生活的準則

前言

　　培養(yǎng)人文素質成就國際通才　　若想精通一門語言，沒有對其文化背景的深入了解恐怕永遠難登大雅之堂。在全球化日益成為國際主流的今天，英語作為西方文化頭牌語言的重要性已日益凸顯——今日世界，恐怕在地球上的任何角落，人們都可以用英語問路、用英語聊天、用英語購物、用英語交友、用英語在跨文化間作深度交流?！　≌缭S多西方人熱切地想了解中國文化一樣，中國的英語學習者對西方文化及人文的了解也處于熱切的需求中。是的，如果對西方的歷史、文學、藝術、宗教、哲學沒有一個最基本的了解，就連好萊塢大片想要看懂都會成為一個問題；而西方文化貢獻給社會的普世價值恰恰是它深厚的人文傳統(tǒng)及“民主、自由、博愛”等現代理念，不了解這些，則與任何稍有層次和品位的西方人的交流都將難以順暢?！　×硪环矫妫瑖鴥鹊挠⒄Z學習及愛好者如再停留在日常生活的EnglishInGeneral的層次上，將難以適應深度溝通和交流的需要，因此，對專業(yè)英語及文化背景的深入了解及學習將是提升英語能力的必由之路。有鑒于此，我們編寫了本套叢書——《人文英語雙語讀物》，為讀者奉上原汁原味的人文閱讀精華，其或選自原典正文、或選自專業(yè)教材、或選自網絡熱帖，由精研此業(yè)者掇菁擷華，輯錄成冊，希望能幫助讀者在學習英語的同時又能品味西方文化的獨特魅力?！　∽x萬卷書行萬里路，在我們無法踏上萬里之路以愉耳目的時候，我們可以用閱讀來滋養(yǎng)心靈，拓展人生版圖。于某一日午后，拋開世俗的紛擾，挑一靜謐之處，一杯香茗，幾卷書冊，品文化，長知識，學英語，在書頁和文字之間觸摸大千世界的真諦，在閱讀中將知識內化成自己的修養(yǎng)，此為人生至樂?！　∥幕舱Z言同飛，思想與閱讀共舞。讓我們的目光穿越時光、穿越語言，在原汁原味的英語閱讀中品味人類文明共有的人文素質、人文素養(yǎng)、人文情懷、人文理念……并在此過程中成就自己的文化修養(yǎng)及完美人生。

內容概要

　　《生活的準則》探索了人類該如何直面命運，最終走向成功的彼岸，并揭示了人性的弱點，激勵和鼓舞人們去改變現狀，爭取精神層面的提升。作者力圖使人的思想全面地在現實生活中得以展現，通過對一些生活細節(jié)問題的解析，回答了“我將怎樣生活”這個恒久的問題。愛默生是“美國精神”的奠基者之一，他的思想深刻影響了戴爾?卡耐基、拿破侖?希爾等著名作家。

作者簡介

　　拉爾夫·沃爾多·愛默生（1803～1882年），美國思想家、文學家、詩人，也是確立美國文化精神的代表人物。他生于馬薩諸塞州波士頓附近的康考德村，生命幾乎橫貫19世紀的美國，曾給當時美國的思想運動指明了方向，他的思想集中體現在超驗主義觀點之中，即直接從大自然中認識真理，獲得人生的真諦。他的主要作品包括《論自然》、《論超靈》、《自助》等。

書籍目錄

Chapter I FATE
第一章 命運
Chapter II POWER
第二章 力量
Chapter III WEALTH
第三章 財富
Chapter IV CULTURE
第四章 文化
Chapter V BEHAVIOR
第五章 人類的行為
Chapter VI WORSHIP
第六章 崇拜
Chapter VII CONSIDERATIONS BY THE WAY
第七章 思想隨筆
Chapter VIII BEAUTY
第八章 美
Chapter IX ILLUSIONS
第九章 幻想

章節(jié)摘錄

　　Chapter I　 FATE　　Delicate omens traced in air，　　To the lone bard true witness bare.　　Birds with auguries on their wings，　　Chanted undeceiving things.　　Him to beckon， him to warn，　　Well might then the poet scorn.　　To learn of scribe or courier，　　Hints writ in vaster character.　　And on his mind， at dawn of day，　　Soft shadows of the evening lay，　　For the prevision is allied，　　Unto the thing so signified.　　Or say， the foresight that awaits，　　Is the same Genius that creates.　　It chanced during one winter a few years ago， that our cities were bent on discussing the theory of the Age. By an odd coincidence， four or five noted men were each reading a discourse to the citizens of Boston or New York， on the Spirit of the Times. It so happened that the subject had the same prominence in some remarkable pamphlets and journals issued in London in the same season. To me however the question of the times resolved itself into a practical question of the conduct of life. How shall I live？　　We are incompetent to solve the times. Our geometry cannot span the huge orbits of the prevailing ideas， behold their return and reconcile their opposition. We can only obey our own polarity. It is fine for us to speculate and elect our course， if we must accept an irresistible dictation.　　In our first steps to gain our wishes we come upon immovable limitations. We are fired with the hope to reform men. After many experiments we find that we must begin earlier， —at school. But the boys and girls are not docile； we can make nothing of them. We decide that they are not of good stock. We must begin our reform earlier still， — at generation： that is to say there is Fate， or laws of the world.　　