社会主义下人的灵魂（七）

What Jesus does say is that man reaches his perfection, not through what he has, not even through what he does, but entirely through what he is. And so the wealthy young man who comes to Jesus is represented as a thoroughly good citizen, who has broken none of the laws of his state, none of the commandments of his religion. He is quite respectable, in the ordinary sense of that extraordinary word. Jesus says to him, ‘You should give up private property. It hinders you from realising your perfection. It is a drag upon you. It is a burden. Your personality does not need it. It is within you, and not outside of you, that you will find what you really are, and what you really want.’ To his own friends he says the same thing. He tells them to be themselves, and not to be always worrying about other things. What do other things matter? Man is complete in himself. When they go into the world, the world will disagree with them. That is inevitable. The world hates Individualism. But that is not to trouble them. They are to be calm and self-centred. If a man takes their cloak, they are to give him their coat, just to show that material things are of no importance. If people abuse them, they are not to answer back. What does it signify? The things people say of a man do not alter a man. He is what he is. Public opinion is of no value whatsoever. Even if people employ actual violence, they are not to be violent in turn. That would be to fall to the same low level. After all, even in prison, a man can be quite free. His soul can be free. His personality can be untroubled. He can be at peace. And, above all things, they are not to interfere with other people or judge them in any way. Personality is a very mysterious thing. A man cannot always be estimated by what he does. He may keep the law, and yet be worthless. He may break the law, and yet be fine. He may be bad, without ever doing anything bad. He may commit a sin against society, and yet realise through that sin his true perfection.

耶稣真正想说的是，一个人要想达到完美 ，不取决于他拥有什么，也不取决于他做了什么，而是取决于他是什么。所以如果一个年轻的富人，他没有违背关于他情况制定的规则，没有违反宗教的信条，并且心中有上帝，那么他就是一个彻头彻尾的好公民。他是十分令人尊敬的，而令人尊敬这个词，在这种寻常的状况下，意味非凡。耶稣对他说：“你应该放弃你的财产，它阻碍了你认识到自身的完美。它是毒药，是负担。你的品质不需要它。你的人格在你的体内，而不是你的外部。也只有这样，你才能真正发现你是谁，真正想要什么。耶稣对他的朋友也说了相同的话。他告诉人们要成为自身，而不要担忧其他事情。其他事情有什么重要的呢？人类本来就应该成为自己。当人类来到这个世上时，这个世界会排斥他。这无法避免，因为世界害怕个性。不过这并不会妨碍他们。人类会变得冷静，并且以自我为中心。如果别人拿走了他的斗篷，他会再把自己的大衣给那人，以示那种东西对他并不重要。如果别人辱骂了他，他也不会还嘴。这喻示着什么呢?外人的言语并不能真正改变一个人，他就是他自身，而公共舆论则没有那么重要。即使人们遇到了暴力，他们也不会把暴力施与他人，否则他就会下降到和施暴者一样的水平。毕竟，即使是在监狱中，人也可以是自由的，他的灵魂可以是自由的。他的个性不会造成妨碍，他也可以处于平静之中。更重要的是，他们不会去损害或是批判他人。人格是非常神秘的东西，我们并不是总能从一个人的所作所为中来判断他。一个遵纪守法的人可能毫无用处，而一个目无法纪的人也许更有价值。坏人并不一定要做坏事，他也许会犯下反社会的罪恶，而那种罪恶能使他自身达到完美。

There was a woman who was taken in adultery. We are not told the history of her love, but that love must have been very great; for Jesus said that her sins were forgiven her, not because she repented, but because her love was so intense and wonderful. Later on, a short time before his death, as he sat at a feast, the woman came in and poured costly perfumes on his hair. His friends tried to interfere with her, and said that it was an extravagance, and that the money that the perfume cost should have been expended on charitable relief of people in want, or something of that kind. Jesus did not accept that view. He pointed out that the material needs of Man were great and very permanent, but that the spiritual needs of Man were greater still, and that in one divine moment, and by selecting its own mode of expression, a personality might make itself perfect. The world worships the woman, even now, as a saint.

曾经有一个女人与人通奸，虽然我们并不知道她的恋爱史，但是这种爱无疑是伟大的，因为耶稣说过，她的罪恶原谅了她。这不是因为她忏悔了，而是因为她的爱是那样的真挚和热烈。在耶稣死前的宴会上，她走了进来，把昂贵的香膏浇在了耶稣头上。耶稣的朋友打算制止她，并说那种香膏非常奢侈，买香膏的钱应该被用在传播信仰或是其他类似的事情上。耶稣没有赞同这种观点，他说，人类物质上的需求固然重要且永恒，但是精神上的需求却更为关键。在那个神圣的瞬间，因为她选择的表达方式，她的人格得以升华。现今人们尊崇那个女人，并把她看作是圣徒。