3月24日

人文素養的培養
嚴長壽 ( 1947~ )

培養優雅的氣質，首先必須學會「安靜」。

《大學》有一段話可以算是最精闢的見解：「知止而後
能定,定而後能靜，靜而後得安，安而後能慮，慮而後能得。」

現代人都太重視「立即性」的效果，希望可以「七天學
好英文」、「半年讓你成為千萬富翁」,什麼事情都要越
快越好。

我們培養對藝術的欣賞、對美的事物的喜愛，怎麼可能在
短時間內看到「結果」？朱光潛曾說:「美感的世界是一
個純粹意象的世界，欣賞藝術是從實用的世界走向理想的
世界,也就是沒有利害關係的世界。」沒有錯,當每一件事情
都有利害的時候，你怎能有平靜的心靈去欣賞它？因此，
我們每一個人的內在都應該有一些事情，是超越利害關係、
不求回報的；這樣我們才能從另外一個領域發現自己，找到
讓自己安靜的境域。

──選自《御風而上》

March 24th

The Cultivation of Humanities
Stanley Yen (1947 - )
English translation: Miao Guang

To cultivate a disposition of elegance, one must
first learn how to attain a tranquil repose. In the Great
Learning, what can be said to be the most penetrative
insight is given:

Stopping allows for concentration,
      which gives rise to tranquility.
From tranquility, peace arises,
      which allows for careful reflection
      that ultimately leads to attainment.

Nowadays, people attach too much importance to
gaining immediate results, wanting to master the English
language in seven days, or become a millionaire in half a
year. Everything is about “the sooner, the better.”

How is it possible for us to nurture an eye for art,
or an appreciation of beauty in the world within a
short time? Zhu Guangqian once said, “The world of
aesthetics is a purely abstract one. To appreciate art
means to shift from a practical world to an ideal one.
In other words, into a world free of personal interests.
Indeed, how can you appreciate something with a calm
mind when everything concerns personal interests? For
this reason, every one of us should possess something
within ourselves that transcends personal interests
and expectations for something in return. In this way,
we will be able to discover ourselves from a different
perspective, and find ourselves in that of a tranquil repose.

── from Yu Feng Er Shang (Rising Above the Wind)