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电梯直达

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发表于 2010-1-3 09:16:47 |只看该作者 |倒序浏览

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Beyond Righteousness and Gain

by Zhou Guoping

"A virtuous man is concerned with righteousness while a mean man, with gain,” Confucius says. The "righteousness" and "gain" have long been a central theme in the Chinese philosophy of life. But, what if I am neither virtuous nor mean?

There was once a time when almost everyone claimed to be a gentleman and every word uttered was about righteousness. At that time, there might have been some truly virtuous men who were so righteous as to give up whatever was profitable. But, more likely, one might meet hypocrites who used righteousness as a fig leaf for their cupidity, or pedants believed in whatever passed for righteousness. Gone are the old days. The social trend has taken on a dramatic change unawares: the reputation of righteousness nosedived, truly virtuous men became extinct, hypocrites dropped the fig leaf and the scales fell from the eyes of the pedants. With- out exception, they all joined in the scramble for gains. It is believed that the philosophy of life has changed and a new interpretation of righteousness and gain looms large: seeking material gains is not the exclusive patent of the mean, but a golden rule for all.

"Time is money" is a vogue word nowadays. Nothing is wrong when entrepreneurs apply it to boost productivity. But, when it is worshipped as a motto of life and commercialism takes the place of other wisdom of life, life is then turned into a corporation and, consequently, interpersonal relations into a market.

I used to mock at the cheap "human touch". But, nowadays even the cheap “touch” has become rare and costly. Can you, if I may ask, get a smile, a greeting, or a tiny bit of compassion for free?

Don’t be nostalgic, though. It is in fact of little help if you try to redeem the world or salvage the corrupt minds through preaching various brands of righteousness. Nevertheless, beyond righteousness and gain, I believe, there are other attitudes towards life; beyond virtue and meanness, there are other individualities. Allow me to coin a sentence in the Confucian style: "A perfect man is concerned with disposition."

Indeed, righteousness and gain, seemingly poles apart, have much essence in common. Righteousness calls for a devotion to the whole society while gain drives one to pursue material interests. In both cases, one’s disposition is over- looked and his true “self” concealed. "Righteousness" teaches one to give while "gain" induces one to take. The former turns one’s life into a process of fulfilling endless obligations while the latter breeds a life-long scramble for wealth and power. We must remember, however, the true value of life is beyond obligations and power. Both righteousness and gain are yoked by calculating minds. That’s why we often find ourselves in a tense interpersonal relationship whether Mr. Righteousness is commanding or Mr. Gain, controlling.

If "righteousness" stands for an ethical philosophy of life, and "gain," a utilitarian one, what I mean by "disposition" is an aesthetical philosophy of fife, which advocates taking your disposition as the operational guidance for your fife, whereby everyone is allowed to keep his true "self". You do not five for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess. Instead, your true "self" makes you who you are. The true meaning of life lies not in giving or possessing, but in creating, which actively unfolds your true disposition, or, in other words, the emotional gratification you obtain through the exertion of your essential power. Different from giving, which is the performance of an external responsibility, creating is the realization of one’s true self. The difference between creating and possessing is more than crystal clear. Let’s take creative writing as an example: "Possessing" focuses on the fame or social status a piece of writing may bring, while "creating" highlights the plea- sure in the process of writing. A man of disposition seeks nothing but the communication of feelings while in company, and the cultivation of taste while possessing something. More valuably, in a time when most people are busy hunting for wealth and being hunted by it, a man of disposition is al- ways at ease in social intercourses. Here I' m not talking about the leisure of traditional Chinese scholar-officials, nor the complacency of conservative peasants, but about a peaceful mind coming from a non-materialistic attitude towards life. Using the writing example again, I’ve been wondering why a writer needs to be prolific. If he dreams of being enshrined, an immortal short poem is enough. Otherwise, he could be pretty much satisfied with a carefree life. In this sense, writing is merely a way for such a life.

