Unit 9A - Confessions of a Miseducated Man
Confessions of a Miseducated Man
Norman Cousins
These notes are in the nature of a confession. It is the confession of a miseducated man.
I have become most aware of my lack of a proper education whenever I have had the chance to put it to the test. The test is a simple one: Am I prepared to live in and comprehend a world in which there are 3 billion people? Not the world as it was in 1850 or 1900, for which my education might have been adequate, but the world today. And the best place to apply that test is outside the country—especially Asia or Africa.
Not that my education was a complete failure. It prepared me very well for a bird's-eye view of the world. It taught me how to recognize easily and instantly the things that make one place or one people different from another. Geography had instructed me in differences of terrain, resources, and productivity. Comparative culture had instructed me in the differences of background and group interests. Anthropology had instructed me in the differences of facial bone structure, skin color and general physical aspect. In short, my education protected me against surprise. I was not surprised at the fact that some people lived in mud huts and others in bamboo cottages; or that some used wood for fuel and others dung; or that some enjoyed music with a five-note scale and others with twelve; or that some people were vegetarian by religion and others by preference.
In those respects my education had been more than adequate. But what my education failed to do was to teach me that the principal significance of such differences was that they were largely without significance. The differences were all but wiped out by the similarities. My education had bypassed the similarities. It had failed to grasp and define the fact that beyond the differences are realities scarcely comprehended because of their very simplicity. And the simplest reality of all was that the human community was one—greater than any of its parts, greater than the separateness imposed by the nations, greater than the different faiths and loyalties or the depth and color of varying cultures. This larger unity was the most important central fact of our time—something on which people could build at a time when hope seemed misty, almost unreal.
As I write this, I have the feeling that my words fail to give force to the idea they seek to express. Indeed, the idea itself is a truth which all peoples readily accept even if they do not act on it. Let me put it differently, then. In order to be at home anywhere in the world I had to forget the things I had been taught to remember. It turned out that my ability to get along with other peoples depended not so much upon my comprehension of the uniqueness of their way of life as my comprehension of the things we had in common. It was important to respect these differences, certainly, but to stop there was like clearing the ground without any idea of what was to be built on it. When you got through comparing notes, you discovered that you were both talking about the same neighborhood, i.e., this planet, and the conditions that made it pleasant or hostile to human life.
Only a few years ago an education in differences of references fulfilled a specific if limited need. That was at a time when we thought of other places and peoples largely out of curiosity or in terms of unusual vacations. It was the mark of a rounded man to be well traveled and to know about the amazing variations of human culture and behavior. But it wasn't the type of knowledge you had to live by and build on.
Then overnight came the great compression. Far-flung areas which had been secure in their remoteness suddenly became crowded together in a single arena. And all at once a new type of education became necessary, an education in liberation from tribalism. For tribalism had persisted from earliest times, though it had taken refined forms. The new education had to teach man the most difficult lesson of all: to look at someone anywhere in the world and be able to recognize the image of himself. It had to be an education in self-recognition. The old emphasis upon superficial differences had to give way to education for mutuality and for citizenship in the human community.
In such an education we begin with the fact that the universe itself does not hold life cheaply. Life is a rare occurrence among the millions of galaxies and solar systems that occupy space. And in this particular solar system life occurs on only one planet. And on that one planet life takes millions of forms. Of all these countless forms of life, only one, the human species, possesses certain faculties in combination that give it supreme advantages over all the others. Among those faculties or gifts is a creative intelligence that enables man to reflect and foresee, to take in past experience, and also to visualize future needs. There are endless other wonderful faculties, the workings of which are not yet within our understanding—the faculties of hope, conscience, appreciation of beauty, kinship, love, faith.
Viewed in global perspective, what counts is not that the thoughts of people lead them in different directions but that all men possess the capacity to think; not that they pursue different faiths but that they are capable of spiritual belief; not that they write and read different books but that they are capable of creating print and communicating in it across time and space; not that they enjoy different art and music but that something in them enables them to respond deeply to forms and colors and ordered sounds.
These basic lessons, then, would seek to provide a proper respect for humanity in the universe. Next in order would be instruction in the unity of human needs. However friendly the universe may be, it has left the conditions of human existence precariously balanced. All people need oxygen, water, land, warmth, food. Remove any one of these and the unity of human needs is attacked and the human race with it. The next lesson would concern the human situation itself—how to use self-understanding in the cause of human welfare; how to control the engines we have created that threaten to alter the precarious balance on which life depends; how to create a peaceful society of the whole.