But if there be irresistible dictation， this dictation understands itself. If we must accept Fate， we are not less compelled to affirm liberty， the significance of the individual， the grandeur of duty， the power of character. This is true， and that other is true. But our geometry cannot span these extreme points and reconcile them. What to do？ By obeying each thought frankly， by harping， or， if you will， pounding on each string， we learn at last its power. By the same obedience to other thoughts we learn theirs， and then comes some reasonable hope of harmonizing them. We are sure that， though we know not how， necessity does comport with liberty， the individual with the world， my polarity with the spirit of the times. The riddle of the age has for each a private solution.　　If one would study his own time， it must be by this method of taking up in turn each of the leading topics which belong to our scheme of human life， and by firmly stating all that is agreeable to experience on one， and doing the same justice to the opposing facts in the others， the true limitations will appear. Any excess of emphasis on one part would be corrected， and a just balance would be made.　　But let us honestly state the facts. Our America has a bad name for superficialness. Great men， great nations， have not been boasters and buffoons， but perceivers of the terror of life， and have manned themselves to face it. The Spartan， embodying his religion in his country， dies before its majesty without a question. The Turk， who believes his doom is written on the iron leaf in the moment when he entered the world， rushes on the enemy‘s sabre with undivided will. The Turk， the Arab， the Persian， accepts the foreordained fate： On the first， neither balm nor physician can save， Nor thee.　　On the second， the Universe slay.The Hindoo under the wheel， is as firm. Our Calvinists in the last generation had something of the same dignity. They felt that the weight of the Universe held them down to their place.　　The Greek Tragedy expressed the same sense. “Whatever is fated， that will take place. The great immense mind of Jove is not to be transgressed.” Savages cling to a local god of one tribe or town. The broad ethics of Jesus were quickly narrowed to village theologies， which preach an election or favoritism. And now and then an amiable parson， like Jung Stilling or Robert Huntington， believes in a pistareen - Providence， which， whenever the good man wants a dinner， makes that somebody shall knock at his door and leave a half-dollar. But Nature is no sentimentalist， — does not cosset or pamper us.　　We must see that the world is rough and surly， and will not mind drowning a man or a woman， but swallows your ship like a grain of dust. The cold， inconsiderate of persons， tingles your blood， benumbs your feet， freezes a man like an apple. The diseases， the elements， fortune， gravity， lightning， respect no persons. The way of Providence is a little rude. The habit of snake and spider， the snap of the tiger and other leapers and bloody jumpers， the crackle of the bones of his prey in the coil of the anaconda， — these are in the system， and our habits are like theirs. You have just dined， and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles， there is complicity， expensive races， — race living at the expense of race.　　