Bernard Shaw once said, “There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it." With it I couldn’t agree more. I did admire him for his easy and humorous way in describing the quandary of life. However, a deep ponder over it has brought home to me that Shaw’s standpoint is no other than "possessing", which keeps us stranded in a double dosage tragedy of life: it' s a pain not to possess your heart' s desire, and a tedium, to have possessed it. However, if we shift the standpoint from "possessing" to "creating", and look at life with an esthetic eye, we can interpret Shaw’s words the other way round: there are two comedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire, so you still have the opportunity to seek or create it. The other is to get your heart’s desire, and then you are able to enjoy tasting or experiencing it--Of course, life can never be free from pains, and a wealth hunter can not dream of the sadness of a man who places a premium on his true disposition. However, to be free from the mania for pos- session may at least save you many petty worries and pains, and let you enjoy a graceful life. 1 have no intention to prescribe the esthetic viewpoint as the cure for a corrupt world. I just want to express a belief: there is a life more worth living than the one haunted by righteousness and gain. And, this belief will help me sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.

已有 7 人评分	声望	收起理由
AdelineShen	+ 1	wonderful essay!~
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aladdin.ivy	+ 1	辛苦~！
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沙发

发表于 2010-1-3 10:06:03 |只看该作者

本帖最后由 AdelineShen 于 2010-1-4 19:48 编辑

sofa~

Comment:

I was so excited while reading this essay that I nearly do not know from which point to express my feelings. I like the essays of Zhouguoping in Chinese. They are always simple but deep in thought, which can penetrate into your heart, help you calm down when you are drawn crazy and lead you to the world of serenity when you are meeting with terrible storm. That's what the essays of Zhouguoping gives me, and this one is not an exception.

We are always told to become a righteousness person, who place the society's interest to the highest and always remember to give rather than take. But in this world where money can decide status and lead to luxury life, many people give up the priciple of righteousnesss and seek for self-interest to the most. Shall we choose to be righteous or self-interest? The philosophy of ancient China will give you the answer:NEITHER! The philosophy of Confucians focuses on the heart of humanity.Confucianism believes that human nature is virtuous and all we should do is to try to walk toward our inner heart and behave naturally in our true way. I am now still learning about the soul of the philosophy of ancient China, which help me keep peaceful in mind and try to be generous.

The day before yesterday a good friend of mine sent me a postcard of Barcelona, which he bought when he was travelling around Europe last year. On the back of the postcard he wrote a sentence for me: Let it go and you'll feel relief. I admit that I always feel strained as the competition is so fierce around me and everybody is walking here and there in a hurry. In some cases I hesitate to listen to my heart in fear of the unknown future. However, this friend of mine is a perfect example for me to become more relaxed and seek for what my heart truly wants bravely. He always listen to his heart and he is never halted by the outsiders. His inner heart contains a strong belief, which can help him sail through the unpredictable, but obviously, splendid waters of his future life.

"A perfect man is concerned with disposition." Always remember to listen to the eachoes of your innter heart, that's where your boat of life ought to sail toward. Never hesitate about this!

Here is a poem I like very much. Enjoy it~

God, grant me:
The serenity to accept the things that I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference!~

Die luft der Freiheit weht
the wind of freedom blows

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板凳

发表于 2010-1-3 11:22:53 |只看该作者

本帖最后由 zhengchangdian 于 2010-1-3 14:52 编辑

搬个凳子坐

Comment：

Well, I have to say that the author is excessively sensitive on the goal in life much or less. Faced with the food shortage, over-capacity of production, environmental issues and so on, mankind should pay more attention to these global severe threatens instead of persuading others to subscribe the motto of righteousness on shield. I concede that what the author emphasizes is an undoubtedly fact, however, it is not the right time to preach the ideal of being a true man when one is surrounded with thorny difficulties.

Maybe pragmatism is detrimental in some aspects, but it has advantages over the naïve idealism, especially taking the current global plight into consideration. After all, no one would like to live in a dilapidated house and concern about his meals. In this case, the wealth hunter should receive a warm welcome when he is also a wealth creator. Thanks to the liability to pay taxes, the rich also have to make a contribution to the society such as the infrastructure development and the unemployment benefits. Without their pursuit for utilitarian, poverty and stagnation would rule the world ruthlessly.

In sum, as far as I am concerned, the pursuit of wealth is not contradicted with the goal to realize the true value of life. And the utopian condition for the majority is to unify the two objections to the fullest extent possible. Maybe only artists and layman Buddhists could have access to peacefulness and serenity and the state of neglecting the fame and money.

