This; too; can be done; as a sufficient number of human beings e to have faith in themselves and in each other。 Not all will have such faith at the same moment; but there is a growing number who have the faith。 Half a century ago no one had thought of world food; world health; world education。 Many are thinking today of these things。 In the midst of possible world war; of wholesale destruction; I find my only question is this: Are there enough people who now believe? Is there time enough left for the wise to act? It is a contest between ignorance and death; or wisdom and life。 My faith in humanity stands firm。
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我们周围隐秘的世界(1)
哈里?A。奥弗斯特里特
少年时代我接触到了苏格拉底的思想,从此,他便成了我的思想导师。在我看来,苏格拉底的信仰在明智而负责的生活中始终不可或缺。苏格拉底相信自己无知,而我将他的否定句变为了肯定句。我知道,除了我现有的知识,宇宙中尚有无穷多的知识等待我们去学习。
最近,我经历了一个生动的例证。我和妻子开车穿过亚利桑那州时,停车参观了图森市一家陈列着各种各样的石头与矿石的收藏店。在参观过程中,我们被带到了一个架子上摆满石头的小房间里。看起来,这些石头没什么特别。如果在山边看到,恐怕我都不想再看第二眼了。店员关上了门,房间里顿时一片漆黑,然后他打开了一盏紫外线照射灯。
霎那间,这些普通的石头立刻变得光彩夺目。顿时,一种难以形容的灿烂与美丽出现在我们眼前。
一件非常平凡却又无比奇妙的事情就这样发生了。突然间,出现了某种力量,一个隐秘的世界骤然出现在生活中。
当我凝视着眼前的世界,或穿梭在茫茫人海之中,我深信我们周围存在着一个隐秘的现实。它们存在于物质世界之中,也存在于人类世界中。如果我愚笨地认为,眼前的一切就是我应看到的所有事物,那我就错过了辉煌。
我相信,为了能够看到我肉眼所无法看到的一切,或是我知识贫乏的大脑所无法理解的东西,就必须抓住一种非凡的力量,这是我一生中的首要任务,也是我的神奇优势。我坚信,我应当去做,尤其是与他人一起去做。我的凡眼只能看到人的躯体,但我们已经学会了依靠某种力量,透过不透明的躯体看到人的内在。
我们称这种非凡的力量为“想象”。想象力的最高级别,即是我们所说的“移情作用”,这种力量能够透过表面,看到或感受到他人的内心世界。它就像是我们精神生活中的紫外线照射灯。当我们将这盏想象的灯打开,就能使周围平凡的人们充满活力。
“我相信,应当扩展我的认知领域。”这是佐纳?盖尔曾经写下的第一条信仰。我也要这么做。如果我的认知领域能够得到扩展,那我就能够理解那些我无法领悟的现实。如果我理解了这些现实,就可以明白自己能做什么,应该做什么。如果我无法理解,而是无知地在门外徘徊,那么我很可能会做错事。
爱的伟大原则也是来源于此。爱人者,会真正地理解他人。反过来也可以说,一个真正理解他人的人,自然不可能憎恨他人。
苏格拉底并没有将世界“真理”的目录完全列出,而是给予我们探索的动力。我认为,这样的好处远远大于教条式的理论。当我们认识到,周围依然隐秘着生命的奇迹时,在上帝面前我们就会谦卑而行。但我们要做的还有更多:我们要勇于努力提高我们观察与感受的能力,以便于将未知的世界转变为我们能够深切领悟的已知世界……我相信,这是我们人类的伟大探险。
■ 心灵小语
在我们的生活中,“隐秘”无处不在,让我们以一颗探索的心去追求它,去感悟它,只有这样,才能体会到生命的辉煌。
The Hidden World around Us
Happy A。 Overstreet
Ever since Socrates was introduced to my adolescent mind; he has been one chief master of my thinking。 What he believed still seems to me to be indispensable for carrying on an intelligent and responsible life。 He believed that he did not know。 For myself; I have e to change his negative into a positive。 I know that there is far more in this universe for me to know than I now know。
I recently had a dramatic illustration of this。 My wife and I; driving through Arizona; stopped at a “collector’s shop” in Tucson; where stones and minerals of many kinds were on display。 In the course of the visit; we were taken into a small room where rocks were laid out on shelves。 They were quite ordinary…looking rocks。 Had I seen them on some hillside; I would not have given them a second thought。 Then the man closed the door so that the room was in total darkness and turned on an ultraviolet1 lamp。 。。
我们周围隐秘的世界(2)
Instantly the prosaic2 rocks leaped into a kind of glory。 Brilliant colors of an indescribable beauty were there before our eyes。