The planet is liable to shocks from comets， perturbations from planets， rendings from earthquake and volcano， alterations of climate， precessions of equinoxes. Rivers dry up by opening of the forest. The sea changes its bed. Towns and counties fall into it. At Lisbon an earthquake killed men like flies. At Naples three years ago ten thousand persons were crushed in a few minutes. The scurvy at sea， the sword of the climate in the west of Africa， at Cayenne， at Panama， at New Orleans， cut off men like a massacre. Our western prairie shakes with fever and ague.　　Will you say， the disasters which threaten mankind are exceptional， and one need not lay his account for cataclysms every day？ Aye， but what happens once may happen again， and so long as these strokes are not to be parried by us they must be feared. But these shocks and ruins are less destructive to us than the stealthy power of other laws which act on us daily. An expense of ends to means is fate； — organization tyrannizing over character. The menagerie， or forms and powers of the spine， is a book of fate； the bill of the bird， the skull of the snake， determines tyrannically its limits. So is the scale of races， of temperaments； so is sex； so is climate； so is the reaction of talents imprisoning the vital power in certain directions. Every spirit makes its house； but afterwards the house confines the spirit.　　People seem sheathed in their tough organization. Ask Spurzheim， ask the doctors， ask Quetelet if temperaments decide nothing？ — or if there be anything they do not decide？ Read the description in medical books of the four temperaments and you will think you are reading your own thoughts which you had not yet told. Find the part which black eyes and which blue eyes play severally in the company.　　How shall a man escape from his ancestors， or draw off from his veins the black drop which he drew from his father’s or his mother’s life？ It often appears in a family as if all the qualities of the progenitors were potted in several jars， —some ruling quality in each son or daughter of the house； and sometimes the unmixed temperament， the rank unmitigated elixir， the family vice， is drawn off in a separate individual and the others are proportionally relieved. We sometimes see a change of expression in our companion and say his father or his mother comes to the windows of his eyes， and sometimes a remote relative. In different hours a man represents each of several of his ancestors， as if there were seven or eight of us rolled up in each man’s skin， — seven or eight ancestors at least； and they constitute the variety of notes for that new piece of music which his life is.　　People are born with the moral or with the material bias； — uterine brothers with this diverging destination； and I suppose， with high magnifiers， Mr. Frauenhofer or Dr. Carpenter might come to distinguish in the embryo， at the fourth day，— this is a Whig， and that a Free-soiler.　　It was a Poetic attempt to lift this mountain of Fate， to reconcile this despotism of race with liberty， which led the Hindoos to say， “Fate is nothing but the deeds committed in a prior state of existence.” I find the coincidence of the extremes of Eastern and Western speculation in the daring statement of Schelling， “There is in every man a certain feeling that he has been what he is from all eternity， and by no means became such in time.” To say it less sublimely， —in the history of the individual is always an account of his condition， and he knows himself to be a party to his present estate.　　