Questions：
1.It is believed that the philosophy of life has changed and a new interpretation of righteousness and gain looms large: seeking material gains is not the exclusive patent of the mean, but a golden rule for all.
这个“loom”的用法好奇怪啊~

2.Of course, life can never be free from pains, and a wealth hunter can not dream of the sadness of a man who places a premium on his true disposition.
绿色的部分没看懂，premium指什么呢？

Finding：
文中说the scales fall off from the eyes of the pedants 和以前看过的remove the scales from one's eyes 好像好像...:lol

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回归寄托，我最爱的最爱的乐土！
向着荷兰进发！

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地板

发表于 2010-1-3 11:47:31 |只看该作者

本帖最后由 adammaksim 于 2010-1-4 13:07 编辑

fig leaf  无花果叶，就是亚当同志用的。。。遮羞布

nosedive  俯冲，暴跌  向下冲的时候鼻子在前

the scales fell from the eyes 这里sacle应该做锈讲

loom vi. to appear in an impressively great or exaggerated form something loomed large

salvage  救援

coin vt.铸造，创造

whereby  conj. by, through, or in accordance with which

complacency n.自满，自得

double dosage tragedy

But, when it is worshipped as a motto of life and commercialism takes the place of other wisdom of life, life is then turned into a corporation and, consequently, interpersonal relations into a market.

The former turns one’s life into a process of fulfilling endless obligations while the latter breeds a life-long scramble for wealth and power.

There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it.

comments:

This beautiful prose just reminds me of Freud's theory that human psyche could be divided into three parts: super-ego, the moral component of psyche, id, the impulsive, child-like portion, and ego. And the contradiction between righteousness and gain as described by Zhou looks similar to the one between super-ego and id. Instead of Freud's pessimistic claim ego is just a dilemma between super-ego and id, Mr. Zhou argues with a optimistic attitude that everyone is allowed to keep his true "self", which is free from the secular command of righteousness or gain and can be creative.

However I doubt whether Zhou's claim is true for everyone, for reality is always more persuasive than eloquence, and the reality is most people have lost the wil and ability to seek their true dream and become adults easily satisfied with a tedious but stable life under the pressure from making bread. The gap between ideal and reality never disappear. Although everyone is longing for the sightseeing on the other side, few achieve finally.

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5楼

发表于 2010-1-3 11:57:42 |只看该作者

本帖最后由 pluka 于 2010-1-3 11:59 编辑

NOTE
"A virtuous man is concerned with righteousness while a mean man, with gain,” Confucius says.

used righteousness as a fig leaf for their cupidity

Gone are the old days.倒装句。

The social trend has taken on a dramatic change unawares（不料，不知不觉地）: the reputation of righteousness nosedived（急降）（声望急转直下）, truly virtuous men became extinct, hypocrites dropped the fig leaf and the scales fell from the eyes of the pedants.Without exception, they all joined in the scramble（混乱） for gains.It is believed that the philosophy of life has changed and a new interpretation of righteousness and gainlooms large: seeking material gains is not the exclusive patent of the mean, but a golden rule for all. 这一段都挺好~

Indeed, righteousness and gain, seemingly poles apart（南辕北辙）, have much essence in common.

breeds a life-long scramble for wealth and power. 动词的搭配~

Both righteousness and gain are yoked by calculating minds.

You do not five for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess.何解，“不盲目遵从”？

enshrine：vt,入庙祀奉，铭记。

COMMENT
"We all live in the gutter," yes I know the next words, promising and beautiful, yet this line alone have been heavy enough. I'd like to read essays delving human's heart, exploring the inner universe, finding out the silent galaxy singing within; this sometimes feels like touching the eternal and escaping the mundane. Yet simply too often the gravity drags me down, with the pale face and dim lights flickering in the murky, reminding that here's still earth: enoumous, inextricable, right in the gutter.

That didn't upset me, however, once I read sth from Hemingway that every man and woman, whatever the appearance, the work, the status, holds a fire within--implicit and deeply hidden may it be, there it is. This solid conviction contains so much warmth and enthusiasm that readers see his love and vigor for human and life bursted out.

Here again comes Zhou, a man who holds as the same the loving thoughts yet more peaceful and tranquil. Rightness and Gain, a little inopportune may it be for current tides, persistently stands within mind of those who concern more beyond the before eyes......
......err, I don't know how to continue......quit...= =|||
This essay provides some thoughts~

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横行不霸道~

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6楼

发表于 2010-1-3 13:15:44 |只看该作者

5# pluka

pluka总是好快，赞一个~~

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7楼

发表于 2010-1-3 13:16:25 |只看该作者

本帖最后由 rodgood 于 2010-1-3 21:55 编辑

文中使用了很多省略句：

A virtuous man is concerned with righteousness while a mean man, with gain.

