Conformity denies virtue
顺从否定了美德
Tyrannical governments and tyrannical parents have tried to establish order through fear and punishment. They assume the authority of "Providence" itself to dominate and shape minds according to their concepts and traditions of what order should be. Tradition can be ten thousand years or one day old. In the family this authority is vested in the parents, and in tyrannical governments it is enforced through various forms of persuasion, murder and intimidation. Once they have established themselves in power, it is a simple matter for governments through propaganda to build a tradition that is gradually accepted to assure the continuation of their authority. The family, the church and tyrannical governments have done this throughout the ages. In this the basic law is acceptance, obedience and conformity, a conformity which both the tyrant and the parent consider will bring about order. Order for them means obeying what they consider to be the highest good for the community as well as the individual.
独裁政府和专制的家长都试图通过恐惧和惩罚来建立秩序。他们站在“命运”权威的位置上，按照他们的关于秩序应该是什么样的概念和传统来支配和塑造人们的思想。传统可以是一万年也可以是一天。在家庭里，权力由家长把持，而在独裁政府里，权力则通过各种各样的说服，谋杀和恐吓来实行。
一旦他们获得了权力，对于政府来说，通过宣传来确立一个逐渐被接受的传统从而保证其政权的延续性是一件轻而易举的事情。很多世纪以来，家庭，教会和独裁政府都是这么做的。其中，最基本的法则就是接受，服从和顺应，一种暴君和家长都认为能带来秩序的顺从。秩序对于他们来说就是遵从那些在他们看来是个人与集体的最高利益的东西。
This so-called order tries to establish the relationship among individuals and between the individual and the community. This relationship is conditioned, but since all life is relationship, to force it into a particular mould must naturally bring about conflict. This conflict is revolt against the pattern, which brings about disorder; and to overcome this disorder, authority is again exercised to bring about so-called order. This obvious pattern can be seen working in the daily life of governments, religious organizations and all established power. This is not order at all.
这种所谓的秩序试图在人与人之间，人与集体之间建立关系。不过这种关系是受限的。但是因为所有的生活都是关系，而强行让关系进入某种特殊的模式里必然会带来冲突。这种冲突就是对于模式的反叛，它将带来混乱，而为了克服这种混乱，权力便再一次被使用以期待来所谓的秩序。我们可以看到这种显而易见的模式在政府，宗教组织和所有政权的日常工作中运作着。这完全不是秩序。
Order must come out of freedom, not order first and freedom afterwards. Freedom cannot possibly exist if there is no discipline; but discipline according to the pattern of power or according to an established tradition or conformity to necessity is not discipline at all. As we have said, discipline is learning. Learning needs an active mind, not a mind that has accumulated knowledge and adds to it through what it calls learning. Learning demands attention; but it is inattention that is encouraged through the accumulation of knowledge and habit. Habit and knowledge are contrary to virtue. It is virtue that brings about order. Morality is custom and habit, and virtue is not. When we understand the mechanism of habit and custom—not intellectually but actually come directly into contact with it—then the very seeing is the liberating factor from custom and habit, which is the deep-rooted tradition that human beings have sedulously guarded and which is acceptance of tyranny and of the morality, the established order, of society.
秩序必来源于自由，而不是先有秩序后有自由。如果没有纪律，自由便不可能存在；但依循于权力的模式，或已有的传统，或迫于无奈的纪律，便完全不是纪律了。正如我们曾说过的，纪律是学习。学习需要一个活跃的心灵，而不是一个通过所谓的学习积累知识的心灵。学习需要注意力，但积累知识和习惯，鼓励的是涣散。习惯和知识与美德是矛盾的。是美德带来了秩序。道德是习俗和习惯，而美德不是。当我们明白了习俗，习惯的机制——不是理智上的，而是直接接触到它——那么这种看见本身便是从习俗和习惯中解放出来的要素，而这些习俗和习惯就是我们人类一直以来孜孜不倦所守卫的根深蒂固的传统，它们就是对于社会中的专制，道德以及已有秩序的接受。
So in all human beings there is this compulsive urge to conform, to follow, which is the very denial of virtue. Virtue as conduct, behaviour, can only flower as goodness when morality as custom ceases. So order is not custom compelled by authority, whether outer or inner, but the flowering of behaviour that is not shaped by the environment. Such behaviour is righteousness. Without righteous behaviour there is no order. We are so used to disorder, the indica¬tion of which is conflict, that to be without that mould brings fear. Fear only breeds resistance and aggression, and never order.
所以在所有人类中所存在的那种难以抑制的去服从，去追随的冲动就是对于美德的否定。只有当作为习俗的道德消失后，行为中的美德才能与善一样绽放。所以，秩序不是为权威所迫的习俗，无论那权威是内在的还是外在的，而是一种不被环境所影响的行为上的成熟。这样的行为就是正直。没有正直的行为就没有秩序。我们对于混乱是如此地习以为常，而混乱的表现之一就是冲突，以至于我们会害怕失去那种模式。而恐惧只会带来抗拒和攻击，而永远不会带来秩序。
Love is not remembrance of the image of pleasure or desire, for this breeds contradiction and conflict, which is one of the causes of disorder. Love is not the photo on the mantelpiece or the image in the church or the sexual remembrance, which breed habit, custom and therefore disorder. Love is righteousness, behaviour in the active present, and this is order.
爱不是对于快感或欲望的印象的回忆，因为这只会带来矛盾和冲突，它同样也是混乱的原因之一。爱不是壁炉上的相片或教堂里的雕塑，也不是关于性的记忆，那些都将带来习惯，习俗，因此也造成混乱。爱是正直的活在此时的行为，这就是秩序。
绿草园翻译工作室 |
发表于 2010-8-16 09:35
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