A good deal of our politics is physiological. Now and then a man of wealth in the heyday of youth adopts the tenet of broadest freedom. In England there is always some man of wealth and large connection， planting himself， during all his years of health， on the side of progress， who， as soon as he begins to die， checks his forward play， calls in his troops and becomes conservative. All conservatives are such from personal defects. They have been effeminated by position or nature， born halt and blind， through luxury of their parents， and can only， like invalids， act on the defensive. But strong natures， backwoodsmen， New Hampshire giants， Napoleons， Burkes， Broughams， Websters， Kossuths， are inevitable patriots， until their life ebbs and their defects and gout， palsy and money， warp them.　　The strongest idea incarnates itself in majorities and nations， in the healthiest and strongest. Probably the election goes by avoirdupois weight， and if you could weigh bodily the tonnage of any hundred of the Whig and the Democratic party in a town on the Dearborn balance， as they passed the hay-scales， you could predict with certainty which party would carry it. On the whole it would be rather the speediest way of deciding the vote， to put the selectmen or the mayor and aldermen at the hay-scales.　　In science we have to consider two things； power and circumstance. All we know of the egg， from each successive discovery， is， another vesicle； and if， after five hundred years you get a better observer or a better glass， he finds， within the last observed， another. In vegetable and animal tissue it is just alike， and all that the primary power or spasm operates is still vesicles， vesicles. Yes，—but the tyrannical Circumstance！ A vesicle in new circumstances， a vesicle lodged in darkness， Oken thought， became animal； in light， a plant. Lodged in the parent animal， it suffers changes which end in unsheathing miraculous capability in the unaltered vesicle， and it unlocks itself to fish， bird， or quadruped， head and foot， eye and claw. The Circumstance is Nature. Nature is what you may do. There is much you may not. We have two things， — the circumstance， and the life. Once we thought positive power was all. Now we learn that negative power， or circumstance， is half. Nature is the tyrannous circumstance， the thick skull， the sheathed snake， the ponderous， rock-like jaw； necessitated activity； violent direction； the conditions of a tool， like the locomotive， strong enough on its track， but which can do nothing but mischief off of it； or skates， which are wings on the ice but fetters on the ground.　　The book of Nature is the book of Fate. She turns the gigantic pages， — leaf after leaf， — never returning one. One leaf she lays down， a floor of granite； then a thousand ages， and a bed of slate； a thousand ages， and a measure of coal； a thousand ages， and a layer of marl and mud： vegetable forms appear； her first misshapen animals， hexapeopoda， trillium， fish； then， saurians， — rude forms， in which she has only blocked her future statue， concealing under these unwieldly monsters the fine type of her coming king. The face of the planet cools and dries， the races meliorate， and man is born. But when a race has lived its term， it comes no more again.　　