That’s why we often find ourselves in a tense interpersonal relationship whether Mr. Righteousness is commanding or Mr. Gain, controlling.

"Righteousness" stands for an ethical philosophy of life, and "gain," a utilitarian one.

It' s a pain not to possess your heart' s desire, and a tedium, to have possessed it.

Useful words and expressions:

nosedive暴跌

vogue流行的

mock at嘲笑

nostalgic怀旧的， nostalgia思乡之情

redeem弥补，救赎 , salvage

poles apart两极分化，大不相同

fulfill obligations

are yoked by 被……束缚

giving or possessing

the emotional gratification满足 you obtain through the exertion of your essential power

is more than crystal clear

focuses on, highlights

at ease

the leisure of traditional Chinese scholar-officials, the complacency自满自得 of conservative peasants

prolific多产的.

quandary of life生活的困境

a deep ponder over it has brought home to me that

stranded in a double dosage tragedy of life

I have no intention to

Pedants believed in whatever passed for冒充，假扮 righteousness.

The social trend has taken on a dramatic change unawares.

What I mean by "disposition" is an aesthetical philosophy of life, which advocates taking your disposition as the operational guidance for your life, whereby(=with which) everyone is allowed to keep his true "self".

A man of disposition seeks nothing but the communication of feelings while in company, and the cultivation of taste while possessing something.

If he dreams of being enshrined, an immortal short poem is enough.

With it I couldn’t agree more.

Life can never be free from pains.

There is a life more worth living than the one haunted by righteousness and gain.

This belief will help me sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.

My comments:

Mr Zhou in this essay describes his deep thinking on our real "self" while pursuing reputation and material possession. Between giving and possessing, he highlights creating, which, he refers, actively unfolds our true disposition. If possible, in our real life, enjoying process of doing something could be of more significance than just been concerned with righteousness or gain.

It brings to me something about atmosphere of science research in China. Nowadays, future of a Chinese scholarship is mostly determined by papers he delivers. Even among graduates, one of the most frequent topics is about paper. Paper has become the only method to justify what progress one has achieved and how well he has done. Thus all attentions focus on paper. Professors that should be speculating problems of Big Bang are detracted by worries that the title would be deprived of without paper next year. Graduates are doing experiments with anxious about academic degree without paper. Even teamwork disappears since the owner of unborn paper will be uncertain. Ridiculous, but true.

We are getting lost in our way to the truth, or, in Mr Zhou's words, we are not our true "self". The importance and essentials of research are neglected. Our human beings, like a child looking up to skyful of stars, are supposed to enjoy the process of thinking rather than any gains it brings. It is a question not only in system, but also in attitudes, which should provoke deep thought in our society.

错字：
ture disposion 抄都抄错了，汗~~ true disposition
significence
significance
delievers
delivers
guaduates
graduates
anxieous
anxious
disapears
disappears
Rediculous
ridiculous

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8楼

发表于 2010-1-3 14:53:33 |只看该作者

5# pluka

会不会是指give me five的缩写five for 。。。

回归寄托，我最爱的最爱的乐土！
向着荷兰进发！

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9楼

发表于 2010-1-3 15:07:37 |只看该作者

本帖最后由 fancyww 于 2010-1-3 16:34 编辑

5# pluka

会不会是指give me five的缩写five for 。。。
zhengchangdian 发表于 2010-1-3 14:53

You do not five for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess.何解，“不盲目遵从”？

我觉得就是打错了，应该是 live for

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10楼

发表于 2010-1-3 15:58:07 |只看该作者

righteousness 正直正当正义
virtuous 善良的有道德的贞洁的
utter v发出做声 adi全然的绝对的
nosedive 俯冲急降
scramble for 争夺勉强拼凑
mock at 嘲笑
nostalgic 乡愁的怀旧的
redeem 赎回挽回
salvage v抢救海上救助 n抢救财物
preach 鼓吹
yoke 把···套上轭结合连接v 束缚 n
utilitarian adj 功利的实利的 n功利主义
aesthetical 美学的审美的
doctrine 教条学说
gratification 满意
complacency 满足安心
peasant 乡下人
prolific 多产的
enshrine 入庙祀奉铭记
carefree 无忧无虑的轻松愉快的不负责的
quandary n困境窘境进退两难
ponder over  深思沉思
no other than  只有正是
strand v使搁浅使落后使陷入困境
tedium 厌烦沉闷
place a premium on 诱发鼓励
petty 小的不重要的