A very simple thing—and yet a very tremendous thing—had happened。 A certain power had been snapped on;and a hidden world leaped into life。
As I look at my universe and walk among my fellow humans; I have the deep belief that hidden realities are all around us。 These hidden realities are there in the physical world; and they are there; also; in the human world。 If I am foolish enough to think that I see all there is to be seen in front of my eyes; I simply miss the glory。
I believe; then; that my chief job in life—and my astonishing privilege—is to snap on an extra power so that I can see what my naked eyes—or my naked mind—cannot now see。 I believe that I have to do this particularly with my human fellows。 My ordinary eyes tend to stop short at those opaque envelopes we call human bodies。 But we have learned that by turning on a certain power we can penetrate to the inside of these envelopes。
We call this extra power “imagination”。 At its highest; we call it “empathy”; the power to see through and to feel through to the inner life of other human beings。 It is a kind of ultraviolet lamp of our psychic3 life。 When we turn on this lamp of imaginative sensitivity; we make the prosaic human beings around us e excitingly alive。
Zona Gale once set down as the first article of her creed: “I believe in expanding the areas of my awareness。” I’d do the same。 If I expand the areas of my awareness; I move understandingly into realities beyond me。 When I move into them understandingly; I know what I can do and what I should do。 If I don’t move in understandingly; if I stay in ignorance on the outside; then; in all likelihood4; I will do mistaken things。
The great principle of love depends upon this。 He who loves another tries truly to understand the other。 We can reverse this: he who tries truly to understand another is not likely to hate that other。
Socrates gave no finished catalogue of the “truths” of the world。 He gave; rather; the impulse to search。 This is far better; I feel; than dogmatic certainty。 When we are aware that there are glories of life still hidden from us; we walk humbly before the Great Unknown。 But we do more than this: we try manfully to increase our powers of seeing and feeling so that we can turn what is still unknown into what is warmly and understandingly known。。。 This; I believe; is our great human adventure。
让生命更充实(1)
华莱士?D。沃勒斯
你必须要清除残留的陈腐思想,如:神的旨意就是让我们贫穷,唯有处于困境中的人才可以侍奉神灵等。
对财富的渴望完全是我们追求更高水平生活的一种本能表现。每一个欲望都是将潜在能力转化为行动的动力。
你想变得富有,而这也是上帝的愿望。上帝希望你拥有财富,因为假如你拥有大量物质来回报他的恩赐,他就可以通过你来很好地表现自我。假如你生活的方式多姿多彩,他存在的意义会更多地在你的身上体现出来。
你必须过着真正的生活,而不单单只满足于寻欢作乐。生活应该是和谐的,一个人只有在身体、精神和心智方面得到和谐的发展,才能生活得幸福,而不是让任何一部分过度放纵。
为了得到骄奢淫逸的生活而想变得富有是不应该的,因为那是最低级的欲望,那并不是真正的生活。然而满足于身体各部分的需求也是生活的一部分,一个否定身体需求的人,是不可能完全过上一种正常而健康的生活的。
单单为了享受精神乐趣、获取知识、满足野心、超越别人和出名而想变得富有也是不应该的。这一切都是组成生活的合理部分,然而单单为了精神享乐而活的话,这个人的生活就不是完整的,他永远不会满足。