The population of the world is a conditional population； not the best， but the best that could live now； and the scale of tribes， and the steadiness with which victory adheres to one tribe and defeat to another， is as uniform as the superpesition of strata. We know in history what weight belongs to race. We see the English， French， and Germans planting themselves on every shore and market of America and Australia， and monopolizing the commerce of these countries. We like the nervous and victorious habit of our own branch of the family. We follow the step of the Jew， of the Indian， of the Negro. We see how much will has been expended to extinguish the Jew， in vain. Look at the unpalatable conclusions of Knox， in his “Fragment of Races”；—a rash and unsatisfactory writer，but charged with pungent and unforgetable truths. “Nature respects race， and not hybrids.” “Every race has its own habitat.” “Detach a colony from the race， and it deteriorates to the crab.”　　See the shades of the picture. The German and Irish millions， like the Negro， have a great deal of guano in their destiny. They are ferried over the Atlantic and carted over America， to ditch and to drudge， to make corn cheap and then to lie down prematurely to make a spot of green grass on the prairie.　　One more fagot of these adamantine bandages is the new science of Statistics. It is a rule that the most casual and extraordinary events， if the basis of population is broad enough， become matter of fixed calculation. It would not be safe to say when a captain like Bonaparte， a singer like Jenny Lind， or a navigator like Bowditch would be born in Boston； but， on a population of twenty or two hundred millions， something like accuracy may be had.　　It is frivolous to fix pedantically the date of particular inventions. They have all been invented over and over fifty times. Man is the arch machine of which all these shifts drawn from himself are toy models. He helps himself on each emergency by copying or duplicating his own structure， just so far as the need is. It is hard to find the right Homer， Zoroaster， or Menu； harder still to find the Tubal Cain， or Vulcan， or Cadmus， or Copernicus， or Fust， or Fulton； the indisputable inventor. There are scores and centuries of them. “The air is full of men.” This kind of talent so abounds， this constructive tool-making efficiency， as if it adhered to the chemic atoms； as if the air he breathes were made of Vaucansons， Franklins， and Watts.　　Doubtless in every million there will be an astronomer， a mathematician， a comic poet， a mystic.　　No one can read the history of astronomy without perceiving that Copernicus， Newton， Laplace， are not new men， or a new kind of men， but that Thales， Anaximenes， Hipparchus， Empedocles， Aristarchus， Pythagoras， Cenipodes， had anticipated them； each had the same tense geometrical brain， apt for the same vigorous computation and logic； a mind parallel to the movement of the world. The Roman mile probably rested on a measure of a degree of the meridian. Mahometan and Chinese know what we know of leap-year， of the Gregorian calendar， and of the precession of the equinoxes. As in every barrel of cowries brought to New Bedford there shall be one