1 But, more likely, one might meet hypocrites who used righteousness as a fig leaf for their cupidity, or pedants believed in whatever passed for righteousness.
2 Gone are the old days.
3 Nevertheless, beyond righteousness and gain, I believe, there are other attitudes towards life; beyond virtue and meanness, there are other individualities. Allow me to coin a sentence in the Confucian style: "A perfect man is concerned with disposition."
4 The former turns one’s life into a process of fulfilling endless obligations while the latter breeds a life-long scramble for wealth and power.
5 The difference between creating and possessing is more than crystal clear. 差别一目了然
6 Here I' m not talking about the leisure of traditional Chinese scholar-officials, nor the complacency of conservative peasants, but about a peaceful mind coming from a non-materialistic attitude towards life.
7 Bernard Shaw once said, “There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it."
8 With it I couldn’t agree more. 我曾经深以为然
9 this belief will help me sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.

comment
wordless, frothy, impuissant it would be for me to depict the prose such elegant words and beautiful styles as breeze stirring in my heart. far from a philosopher i am, even not as a devotee, sometimes it still flash in my mind, with that, i just don't know that sort of feeling wondering some profound life-death matters. admitting that after reading this one which has boarded my insight into the gate of philosophy, i have gained some other  attitude taking life in an aesthetical philosophy way that seem totally strange for me and also brings me a tour in our ancient celebrities' thoughts.

from the former attitude, life is just beyond giving and gaining, in other words, that  a way of enjoying your life coming with a peaceful mind coming from a non-materialistic attitude towards life , not talking about the leisure of traditional Chinese scholar-officials, nor the complacency of conservative peasants. it's life, and nothing matters.

we linger in mundane world aimlessly. this is the symbol that can stand for our generation and next one either, also can push us to confront perplexed inner world interwining with mass materials outside. to choose a style living life not only give your strength to sail unpredicable waters of your future life but also bestow wings to fly into your dreaming paradise.

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11楼

发表于 2010-1-3 16:34:01 |只看该作者

本帖最后由 fancyww 于 2010-1-3 16:46 编辑

"A virtuous man is concerned with righteousness while a mean man, with gain,” Confucius says.
子曰：君子喻于义，小人喻于利。
好吧，题外话。之前去中学教育实习，批改试卷，发现很多又雷又囧又抽又欠扁的答案。其中一个亮点就是这句话的默写:___________，小人喻于利。  学生大概都知道是“君子喻于*”吧，不过这个*就出现了十一个版本：仁、礼、理、才、德、器、行……  有的记不住了，不过最有才的算是“弊”了。我纳闷了好一会，才反应过来，原来“弊”是和“利”相对的，这个学生还是动了脑子的嘛。当然，还有一个“君子行于利”，这个也算是有想法的。

Words and expressions:
one might meet hypocrites who used righteousness as a fig leaf for their cupidity (1 : inordinate desire for wealth  : AVARICE, GREED; 2 : strong desire  : LUST)
nosedive:1 : a downward nose-first plunge of a flying object (as an airplane)
2 : a sudden extreme drop  *stock prices took a nosedive* (很形象的一个词)
they all joined in the scramble for gains.
a new interpretation of righteousness and gain looms large
It is in fact of little help if you try to redeem the world or salvage the corrupt minds through preaching various brands of righteousness.
Both righteousness and gain are yoked by calculating minds.
The difference between creating and possessing is more than crystal clear.
when most people are busy hunting for wealth and being hunted by it,
enshrine：to preserve or cherish as sacred
Shaw’s standpoint is no other than "possessing", which keeps us stranded （搁浅） in a double dosage tragedy （双重的悲剧） of life:
premium ：a reward or recompense for a particular act
this belief will help me sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.

Commet:

Although the article expresses some really profound and significant idea, it is quite easy to understand. Maybe it is written by a Chinese, and though in English, the writer and readers are all thinking in the same mode. And back to the content of the article, I think the author tells us a very important viewpoint on what is the most appropriate attitude toward life in a current corruptive world.