With such an education, it is possible that some nation or people may come forward not only with vital understanding but with the vital inspiration that people need no less than food. Leadership on this higher level does not require mountains of gold or thundering propaganda. It is concerned with human destiny; human destiny is the issue; people will respond.
参考译文——一个错误教育受害者的自白
一个错误教育受害者的自白
诺曼·卡曾斯
下面这篇文字实际上是一篇自白书，是一个错误教育受害者的自白。
每当我有机会检验我所受到的教育时，我都会异常清醒地认识到我缺乏正确的教育。这种检验很简单：要在这个有30多亿人口的世界上生存并理解这个世界，我准备好了吗？我是指当今的这个世界，而不是1850年或1900年的那个世界；我受到的教育在那时可能还是足够的。进行这项检验的最佳地点是在国外——尤其是在亚洲或非洲。
我并不是说我所受的教育彻底地失败了。它让我对这个世界总体上有了不错的了解，它教会我如何简捷地找出地区之间和人们之间的差异：地理学教给我地形、资源和生产力方面的差异；比较文化学教给我背景和群体利益方面的差异；人类学教给我面部骨骼结构、肤色和人体方面的差异。总之，我接受的教育让我（在看到不同事物的时候）不会感到惊奇。有人住茅草棚，有人住竹制房；有人用木头当燃料，有人烧动物粪便；有人喜欢五音阶的音乐，有人喜欢十二音阶的；有人因为宗教信仰而食素，有人因为个人偏好而食素——这些都不让我感到讶异。
在上述方面，我接受的教育是非常充分的。但是那些教育没能告诉我，关于这些差别最重要的一点就是，它们大部分是毫无意义的。差异几乎都被共性消除了，而我接受的教育忽略了那些共性。它没有理解更没有解释这样一个事实：差异之外，是那些由于太过简单明了反而几乎不为人理解的现实。而且最简单的现实就是，人类社会是一个整体——比构成它的任何一个部分都更为重要，比国界强加给人类的分割更为重要，比不同的信仰和效忠对象或者不同文化的深度和本质都更为重要。这个更大的统一体是我们时代最重要也是最核心的事实——在这个认识基础上，人们才能在深感前途渺茫、毫无希望的时候，重建对未来的信心。
写到这里，我觉得我的文字还不能够强有力地表达出它应该表达的意思。其实，这个观点本身就是一条真理，即使人们不把它当作自己的行为准则，但还是很乐于接受它。好，让我换种方式来说吧。为了使自己能够适应世界上的任何地方，我必须忘记脑海里那些过去学过的东西。结果证明，我与其他国家的人民相处的能力不是取决于我对他们独特生活方式的理解，而更多的是取决于我对我们共同之处的理解。当然，尊重差异是非常重要的；但若就此停滞不前，那就如同清理了场地却不知道要在上面建造什么一样。当你们交流完之后，你会发现你们所说的是同一个地方，也就是我们这个星球，以及种种有利于或不利于人类生存的条件。
几年前，注重差异的教育尚能满足某个特定而有限的需求。那个时候，我们大都是出于好奇或是为了过不寻常的假期才会想到其他的地方和人民。到过很多地方、了解人类文化和行为上的惊人的差别成为一个人知识全面的标志。但那并不是你赖以生存和发展的那类知识。
然后，在一夜之间，世界被压缩在一起。原先那些因偏僻而感到安全的边远地区突然间都挤到同一个舞台上来。一种新型教育，一种能让我们从部落意识中解放出来的教育，立刻变得很有必要。因为部落意识从远古时代一直延续至今，尽管形式上进行了改良。这种新型教育必须要教会人类最难的课程：在看到世界上任何地方的人时，都能看到自己的影子。它必须是关于自我认识的教育。那种传统的重视表面差异的教育必须让位于强调共性、强调人类社会公民的新型教育。
在这样的教育中，我们首先应该认识到宇宙中生命的宝贵性。在太空里的数以百万计的星系和太阳系中，生命是稀有的事物。在我们这个太阳系中，也只有一个星球上有生命。而在这个星球上，生命的形式千差万别。在这些无数的生命形式中，只有一种，就是我们人类，拥有某些综合能力，这些能力赋予了我们高于其他任何生命的最高等的优势。在这些能力和天赋中，有一种创造性的智慧，它使人类能够反思过去，预测未来，能够吸取过去的经验教训，预见未来的需求。另外还有许多神奇的能力，我们尚不能明白它们是怎么起作用的——比如希望、良知、审美、亲情、爱及忠诚。