orangia， so there will， in a dozen millions of Malays and Mahometans， be one or two astronomical skulls. In a large city， the most casual things， and things whose beauty lies in their casualty， are produced as punctually and to order as the baker’s muffin for breakfast. Punch makes exactly one capital joke a week； and the journals contrive to furnish one good piece of news every day. And not less work the laws of repression， the penalties of violated functions. Famine， typhus， frost， war， suicide and effete races must be reckoned calculable parts of the system of the world.　　These are pebbles from the mountain， hints of the terms by which our life is walled up， and which show a kind of mechanical exactness， as of a loom or mill， in what we call casual or fortuitous events.　　The force with which we resist these torrents of tendency looks so ridiculously inadequate that it amounts to little more than a criticism or a protest made by a minority of one， under compulsion of millions. I seemed in the height of a tempest to see men overboard struggling in the waves， and driven about here and there. They glanced intelligently at each other， but it was little they could do for one another； it was much if each could keep afloat alone. Well， they had a right to their eye-beams， and all the rest was Fate.　　We cannot trifle with this reality， this cropping-out in our planted gardens of the core of the world. No picture of life can have any veracity that does not admit the odious facts. A man’s power is hooped in by a necessity which， by many experiments， he touches on every side until he learns its arc.　　The element running through entire nature， which we popularly call Fate， is known to us as limitation. Whatever limits us we call Fate. If we are brute and barbarous， the fate takes a brute and dreadful shape. As we refine， our checks become finer. If we rise to spiritual culture， the antagonism takes a spiritual form. In the Hindoo fables， Vishnu follows Maya through all her ascending changes， from insect and crawfish up to elephant； whatever form she took， he took the male form of that kind， until she became at last woman and goddess， and he a man and a god. The limitations refine as the soul purifies， but the ring of necessity is always perched at the top.　　When the gods in the Norse heaven were unable to bind the Fenris Wolf with steel or with weight of mountains， — the one he snapped and the other he spurned with his heel， — they put round his foot a limp band softer than silk or cobweb， and this held him； the more he spurned it the stiffer it drew. So soft and so stanch is the ring of Fate. Neither brandy， nor nectar， nor sulphuric ether， nor hell-fire， nor ichor， nor poetry， nor genius， can get rid of this limp band. For if we give it the high sense in which the poets use it， even thought itself is not above Fate； that too must act according to eternal laws， and all that is wilful and fantastic in it is in opposition to its fundamental essence.　　And last of all， high over thought， in the world of morals， Fate appears as vindicator， levelling the high， lifting the low， requiring justice in man， and always striking soon or late when justice is not done. What is useful will last； what is hurtful will sink. “The doer must suffer，” said the Greeks； “you would soothe a Deity not to be soothed.” “God himself cannot procure good for the wicked，” said the Welsh triad. “God may consent， but only for a time，” said the bard of Spain. The limitation is impassable by any insight of man.　　