First of all, I sides with the author's understanding and explanation of the famous sayings by Confucius. I think when the society begins to set examples to its people with righteous man or deeds, it is just the time when the society begin to corrupt. For instance, back to the Confucius time, the country Lu had a regulation that when merchants were doing business in other countries and saw the people of Lu became slaves, the could buy them, brought them back to Lu, and set them free. Later they could go to the government for money the spent on saving such people. Then once one of Confucius's students, Zilu, a famous merchant, saved a man of Lu from other country, but he did not go to the government for money. When Confucius knew this, he praised Zilu as a righteous man who cared little about gain. So gradually, this "great deed" of Zilu was widely spread, and the government of Lu set Zilu as an example. However, from then on, the people saved from other countries became fewer and fewer. The reason was that not all merchants were rich enough to save the slaveries of Lu for free. However, if they continued to saved them and then went back to the government for money, other people would think that they were not righteous. So most of the merchants would just pretend that they did not notice the suffered people of Lu in other countries. This is how a righteous action actually starts the corrupt of the society.

So as the author says, neither the pursuit of righteousness nor gain is a recommendable and beneficial way of life. The author advocates an aesthetic approach toward life, that is "disposition". And everyone should keep his true self. I cannot agree with the idea more. But here goes my question, how can we find true self? And for those who have already find their true self, how can they protect it from being corrupted buy this material worlds? Here is an example of my respected high school teacher. He once told us that his motivation of life came from the achievement of his students. Seeing the growth of his students under his guidance gave him the feeling of accomplishment, which brought him the purest and simplest happiness in the world. So he insisted standing on the rostrum while his collogue worked and calculated for promotion, quitted teaching to do business for money, and so on. He was not a man engaging in giving, like the former type. He obviously lived according to his true self and led a graceful life before his wife was diagnosed with cancer and his son caught in an serious accident, requiring huge amount of money, which he certainly could not afford. And then his faith started to falter. Maybe this example is a little bit extreme. All I want to say is that since living in a corrupt world, you cannot simply perfect yourself.

The author gives us a clear example of writing to illustrate the difference between creating and possessing. Yet the author puts a quite vague description on giving and creation:"Different from giving, which is the performance of an external responsibility, creating is the realization of one’s true self." And like the author concludes, it is a non-material attitudes toward life. From what I understand, this non-material attitude is kinda giving.

Well, even though some of us may still do not know what we should do and believe, at least we now know what we should not follow, thanks to this wise article.

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qxn_1987
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12楼

发表于 2010-1-3 17:08:50 |只看该作者

本帖最后由 qxn_1987 于 2010-1-3 17:18 编辑

"A virtuous man is concerned with righteousness while a mean man, with gain,” Confucius（孔子）says. The "righteousness" and "gain" have long been a central theme in the Chinese philosophy of life. But, what if I am neither virtuous nor mean?

There was once a time when almost everyone claimed to be a gentleman and every word uttered was about righteousness. At that time, there might have been some truly virtuous men who were so righteous as to give up whatever was profitable. But, more likely, one might meet hypocrites（伪君子，伪善者） who used righteousness as a fig leaf（无花果树叶，遮羞布） for their cupidity, or pedants believed in whatever passed for righteousness. Gone are the old days. The social trend has taken on a dramatic change unawares: the reputation of righteousness nosedived（（飞机）俯冲，急降）, truly virtuous men became extinct, hypocrites dropped the fig leaf and the scales fell from the eyes of the pedants. With- out exception, they all joined in the scramble for gains. It is believed that the philosophy of life has changed and a new interpretation of righteousness and gain looms large（显得突出）: seeking material gains is not the exclusive patent of the mean, but a golden rule for all.

"Time is money" is a vogue word nowadays. Nothing is wrong when entrepreneurs apply it to boost productivity. But, when it is worshipped as a motto of life and commercialism takes the place of other wisdom of life, life is then turned into a corporation and, consequently, interpersonal relations into a market.

I used to mock at the cheap "human touch". But, nowadays even the cheap “touch” has become rare and costly. Can you, if I may ask, get a smile, a greeting, or a tiny bit of compassion for free?