单单为了别人的利益而想变得富有也是不应该的,为了拯救人类、为了获得奉献和牺牲后的喜悦而放弃自己的一切都是不可取的。精神的享乐只是生活的一个组成部分,它并不比其他部分更美好、更崇高。
变得富有的目的是为了让你衣食无忧,并在拥有这些东西时感到快乐;是为了让你周围环绕着美好的事物,开阔视野,开阔眼界,开发智力;是为了让你体贴别人,多做善事,能够为帮助世界寻找真理贡献自己的一份力量。
但是切记,极端的利他主义相对于极端的利已主义来说,两个都没有美好和高尚可言,它们都是错误的。抛弃这些想法:上帝想让你为了别人而牺牲自己,这样做你就会博得他的欢心。上帝不会要求你这样做,他想要的是你能最大限度地为了你自己,同时也为了别人而变得强大;只有这样,你才有更多的能力去帮助别人。
你必须摒弃竞争的念头。你要去创造,并非与别人竞争已经创造出来的财富。
你无须从他人手中夺取任何东西。
你无须巧取豪夺。
你无须欺诈、利用他人。
你无须克扣员工薪水。
你也不必垂涎于他人的财富抑或对之报以羡慕的眼神,他们所拥有的一切,你一样可以得到,无须抢夺。
你要成为一个创造者,而非竞争者。你会得到想要拥有的一切。通过这种方式,在你得到财富的同时,被你所影响的其他人也将得到比现在更多的财富。
由竞争得来的财富永远不会让人感到满足,也不会持久。它们今天是属于你的,明天就会落在他人手中。
切记,假如你想通过科学且特定的方式变得富有,就必须抛弃竞争的念头。财富是有限的,因此一刻也不要有这样的想法。就在你思考的那一刹那,所有财富都已经被他人占有并控制,你就得竭尽所能、用尽各种手段去抢夺。一旦你掉进竞争的思维模式中,你创造的能力就会日渐消散。
更为不幸的是,你会扼杀刚刚开始的创造性的致富行动。
■ 心灵小语
读者不要误会,本文中所提到的“竞争”是有其特定环境的,指的是通过各种不正当的手段从他人手中掠取自己想要拥有的东西。对于这种行为,我们要坚决抵制并扼杀。我们所要做是运用自己的聪明才智创造真正属于自己的财富。
Increasing Life
Wallace D。 Wattles
You must get rid of the last vestige of the old idea that there is a Deity whose will it is that you should be poor or whose purposes may be served by keeping you in poverty。书 包 网 txt小说上传分享
让生命更充实(2)
The desire for riches is simply the capacity for larger life seeking fulfillment。 Every desire is the effort of an unexpressed possibility to e into action。
It is the desire of God that you should get rich。 He wants you to get rich because he can express himself better through you if you have plenty of things to use in giving him expression。 He can live more in you if you have unlimited mand of the means of life。
You must want real life; not mere pleasure or sensual gratification。 Life is the performance of function; and the individual really lives only when he performs every function—physical; mental; and spiritual—of which he is capable; without excess in any。
You do not want to get rich in order to live swinishly; for the gratification of animal desires。 That is not life。 But the performance of every physical function is a part of life; and no one lives pletely who denies the impulses of the body a normal and healthful expression。
You do not want to get rich solely to enjoy mental pleasures; to get knowledge; to gratify ambition; to outshine others; to be famous。 All these are a legitimate part of life; but the person who lives for the pleasures of the intellect alone will only have a partial life; and he will never be satisfied with his lot。
You do not want to get rich solely for the good of others; to lose yourself for the salvation of mankind; to experience the joys of philanthropy and sacrifice。 The joys of the soul are only a part of life; and they are no better or nobler than any other part。
You want to get rich in order that you may eat; drink; and be merry when it is time to do these things; in order that you may surround yourself with beautiful things; see distant lands; feed your mind; and develop your intellect; in order that you m