In its last and loftiest ascensions， insight itself and the freedom of the will is one of its obedient members. But we must not run into generalizations too large， but show the natural bounds or essential distinctions， and seek to do justice to the other elements as well.　　Thus we trace Fate in matter， mind， and morals； in race， in retardations of strata， and in thought and character as well. It is everywhere bound or limitation. But Fate has its lord； limitation its limits， —is different seen from above and from below， from within and from without. For though Fate is immense， so is Power， which is the other fact in the dual world， immense. If Fate follows and limits Power， Power attends and antagonizes Fate. We must respect Fate as natural history， but there is more than natural history.　　For if Fate is so prevailing， man also is part of it， and can confront fate with fate. If the Universe have these savage accidents， our atoms are as savage in resistance. We should be crushed by the atmosphere， but for the reaction of the air within the body. A tube made of a film of glass can resist the shock of the ocean if filled with the same water. If there be omnipotence in the stroke， there is onmipotence of recoil.　　第一章 命運　　那些孤單的吟游詩人，　　是吉星高照的歷史見證人?！　▲B兒翅膀上承載著吉祥，　　吟唱之中看破紅塵?！　∷谡賳?，他在警告，　　卻可能招致詩人的嘲笑?！　楦嗟亓私庾骷一蛐攀?，　　他以更廣闊的字符書寫暗示的令狀?！　《谒男纳?，在每天破曉時分，　　在暮色降臨投下柔和陰影的時候，　　他的眼光富有遠見，　　對事物也是如此重要?！　』蛘f，美好的景色在遠方，　　同樣的天才將被創(chuàng)造?！　∧鞘菐啄昵暗囊粋€冬天，當時我們城里的人正在熱衷于探討所謂的時代理論。湊巧的是，當時有四五個名人接連或向波士頓或向紐約市民發(fā)表了各自關于時代精神的演講。而與此同時，倫敦出版的一些著名學術期刊和小冊子上也出現了同樣醒目的標題。然而，對我來說，時代問題本身其實可以用生活準則這樣更具現實意義的方式來表述，亦即：我應當怎樣生活？　　我們個人是無力解決時代問題的。我們的社會結構不能超越主流觀念的軌道，而只能向其回歸，或者與不同的觀念順從一致。我們只能奉行各自的行為準則。當然，如果我們不得不接受時代觀念，這對于我們思考和選擇我們的事業(yè)也是有益的?！　≡谖覀?yōu)閷崿F自己的愿望邁出第一步時，總會遇到一些不可避免的問題。我們受激勵于改良人士的偉大希望，然而在經歷多次實驗之后，我們發(fā)現必須從更早的學校教育開始。但是，如果小姑娘小伙子們不聽話，我們也無能為力，卻會由此斷定他們天資不佳，繼而我們就必須更早地實施改革——從下一代開始：這或許就是所謂的命運，或稱自然規(guī)律?！　∪缛艄娲嬖谙窠邮苤髁饔^念那樣不可抗拒的命運安排，那么它也要言之成理才能讓人們信服。即便我們不得不接受命運的安排，我們也不可不強調自由的價值、個人的重要性、責任的神圣和個性的力量。然而生活中經常出現這種情況：這種觀念是對的，那種也是對的。但是，我們的社會結構不能兼容這些極端的觀念，而且主流觀念也不能與這些極端觀點協(xié)調一致。那該怎么辦？我們只能坦率地認同每一種思想和觀念，并反復宣傳我們的主張?；蛘?，如果你愿意，你也可以為你所認同的觀念進行廣泛有力的宣傳和堅持不斷的灌輸，從而使我們從下一代人的流行觀念中最終認識到它的力量。通過這樣的教育，加之對其他觀念的學習，我們才有了一些整合這些觀念的希望。我們確信，雖然我們不知道個人與世界的關系如何，但選擇信仰的自由是必不可少的。我相信，盡管對于時代精神的闡述眾說紛紜，上述這一去其糟粕，取其精華的立場應該是體現時代精神的。時代之謎給每個人不同的選擇?！　∪绻粋€人想要讀懂他自己所處的時代，那他就必定要采取對時代主流話題進行依次分析的方法。他需堅定地申明自己可以全盤接受所有觀點，并做相同的正義之事去糾正他人的行為，此時，他會發(fā)現先入為主的思維會影響自己對其他觀念的接受，亦即真正的限制將會出現?！　〉钦堊屛覀兛陀^地陳述下列事實：我們美國有個膚淺的壞名聲。偉大的人、偉大的國家，已然無所謂吹牛者和丑角，而都是直面慘淡人生的勇士。盡管斯巴達人也有堅定的宗教信仰，并將這種信仰散布在了國家的各個角落，但遺憾的是斯巴達在到達鼎盛之前就已經消失了，使得我們沒能看到這種信仰發(fā)揮作用。土耳其人相信在他們來到這個世界的時候他們的命運就被寫在了鐵樹葉上，就是憑著這種專一的意志，他們沖向敵人的陣營，英勇無畏。土耳其人、阿拉伯人、波斯人都接受了宿命論的世界觀，但是我們知道，首先，既沒有什么靈魂，也沒有任何醫(yī)生能挽救得了這樣的人?！　∑浯危膊皇悄憔涂梢允褂钪嫦?，有信仰的印度教教徒依然十分剛強。我們基督教的加爾文派教徒在最后一代多少有了些同樣的尊嚴。他們認為是萬有引力使他們腳踏實地地生活在這片幸福的土地上。　　古希臘悲劇也表達了類似的宿命觀：“無論如何，凡是命定的事終將會發(fā)生。神的意志不得違背。”野蠻人總是以一個種族或城鎮(zhèn)為單位皈依于一個地方性的神。主耶穌廣博的基督教義雖得以在鄉(xiāng)村迅速傳播，卻由于布道者竭力用以宣傳選民或博愛思想，從而變?yōu)榱藘群瓬\薄的神學。有時也會有像喬？斯蒂爾凌或羅伯特？亨廷頓那樣和藹可親的教區(qū)牧師，他們作為上帝的信徒在鄉(xiāng)村傳播基督教義，并教導人們在饑腸轆轆的時候被和善的人們邀請共進晚餐，為此應該要留下0.5美元作為答謝。然而，原罪并不多愁善感，它不會寵愛或是縱容我們。　　我們必須看到世界的野蠻粗暴，從而學會不再介意一兩個男女的沉淪。