Don’t be nostalgic, though. It is in fact of little help if you try to redeem the world or salvage the corrupt minds through preaching various brands of righteousness. Nevertheless, beyond righteousness and gain, I believe, there are other attitudes towards life; beyond virtue and meanness, there are other individualities. Allow me to coin a sentence in the Confucian style: "A perfect man is concerned with disposition."

Indeed, righteousness and gain, seemingly poles apart, have much essence in common. Righteousness calls for a devotion to the whole society while gain drives one to pursue material interests. In both cases, one’s disposition is over- looked and his true “self” concealed. "Righteousness" teaches one to give while "gain" induces one to take. The former turns one’s life into a process of fulfilling endless obligations while the latter breeds a life-long scramble for wealth and power. We must remember, however, the true value of life is beyond obligations and power. Both righteousness and gain are yoked by calculating minds. That’s why we often find ourselves in a tense interpersonal relationship whether Mr. Righteousness is commanding or Mr. Gain, controlling.

If "righteousness" stands for an ethical philosophy of life, and "gain," a utilitarian one, what I mean by "disposition" is an aesthetical philosophy of fife, which advocates taking your disposition as the operational guidance for your fife（n.横笛，吹横笛v.吹横笛）, whereby everyone is allowed to keep his true "self". You do not five for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess.（？“five”怎么讲？）Instead, your true "self" makes you who you are. The true meaning of life lies not in giving or possessing, but in creating, which actively unfolds your true disposition, or, in other words, the emotional gratification you obtain through the exertion of your essential power. Different from giving, which is the performance of an external responsibility, creating is the realization of one’s true self. The difference between creating and possessing is more than crystal clear（完全明透的，【喻】极其明白，十分清楚）） Let’s take creative writing as an example: "Possessing" focuses on the fame or social status a piece of writing may bring, while "creating" highlights the pleasure in the process of writing. A man of disposition seeks nothing but the communication of feelings while in company, and the cultivation of taste while possessing something. More valuably, in a time when most people are busy hunting for wealth and being hunted by it, a man of disposition is always at ease in social intercourses（交往，交流）. Here I' m not talking about the leisure of traditional Chinese scholar-officials, nor the complacency of conservative peasants, but about a peaceful mind coming from a non-materialistic attitude towards life. Using the writing example again, I’ve been wondering why a writer needs to be prolific. If he dreams of being enshrined, an immortal short poem is enough. Otherwise,
he could be pretty much satisfied with a carefree life. In this sense, writing is merely a way for such a life.

Bernard Shaw once said, “There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it." With it I couldn’t agree more. I did admire him for his easy and humorous way in describing the quandary of life. However, a deep ponder over it has brought home to me that Shaw’s standpoint is no other than "possessing", which keeps us stranded in a double dosage tragedy of life: it' s a pain not to possess your heart' s desire, and a tedium, to have possessed it. However, if we shift the standpoint from "possessing" to "creating", and look at life with an esthetic eye, we can interpret Shaw’s words the other way round: there are two comedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire, so you still have the opportunity to seek or create it. The other is to get your heart’s desire, and then you are able to enjoy tasting or experiencing it--Of course, life can never be free from pains, and a wealth hunter can not dream of the sadness of a man who places a premium on his true disposition. However, to be free from the mania for possession may at least save you many petty worries and pains, and let you enjoy a graceful life. I have no intention to prescribe the esthetic viewpoint as the cure for a corrupt world. I just want to express a belief: there is a life more worth living than the one haunted by righteousness and gain. And, this belief will help me sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.

Comments:

How wonderful and insightful the article is.

Nowadays, people are more busily engaged in pursuing the materials than has ever been before. They are just like anxious social climbers, and have endless devotions to material things to live a real life in their mind. Nevertheless, they have misapprehended that, as a matter of fact, the true meaning of life lies not in possessing, but in creating, which actively unfolds your true disposition. Allow me to coin a sentence in the article: “Creating is the realization of one’s true self.”

What’s more, as we all know, our life is full of difficulties and setbacks. The life will be dramactically different if we treat life in different ways. If we shift our standpoint from possessing to creating, it will help us “sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.”

