論看相與算命 (3)
Though
sometimes, people say that “a man can be
master of his own fate.”, at other times, people are weak
inwardly. Admitted or not, people
can be easily upset, discouraged or defeated by failure, or set-backs in a
row. If they are entangled in these
disturbed emotions, it is usually at this point that people turn to their
friends, spouses or family people for advice while others prefer going to a
fortune-teller.
有時雖有人說『一個人能主宰自己的命運。』但有時候，人們的內心是虛弱的。不論承不承認，人容易生氣、感到沮喪、被失敗或一連串的挫折打敗。如果他們被糾纏於這些情感困境時，此時他們常求助於朋友、配偶、或家人，而另外有人選擇找命相看相師。
Besides
foretelling a person’s fortunes, he can be a psychologist, a consultant and he
can even serve as a psychiatrist as well, rendering service like
psycho-analysis, giving nice soothing words, encouragements or precautions to
cheer people up or to warn them. His fortune-telling could provide a healthful
outlet for impulses and ideas that might otherwise be disruptive to the social
fabric. In the Orient, comparatively, people do not need a psychiatrist so much
as they do a fortune-teller, God or gods and goddesses in a temple, which may
provide to them as a temporary sanctuary or psychological shelter, wherewith to
accomplish catharsis of such emotions as bewilderment, confusion, unease or
even paranoia. “Paranoia places its faith in exposure,” Eve
Kosofsky Sedgwick says. That is to say that the exposure of a disturbing fact
or situation does not necessarily alter it, but in fact may further the circular
conviction that “one can never be
paranoid enough.”
除了替人看相外，看命師也可能是位心理學家、諮商師、甚至也可能當一位精神科專家，提供一些服務，如心理分析，提供安慰、鼓勵使人們振奮或警告他們。他的預言能提供了一個有益健康的出口，來發洩衝動與會對社會結構有傷害的一些想法(如果不發洩出來的話) 。比較上，東方人不需要精神病科醫生，他們需要看相師、老天爺、或廟裡的眾神明；廟宇提供他們做為臨時避難所或心理庇護處，藉這裡，他們可以把內心的迷惑、困擾、不安或甚至妄想作充分的發洩。Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick說，『妄想症寄託信心於內心祕密的暴露』。換句話說，暴露一件困擾的事實或情况未必能改變它，但事實上，也許可使循環性的信念更進一步，那就是說，『人再怎麼妄想也不够。』
Someone
says, “Fate is the killer”(刼數難逃). Is it true? Well, people are
prone to remember the beautiful past, enjoying the fun and pleasure it brought.
Some people are apt to claim that they have had a good foresight into an
incident which happened later as foretold.
They forget to ask whether it coincided with some unknown factors. “Fate is the killer” could be a
justifiable excuse for an incident without logical explanation. When something inexplicable
happens, it may be referred to as something brought about by a supernatural
force. After all, “Man is potent; God is omnipotent.” A Chinese proverb has it,- 『謀事在人，成事在天。』 -Man proposes; God disposes. However,
there is also a forecast or prophecy which does not actually happen at all.
Therefore, a conclusion may be reasonably and safely reached- “Fate is not absolutely a killer.”
有人說『刼數難逃』，是真實的嗎? 人們傾向於記得輝煌的過去，陶醉於它所帶來的樂趣。有人易於聲明他們已預測到某一件意外，此意外後來也成真。可是他們忘了問是否與某些冥冥之中的事巧合。『刼數難逃』也許是某件意外可証明是真實的因素，但缺乏合理的解釋。當某件無法解釋的事發生時，也許可以被說成是某種超自然的力量所導致的。畢竟，人類雖有力量，但上帝是無所不能。中國格言說，『謀事在人，成事在天』。雖然如此，也有一種預測或預言，卻沒有真正發生過。因此，可以合理而又安全地得到一個結論『劫數未必絕對難逃。』
I have
an acquaintance, who is a firm believer of a fortune-teller. He was told that his life will be very
miserable toward the end of his life. Influenced and obsessed by such negative
prophecy, he is losing his confidence in life by degrees. So much so, an
idea of remaining alive seems to be more and more difficult for him. In other
words, attempting to die by his own hand is always haunting him. He is quite
bewildered and tormented by the predictions made for him. As most of what the
fortune-tellers predicted about him came true, he is assuming and making an
illogical inference that what is predicted is certain to happen, too. To add to his agony, his family and friend begin
to pay no heed to his idiotic way of thinking, to become indifferent to his suffering
and view him as a freak. Once he admitted
to me to having attempted for several times to kill himself, but failed. Maybe,
he is a coward, for “cowards die many times
before deaths while the valiant tastes of death once”. It seems to me most
strange that men should fear, seeing that death,
a necessary end, will come when it
will come. It is certain that we, human beings will eventually pass
from our life on earth, but whether we are so unlucky, so evil, or so
malicious as to spend eternity, in our self-torturing world has yet to be
determined. However, I do admire those people who are “courageous”
enough to commit suicide before their life span would otherwise have been
prolonged. As yet, I have no idea what will happen to my friend. Hopefully, he will be disillusioned in time
before he ultimately meets his fate.
(待續)
Justin Lai
03/23/2013加譯中文
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