically bad means?On the level of theory,the point can be argued indefinitely.In practice,meanwhile,I find that the means employed invariably determine the nature of the end achieved.Indeed,as Mahatma Gandhi was never tired of insisting,the means are the end in its preliminary stages.Men have put forth 9 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 ends.In this consists the tragedy and the irony 10 of history.

Can I,as an individual,do anything to make future history a little less tragic 11 and less ironic 12 than history past and present?I believe I can.As 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 achieve.And 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.

在每种高级宗教的信仰中既包含无穷的乐观精神，又有一种深奥的悲观论。它们都告诫我们，在我们生命深处有一道内在的光芒——而这道光芒大多时候多多少少被我们自负的阴影所遮盖。然而，如果愿意，自负可以离开，或者说可以让这道光芒重新闪耀，并与创造它的神相融合，于是产生了传统宗教无尽的乐观主义，而其悲观论源于人们观察到的事实，即尽管人人皆受到召唤，却只有极少数人受到垂青——全因几乎无人愿受到垂青。

      

在我看来，这种关于人性及命运的更老的观念似乎比任何形式的现代乌托邦主义更现实，更符合既成事实。

      

主祷文教导我们要乞求上帝保佑，不被诱惑引入歧途，原因非常清楚，如果诱惑太大或延续太久，大多数人就会屈服。也许我们无力设计一种完美的社会秩序，但我相信我们完全可以将危险的诱惑减少到远远低于目前可忍受的程度。

      

构建一个能将危险的诱惑最小化的社会是我作为一个公民奋斗的目标。在为之奋斗的过程中，我可以采用各种方式，然而目标正确就可以采用实质上不正当的手段开脱吗？在理论层面上，这一点可以广泛讨论；在实践中，我同时发现，采用的手段决定目标的性质，无一例外。确实正如马哈特玛·甘地不厌其烦地坚持的那样，手段是目标的初始阶段。人们千方百计将这个世界建成更美好的家园，但除了小器械，管道安装和卫生之外，他们的成就少得可怜。“地狱”正如一句谚语所说“是由善意铺就的”。只要我们继续试图以卑劣或仅仅不当的手段实现理想，我们的善意将同样酿出恶果，构成历史的悲剧和讽刺。

      

作为个人，我能尽全力使未来不像过去和现在那么富有悲剧和讽刺意味吗？我相信，我能。作为公民，我能以我全部的智慧和全部的善意，运用与我为之奋斗的理想同种同质的政治手段。作为一个人，一种具备身心的有机体，我能学会如何摆脱自负，这样赋予我生命和意识的神的光芒就能驱散阴影，照亮我全身。

 附注：

奥尔德斯·赫胥黎：是伟大的科学家托马斯·赫胥黎的孙子，生于英格兰的萨里郡，现住在洛杉矶，是一名多产作家。