然而它究竟殘酷到足以吞沒你的生命仿如拂去一粒微塵，因而你變得冷漠、不關心他人，成為了冷血動物。你的腳喪失感覺，冷到足以把身邊的人凍得像一個皺皮蘋果。疾病、要素、財富、重力、閃電通通不尊敬任何人，諸如此類，可見上帝的生活方式的確是有些粗魯無禮。蛇與蜘蛛的習性、老虎與其他食肉動物的彼此撕咬、尚在盤卷中的水蟒面對它的捕食者骨頭發(fā)出“咔咔”的響聲，這些都是大自然動物系統(tǒng)中普遍存在的現象，并且我們的生活習慣其實和它們很像。某天你剛用完餐，然而此時，在幾公里外的優(yōu)美環(huán)境中小心掩映著的屠宰場里正在進行著一場串通好了的生死殊斗?！　∶慨斢绣缧莿澾^，我們居住的行星就會產生震動，其他行星的異常運動也會使地球環(huán)境變得混亂，地震爆發(fā)、火山噴發(fā)、氣候變化、晝夜交替。河流由于陸地上森林的過度砍伐而干涸，而海洋反過來又沖刷著陸地，許多城鎮(zhèn)和村莊被它吞沒。在里斯本的一次地震中，人們像蒼蠅一樣大批慘死。三年前在意大利城市那不勒斯大地震中，數萬人在短短幾分鐘內粉身碎骨。海上的壞血病和非洲西部鋒如劍芒的惡劣氣候，使卡宴（法屬圭亞那首府，最大城市，位于大西洋岸卡宴河口卡宴島西北岸，譯者注）、巴拿馬和新奧爾良等地的人口像是遭受大屠殺了似的減少。我們西部的大草原則因經常使人感冒發(fā)燒和染上瘧疾而令人不寒而栗?！　∧慊蛟S會說，那些能夠威脅到人類生存的大災難總是偶然事件，人們無需整天擔憂。是的，我們不該杞人憂天。但是，無論是什么，既然已經發(fā)生了一次，就一定還會再次發(fā)生，只要這些自然災難還未被征服，就足以繼續(xù)令我們感到害怕。但是，這些沖擊和毀滅性事件相比于每天作用在我們身上的其他規(guī)律的無形力量來說，破壞性還是比較小的。無論做什么事情，我們終究是需要付出代價的，這是因為社會組織的力量凌駕于個人天性之上。供人們觀賞的珍稀野生動物，或腿骨的外形與力量，都是命運的記錄。鳥的喙和蛇的頭蓋骨嚴格地限定了它們一生活動的極限。這也就是競爭的尺度、性別的尺度、氣候的尺度和人的智力在不同方向上受限的尺度。每種精神都在創(chuàng)造它自己獨立的世界，但是，所創(chuàng)造出來的這個世界不久就會反過來成為精神的束縛?！　∪藗兎路鹗潜汇~墻鐵壁的社會組織包裹了起來。咨詢一下斯伯茲黑姆，或者去看醫(yī)生，或者向昆提萊特提問：氣質是否并未表示什么？或者說，是不是并沒有什么事由氣質來決定？讀到醫(yī)書中對四種氣質類型的描述，你會認為你是在了解你自己內心中那些尚未說明的想法。你若能在公司治理中發(fā)現黑色眼睛的人和藍色眼睛的人各自最適合扮演的角色，則將使你的公司效率倍增。　　一個人要怎樣克服其祖先遺傳的性格基因？一個人又該如何排除自己身上經由家庭注入的素質和氣質？先知們的不同素質通常會在一家子的不同人身上體現，通常兒子或女兒身上會有一些獨特素質，有時是純真而未混雜其他因素的氣質，有時是坦誠而未加修飾的品格，但又時常具備使自己與其他人相隔閡的家族弱點等。有時候，我們看到同伴表情變化，就說好像是看到他的父母一樣，有時候他又好像我們的一個遠親。一個人可以在不同時間表現出他的若干位不同性格的祖先，就好像至少七八位祖先已經在我們的生命中融入了自己一樣，他們已經為我們生命的每一段都譜寫了自己的樂章?！　∪巳松邆涞赖禄蛭镔|上的偏見，即便是同母異父的兄弟也會存在這種分歧。由此我猜測，弗勞恩霍夫先生（德國著名的科學家、發(fā)明家和企業(yè)家，譯者注）或卡彭特博士可能能夠通過高倍放大鏡認識到這種在第四天的胚胎中就存在的區(qū)別，例如這人會是一個輝格黨（歷史黨派名稱，譯者注）員，那人會是一個自由土壤黨員?！　∧切┰噲D移走命運大山并調和自由與種族專制的努力是極其富于詩意的，這就是為何印度人會說：“除卻根據先前生存經驗擬定的契約，命運別無所指。”我在謝琳的大膽陳述中找到了東方和西方智慧各自極端處的巧合，“無論是多么卑微的人都會有一種感覺，那就是他已經由一種永恒的存在成為當下的自己，但又絕不會立即變成。”更為實事求是地說就是，在每個人的歷史中總有一個關于他自己狀態(tài)的記錄且他知道自己就是這種不動產的主人?！　∥覀兊暮芏嗾慰梢栽谏韺W當中得到解釋。比如說一個富人在他年輕氣盛的時期總會不時地接受最廣袤無垠的自由宗旨。在英格蘭總有這么一些富有且擁有廣博社會關系的人，他們在自己年富力強的時候曾經努力為成功而奮斗，然而直到臨近死亡又開始反思自己，收回先前的努力并逐漸變得保守。幾乎所有的保守都是這樣從人性的弱點中產生的，他們本來身體健康心智健全，但由于父母的過分溺愛過著驕奢的生活，逐漸變得像瘸子或瞎子一樣，最終能做的只是一些有限的防衛(wèi)。然而，像貝克伍德人、新罕布什爾巨人、拿破侖、博克斯、布魯格漢姆、韋伯斯特、考蘇思等那樣擁有強壯體格的人在被自身生活的衰敗、缺點和痛風擊倒之前都是不可戰(zhàn)勝的愛國者?！　∵@種最強烈的觀念體現在民族和大眾自身、最健康和最強壯的人身上。選舉總是遵循力量平衡的法則來運作。如果你能夠親自評估一個城鎮(zhèn)中輝格黨或者自由黨派競選人各自的分量，以及各黨派在該城鎮(zhèn)中的力量態(tài)勢，那么，當他們擁有了預定的支持率之時，你就可以通過特定形式和內容來預知未來的選舉結果。總的來講，人們寧愿選擇最快能夠計算出選票數量和選舉結果的那種方式使選舉人或市長和參議員達到一定的支持率?！　∪绻窃诳茖W活動中討論這個問題，那么我們必須考慮兩件事情：力量和環(huán)境。一項成功的科學研究表明，我們自以為熟悉的雞蛋，其實是另外一種囊狀物；而且如果五百年之后你能使用一個更好的觀測器或鏡片來做這項研究，你就會在該項研究者最后一次觀測物中發(fā)現它。蔬菜和動物同樣具備相似性，而且那些使得基本力量或抽搐運行的動力也是囊狀物，囊狀物，是的，但那極其惡劣的天氣例外！由此奧肯（德國博物學家，譯者注）猜想到，新環(huán)境中的囊狀物，例如一個寄宿于黑暗之中的囊狀物將有可能變成動物，而它在陽光中則會變成植物。一個遠古的囊狀物或許正是從寄宿母體動物之中開始默默承受各種變化，直到能夠充分顯露它奇特的能力之時才開啟命運之門，然后逐漸進化出魚和鳥或四腳動物的頭、足、眼、爪等等。環(huán)境即自然，而自然規(guī)律就是你一切行為所需要遵循的法則，因此有所為有所不為。我們必須同時考慮兩件事，一個是環(huán)境，另一個是生存。過去我們都曾經以為積極的力量就是一切，但如今我們才終于明白環(huán)境還有一半是消極力量，而且，事實上自然是一個無比專橫的環(huán)境，我們厚厚的頭蓋骨、笨重如巖石般的顎、人類必要的活動甚至暴力趨勢，就像鐵軌上動力十足的蒸汽機，一旦離開軌道就什么都做不了，又像是溜冰，我們在冰上的時候好似鳥兒翱翔，但是如果穿著冰鞋走在地面上，則會如同戴了千斤鐐銬?！　∽匀恢畷词敲\之書，它不斷翻動龐大的書頁，一頁一頁地向后，從不后退或重復。那留下的某頁便會是一層花崗巖，千年之后變成一層頁巖，再千年之后變成一層煤，再千年之后變成一層灰和泥，然后以植物形態(tài)出現，而后又是形態(tài)丑陋的低等動物，比如延齡草和魚，再后來就是蜥蜴類。由于這些仍然只是一些會阻礙自身發(fā)展的簡單的生命形式，所以在這些怪物的統(tǒng)治下，更高級形態(tài)的生命形式很難產生并居于統(tǒng)治地位。之后，行星的表面冷卻了，彌漫在其表面的水蒸氣不見了，物種在進化中不斷改良，人類誕生了。但是，如果一個在地球上存在過的物種滅絕了，它就無法重生?！　?hellip;…

編輯推薦

　　1）全新英漢雙語讀物　　2）美國精神先知拉爾夫·沃爾多·愛默生的曠世之作　　3）通過對一些生活細節(jié)問題的解析，回答了“我將怎樣生活”

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