书城工具书哲理英语
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第26章 如诗人生

我认为,从生物学角度看,人生就如一首诗歌。人生自有其韵律和节奏,自有内在的生成与衰亡。人生开始于天真的童年,经过少年的青涩,带着激情与无知,理想与雄心,笨拙而努力地走向成熟;后来人到壮年,经历渐广,阅人渐多,涉世渐深,收益也渐大;及至中年,人生的紧张得以舒缓,人的性格日渐成熟,如甘甜果实,醇美佳酿,更具容忍之心,处世虽更悲观,但对人生的态度趋于和善;再后来就是人生暮年,内分泌系统活动减少,若此时吾辈已经悟得老年真谛,并据此安排残年,那生活将和平,宁静,安详而知足;终于,生命之烛摇曳而终熄灭,人开始永恒的长眠,不再醒来。

像听交响乐一样,人们当学会感受生命韵律之美,欣赏其主旋律、激昂的高潮和舒缓的尾声。这些反复的乐章对于我们的生命都大同小异,但个人的乐曲却要自己去谱写。对于某些人,不和谐音会越来越刺耳,最终竟然能掩盖主曲;有时不和谐音会积蓄巨大的能量,令乐曲不能继续,这时人们或举枪自杀或投河自尽。这是他最初的主题被无望地遮蔽,只因他缺少自我教育。否则,常人将以体面的运动和进程走向既定的终点。在我们多数人胸中常常会有太多的断奏或强音,那是因为节奏错了,生命的乐曲因此而不再悦耳。我们应该如恒河,气势恢弘而豪迈地缓缓流向大海。

人生有童年、少年和老年,谁也不能否认这是一种美好的安排,一天要有清晨、正午和日落,一年要有四季之分,如此才好。人生本无好坏之分,只是各个季节有各自的好处。如若我们持此种生物学的观点,并循着季节去生活,除了狂妄自大的傻瓜和无可救药的理想主义者,谁能说人生不能像诗一般度过呢。莎翁在他的一段话中形象地阐述了人生分七个阶段的观点,很多中国作家也说过类似的话。奇怪的是,莎士比亚并不是虔诚的宗教徒,也不怎么关心宗教。我想这正是他的伟大之处,他对人生持有顺其自然的态度,他对生活之事的干涉和改动很少,正如他对戏剧人物那样。莎翁就像自然一样,这是我们能给作家或思想家的最高褒奖。对人生,他只是一路经历着,观察着,离我们远去了。

A Lighthouse

It was a dark and stormy night. The officer came to the captain and said, “Captain, Captain, there is a light in our sea lane and they won’t move.”

“What do you mean they won‘t move? Tell them to move. Tell them starboard right now.”

The signal was sent out, “Starboard, starboard, “ The signal comes back, “ Starboard yourself. “

“I can’t believe this. What’s going on here? Let them know who I am.” The signal sent out, “this is the mighty Missouri, starboard.” The signal comes back, “This is the lighthouse.”

My friends, correct principles are lighthouses, they do not move. They are nature laws. We can’t break them. We can only break ourselves against them. We might as well learn them, accommodate them, utilize them and be grateful for them. Then it enlarges us and emancipates us and empowers us.

T.S.Eliot once sad something I think is appropriate as we come to the conclusion of our visit together. He said, “we are never cease from striving, and the end of all of our striving will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.”