从全球的角度来看，重要的不是人们的思想引领他们走向不同的方向，而是所有的人都有思考的能力；不是他们追求不同的信仰，而是他们能够进行精神追求；不是他们读或写不同的书，而是他们能够发明印刷术，并用它穿越时空进行交流；不是他们欣赏不同的艺术和音乐，而是他们内在的能力使他们能够对形式、色彩和有序的声音作出深层次的反应。
这样，这些基本道理设法教会人们正确地尊重宇宙中的人类。下一步是要教会人们懂得人类需求的统一性。无论宇宙对人类多么友好，它已经使人类的生存条件处于不稳定的平衡状态中。所有的人都需要氧气、水、土地、温暖和食物；拿走其中任何一项，人类需求的统一性就会被破坏，而随之被破坏的就是人类自己。再下一步有关人类自身的处境——如何在人类福利事业中运用对自身的理解；如何控制我们发明的机器——它们威胁着已经岌岌可危的生命赖以存在的平衡；如何创造一个和平的人类社会。
有了这样的教育，某个国家或民族才有可能挺身而出，他们不仅深刻理解，还会深受启发，明白人类需要的并不仅仅是食物。这种更高层次的领导能力不需要成座的金山，也不需要振聋发聩的宣传，因为它关系到人类的命运，而人类的命运是备受关注的话题，人们会必然响应。”
Key Words:
productivity [.prɔdʌk'tiviti]
n. 生产率，生产能力
terrain ['terein]
n. 地带，地域，地形
preference ['prefərəns]
n. 偏爱，优先，喜爱物
scale [skeil]
n. 鳞，刻度，衡量，数值范围
v. 依比例决
comprehend [.kɔmpri'hend]
vt. 充分理解，包括
adequate ['ædikwit]
adj. 足够的，适当的，能胜任的
recognize ['rekəgnaiz]
vt. 认出，认可，承认，意识到，表示感激
simplicity [sim'plisiti]
n. 单纯，简朴
community [kə'mju:niti]
n. 社区，社会，团体，共同体，公众，[生]群落
adequate ['ædikwit]
adj. 足够的，适当的，能胜任的
define [di'fain]
v. 定义，解释，限定，规定
misty ['misti]
adj. 有雾的，模糊的，含糊的
unusual [ʌn'ju:ʒuəl]
adj. 不平常的，异常的
limited ['limitid]
adj. 有限的，被限制的
动词limit的过
curiosity [.kjuəri'ɔsiti]
n. 好奇，好奇心
planet ['plænit]
n. 行星
uniqueness [ju:'ni:knis]
n. 唯一性，独特性
specific [spi'sifik]
adj. 特殊的，明确的，具有特效的
hostile ['hɔstail]
adj. 怀敌意的，敌对的
reflect [ri'flekt]
v. 反映，反射，归咎
community [kə'mju:niti]
n. 社区，社会，团体，共同体，公众，[生]群落
foresee [fɔ:'si:]
v. 预见，预知
rare [rɛə]
adj. 稀罕的，稀薄的，罕见的，珍贵的
conscience ['kɔnʃəns]
n. 良心，责任心，顾忌
intelligence [in'telidʒəns]
n. 理解力，智力
n. 情报，情报工作，情报
creative [kri'eitiv]
adj. 创造性的
overnight ['əuvə'nait]
n. 前晚
adj. 通宵的，晚上的，前夜的<
planet ['plænit]
n. 行星
kinship ['kinʃip]
n. 血缘关系，亲属关系
capable ['keipəbl]
adj. 有能力的，足以胜任的，有 ... 倾向的
concerned [kən'sə:nd]
adj. 担忧的，关心的
pursue [pə'sju:]
v. 追捕，追求，继续从事
vital ['vaitl]
adj. 至关重要的，生死攸关的，有活力的，致命的
capacity [kə'pæsiti]
n. 能力，容量，容积; 资格，职位
adj.
propaganda [.prɔpə'gændə,prɔpə'gændə]
n. 宣传，宣传的内容
peaceful ['pi:sfəl]
adj. 安宁的，和平的
control [kən'trəul]
n. 克制，控制，管制，操作装置
vt. 控制
respond [ris'pɔnd]
v. 回答，答复，反应，反响，响应
precarious [pri'keəriəs]
adj. 不确定的，不安全的
参考资料：
- http://www.kekenet.com/daxue/201704/50001shtml
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