Anyhow, I have learned a lot from the article, both knowledge useful for AW and philosophy of life.

splendidsun
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13楼

发表于 2010-1-3 17:12:38 |只看该作者

1-3
这篇文章怎么感觉比外国人写的还难懂……有点找不到感觉~~
Comment：
This article talks about what is the nature of life. In ancient times, people are divided into two types according the pursuit of righteousness or gain. However, these two types could not involve every one. In the viewpoint of the author, he concludes that what should be pursuit during one's life is creating. I agree with this point. No matter what we possess, the things alone could not bring any happiness to us. However, the happiness we enjoy is from the process that we create something that we desire. No matter whether it could be approved by other people, we treasure the special experience that we create it. As the well-known psychologist Dr. Maslow concluded, the most important need of human beings is self-actualization. That's the origin of happiness of human being which always promotes the development of human society.

错字
Artical---article 文章（我好二~~）
Anticient—ancient 古老的
Creat—create 创造

righteousness 正直，正义，公正
utter表达，发出
hypocrite伪君子
fig leaf 遮羞布，无花果树叶
pedant书呆子，学究，卖弄学问的人
pass for 被认为，假扮，冒充
nosedive俯冲，暴跌，急降，低落
scramble for勉强拼凑，争夺
loom隐现
exclusive patent专有的
vogue word 时髦词
boost促进，增加
mock at嘲笑，嘲弄
human touch人性化，人类接触，人情味
compassion同情，怜悯
nostalgic 怀旧的
redeem 赎回，补偿，挽回，恢复
salvage抢救，海上救助
preach说道，劝诫
coin杜撰
yoke束缚
utilitarian 功利的
exertion运用
crystal clear极其明白，十分清楚，完全透明
social intercourses社交礼仪
complacency自鸣得意的
peasant乡下人，农民
enshrine把……奉为神圣，铭记，珍藏
Bernard Shaw 萧伯纳
quandary困惑
ponder深思
no other than 只有，就是
stranded搁浅
tedium单调，乏味
place a premium on 诱发
premium奖金，保险费
haunt困扰

You do not five for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess.不太理解~~~

阳光，微笑，我喜欢~~

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14楼

发表于 2010-1-3 17:47:56 |只看该作者

1-3
这篇文章怎么感觉比外国人写的还难懂……有点找不到感觉~~
Comment：
This article talks about what is the nature of life. In ancient times, people are divided into two types according the pursuit o ...

You do not five for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess.不太理解~~~
splendidsun 发表于 2010-1-3 17:12

You do not five for the doctrines you believe in or the materials you possess.

我觉得这句话中的five可能是错误，本来的单词应该是fife，这句话的原文是：

你不是你所信奉的教义，也不是你所占有的物品

上面那句话用fife for，大概是鼓吹的意思

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15楼

发表于 2010-1-3 17:48:33 |只看该作者

本帖最后由 prettywraith 于 2010-1-3 23:50 编辑

Comments (2010-01-03):

Beginning with one Confucius proverb, Mr.Zhou provides a confused problem for us. Then Mr.Zhou deals with this dilemma in his own way. He thinks people should concern their own disposition, instead of "righteousness" and "gain". This passage is filled with wisdom words and philosophical ideas. Especially, the last sentence he had said, " I just want to express a belief: there is a life more worth living than the one haunted by righteousness and gain. And, this belief will help me sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.", gives me a peaceful and comfortable mood to face the complicated society. Although it is difficult to keep this belief, when we are facing this commercial society, and he does not tell us how to hold on this belief, he gives us a direction to find ourselves and not lost in "righteousness" and "gain".

People have different comprehension to the "righteousness" and "gain". For a long time, I have never thought about these. Perhaps, I have been lost in this busy world, and sometimes, I can hardly stop to think quietly "Who am I?","Where I will go". Like author's statements, seeking material gain has become a golden rule for all, who contain me. In my eyes, I have never considered "righteousness" and "gain" are two contradict concepts. Each person could gain well with righteousness, and there are many examples to support my view. Limited with the passage length, I do not introduce them in detail. Here, I only want to say, beyond these two things, a vast majority things are waiting for us, and I need steer my ship with hope.

Good sentences:

It is believed that the philosophy of life has changed and a new interpretation of righteousness and gain looms large: seeking material gains is not the exclusive patent of the mean, but a golden rule for all.

It is believed that the philosophy of life has changed and a new interpretation of righteousness and gain looms large: seeking material gains is not the exclusive patent of the mean, but a golden rule for all.

I just want to express a belief: there is a life more worth living than the one haunted by righteousness and gain. And, this belief will help me sail through the unpredictable waters of my future life.