All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year, sometimes as short as 24 hours. But always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed hero chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited.
Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings, what regrets?
Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with gentleness, vigor and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the Epicurean motto of “Eat, drink, and be merry”. But most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death.
In stories the doomed hero is usually saved at the last minute by some stroke of fortune, but almost always his sense of values is changed. He becomes more appreciative of the meaning of life and its permanent spiritual values. It has often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow of death bring a mellow sweetness to everything they do.
Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life.
The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill.
I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.
我們大家都讀過(guò)一些令人激動(dòng)的故事，其中的主人公只有一個(gè)有限的時(shí)間和特定的時(shí)間去生活。有時(shí)，只要一年，有時(shí)短到24個(gè)小時(shí)。但我們總是有興趣發(fā)現(xiàn)，注定的英雄是如何選擇度過(guò)他的最后幾天或他的最后時(shí)刻。當(dāng)然，我說(shuō)的是那些有選擇的自由人，而不是那些活動(dòng)范圍受到嚴(yán)格限制的罪犯。
這樣的故事讓我們思考，在類似的情況下，我們應(yīng)該做什么。什么事件，什么經(jīng)驗(yàn)，什么協(xié)會(huì)，我們應(yīng)該成為那些最后幾個(gè)小時(shí)作為凡人，什么遺憾？
有時(shí)我想，把每一天都當(dāng)作生命中的一天來(lái)度過(guò)每一天都是一個(gè)很好的生活準(zhǔn)則。這樣的態(tài)度會(huì)使生命的價(jià)值觀更為強(qiáng)烈。我們每天都應(yīng)該以優(yōu)雅的姿態(tài)，充沛的精力和熱情的欣賞，往往失去了前一段時(shí)間我們?cè)跓o(wú)休止的日、月和年來(lái)。有一些人，當(dāng)然，他們會(huì)采取“吃，喝，享樂(lè)主義的座右銘，而且是快樂(lè)的”。但絕大多數(shù)人還是會(huì)受到即將到來(lái)的死亡的懲罰。
在故事中，注定的英雄通常在最后一刻被一些幸運(yùn)的人物所拯救，但他的價(jià)值觀幾乎都改變了。他變得更加理解生命的意義和它永恒的精神價(jià)值。它經(jīng)常被注意到，那些生活或生活在死亡的陰影中的人都會(huì)給他們所做的每一個(gè)事物帶來(lái)甜美的甜美。
然而，我們中的大多數(shù)人，把生命視為理所當(dāng)然。我們知道有一天我們一定會(huì)死，但通常我們會(huì)在未來(lái)的日子里想象到這一天。當(dāng)我們身體強(qiáng)壯時(shí)，死亡幾乎是不可想象的。我們很少想到它。在一個(gè)無(wú)限的景色中，天舒展了。所以我們忙于瑣事，幾乎意識(shí)不到我們對(duì)生活的倦怠態(tài)度。
同樣的冷漠，我害怕，我們所有的官能和意識(shí)的運(yùn)用。只有聾人欣賞者的聽(tīng)覺(jué)，只有盲人才能實(shí)現(xiàn)在視覺(jué)上的各種祝福。特別是這一觀察適用于那些在成年生活中失去了視力和聽(tīng)力的人。但是那些從未遭受過(guò)視力或聽(tīng)力損傷的人卻很少充分利用這些神圣的能力。他們的眼睛和耳朵模模糊糊地所有景點(diǎn)和聲音，沒(méi)有記錄。這是一個(gè)同樣的古老的故事，我們不知道我們有什么，直到我們失去它，沒(méi)有意識(shí)到健康，直到我們生病。
我常想，如果每個(gè)人在成年后的幾天里都受到了失明和耳聾的打擊，那將是一個(gè)福音。黑暗會(huì)使他更珍惜光明，寂靜會(huì)教他快樂(lè)的聲音。
Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings, what regrets?
Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with gentleness, vigor and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the Epicurean motto of “Eat, drink, and be merry”. But most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death.
In stories the doomed hero is usually saved at the last minute by some stroke of fortune, but almost always his sense of values is changed. He becomes more appreciative of the meaning of life and its permanent spiritual values. It has often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow of death bring a mellow sweetness to everything they do.
Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life.
The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill.
I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.
我們大家都讀過(guò)一些令人激動(dòng)的故事，其中的主人公只有一個(gè)有限的時(shí)間和特定的時(shí)間去生活。有時(shí)，只要一年，有時(shí)短到24個(gè)小時(shí)。但我們總是有興趣發(fā)現(xiàn)，注定的英雄是如何選擇度過(guò)他的最后幾天或他的最后時(shí)刻。當(dāng)然，我說(shuō)的是那些有選擇的自由人，而不是那些活動(dòng)范圍受到嚴(yán)格限制的罪犯。
這樣的故事讓我們思考，在類似的情況下，我們應(yīng)該做什么。什么事件，什么經(jīng)驗(yàn)，什么協(xié)會(huì)，我們應(yīng)該成為那些最后幾個(gè)小時(shí)作為凡人，什么遺憾？
有時(shí)我想，把每一天都當(dāng)作生命中的一天來(lái)度過(guò)每一天都是一個(gè)很好的生活準(zhǔn)則。這樣的態(tài)度會(huì)使生命的價(jià)值觀更為強(qiáng)烈。我們每天都應(yīng)該以優(yōu)雅的姿態(tài)，充沛的精力和熱情的欣賞，往往失去了前一段時(shí)間我們?cè)跓o(wú)休止的日、月和年來(lái)。有一些人，當(dāng)然，他們會(huì)采取“吃，喝，享樂(lè)主義的座右銘，而且是快樂(lè)的”。但絕大多數(shù)人還是會(huì)受到即將到來(lái)的死亡的懲罰。
在故事中，注定的英雄通常在最后一刻被一些幸運(yùn)的人物所拯救，但他的價(jià)值觀幾乎都改變了。他變得更加理解生命的意義和它永恒的精神價(jià)值。它經(jīng)常被注意到，那些生活或生活在死亡的陰影中的人都會(huì)給他們所做的每一個(gè)事物帶來(lái)甜美的甜美。
然而，我們中的大多數(shù)人，把生命視為理所當(dāng)然。我們知道有一天我們一定會(huì)死，但通常我們會(huì)在未來(lái)的日子里想象到這一天。當(dāng)我們身體強(qiáng)壯時(shí)，死亡幾乎是不可想象的。我們很少想到它。在一個(gè)無(wú)限的景色中，天舒展了。所以我們忙于瑣事，幾乎意識(shí)不到我們對(duì)生活的倦怠態(tài)度。
同樣的冷漠，我害怕，我們所有的官能和意識(shí)的運(yùn)用。只有聾人欣賞者的聽(tīng)覺(jué)，只有盲人才能實(shí)現(xiàn)在視覺(jué)上的各種祝福。特別是這一觀察適用于那些在成年生活中失去了視力和聽(tīng)力的人。但是那些從未遭受過(guò)視力或聽(tīng)力損傷的人卻很少充分利用這些神圣的能力。他們的眼睛和耳朵模模糊糊地所有景點(diǎn)和聲音，沒(méi)有記錄。這是一個(gè)同樣的古老的故事，我們不知道我們有什么，直到我們失去它，沒(méi)有意識(shí)到健康，直到我們生病。
我常想，如果每個(gè)人在成年后的幾天里都受到了失明和耳聾的打擊，那將是一個(gè)福音。黑暗會(huì)使他更珍惜光明，寂靜會(huì)教他快樂(lè)的聲音。