評論
打印
I'm drawn to a lovely quote by St. Augustine in "The City of God," where he says, "It's a sin to judge any man by his post."
我很喜歡圣奧古斯丁在“上帝之城”里的一句話，他說，“以社會地位評價人是一種罪”。
In modern English that would mean it's a sin to come to any view of who you should talk to, dependent on their business card.
用現在的口吻說，看一個人的名片來決定你是否要和他交談，這是罪。
It's not the post that should count.
人的價值不在他的社會地位。
According to St. Augustine, only God can really put everybody in their place;
對圣奧古斯丁來說，只有神可以決定一個人的價值，
he's going to do that on the Day of Judgment, with angels and trumpets, and the skies will open.
他將在天使圍繞、小號奏鳴、天空破開的世界末日給于最后審判。
Insane idea, if you're a secularist person, like me.
如果你是像我一樣的世俗論者，這想法太瘋狂了。
But something very valuable in that idea, nevertheless.
但這想法有它的價值。
In other words, hold your horses when you're coming to judge people.
換句話說，最好在你開口評論他人之前懸崖勒馬。
You don't necessarily know what someone's true value is.
你很有可能不知道他人的真正價值。
That is an unknown part of them, and we shouldn't behave as though it is known.
這是不可測的，于是我們不該為人下定論。
There is another source of solace and comfort for all this.
還有另一種慰藉。
When we think about failing in life, when we think about failure,
當我們想象人生中的失敗，
one of the reasons why we fear failing is not just a loss of income, a loss of status.
我們恐懼的原因并不只是失去收入，失去地位。
What we fear is the judgment and ridicule of others. And it exists.
我們害怕的是他人的評論和嘲笑。它的確存在。
The number one organ of ridicule, nowadays, is the newspaper.
今日世界上最會嘲笑人的便是報紙。
If you open the newspaper any day of the week, it's full of people who've messed up their lives.
每天我們打開報紙，都能看到那些把生活搞砸的人。
They've slept with the wrong person, taken the wrong substance, passed the wrong piece of legislation
他們與錯誤對象共枕，使用錯誤藥物，通過錯誤法案，
whatever it is, and then are fit for ridicule.
種種讓人在茶余飯后拿來挖苦的新聞。
In other words, they have failed. And they are described as "losers."
這些人失敗了，我們稱他們為“失敗者”。
Now, is there any alternative to this?
還有其它做法嗎？
I think the Western tradition shows us one glorious alternative, which is tragedy.
西方傳統給了我們一個光榮的選擇，就是“悲劇”。
Tragic art, as it developed in the theaters of ancient Greece, in the fifth century B.C.,
悲劇的藝術來自古希臘，西元前五世紀，
was essentially an art form devoted to tracing how people fail, and also according them a level of sympathy,
這是一個專屬于描繪人類失敗過程的藝術，同時也加入某種程度的同情，
which ordinary life would not necessarily accord them.
在現代生活并不常給于同情時。
A few years ago, I was thinking about this, and I went to "The Sunday Sport,"
幾年前我思考著這件事，我去見“周日運動期刊”，
a tabloid newspaper I don't recommend you start reading if you're not familiar with it already.
如果你還不認識這個小報，我建議你也別去讀。
