自由发展不是真正的自由

　　“Free”Development Is Not True Freedom

　　真自由发展，就要到山里头；电话也没有，电视也没有，

　　什么都没有，完全与世界隔绝了。

　　To really let children develop freely, you should take them deep into the mountains,

　　away from telephone and television, so that they are totally cut off from the world.

　　这个世界上特别的事情很多，是人想象不到的。虽然想象不到，可是，什么事情一半是天造的，一半是人为的。天造的，人若不为，也不会成功；人若为，而天不造，也是没有一个根本。因此世间的事情都是对立的，有善就有恶，有阴就有阳，有是就有非，有好也就有坏，这是一种对待法。

　　In this world, there are many unusual things beyond our imagination. These things are created partly by people and partly by heaven. If people have no part in them, they cannot happen. If people contribute to them, but they don”t follow the will of heaven, they cannot happen either. Everything in the world is relative: if there is good, then there is evil; if there is yin, then there is yang; if there is right, then there is wrong; if there is good, then there is bad. These are all dualities.

　　这个对待法，你若会做的，坏又可以变成好；不会做的，好也可以变坏。会用功的人，阴气最盛的，也可以把它调和得有一点阳气。阳气太盛的，也可以把它调和得有一点阴。阳是属动，阴就属静；阳是属刚，阴就属柔。好坏是由人而养成的，因此说

　　Those who know how to work with dualities can turn bad into good. Those who are inept turn good into bad. Intelligent people can regulate themselves and keep their yin and yang energies balanced. Yang is characterized by movement and hardness, yin by stillness and softness. People develop good or bad characters over time.

　　近朱者赤，近墨者黑，

　　染于苍则苍，染于黄则黄。

　　Getting close to rouge, one turns red.

　　Drawing near ink, one is stained black.

　　If you dye something blue, it becomes blue;

　　If you color it yellow, it turns yellow.

　　因为这个，所以在中国有个孟子，他是亚圣。这圣人，小的时候就没有爸爸了，只有妈妈带着他过日子。最初他们的邻居是个杀猪的屠宰场，因此这个小孩子天天就学杀猪，学屠宰的这种事情。他妈妈一看，啊！这不可以让他自由发展，不可以教他学杀猪，做屠宰的这种事情，所以就赶快搬家。一搬嘛，又搬到一个坟场的旁边，这个孟子当时就学挖地造坟，祭祀这一类的事情。小孩在那儿摆上个碗，祭祀祖先；看人家到那儿烧香化纸，他也在那儿烧香化纸。他妈妈一看说，这个不得了，若由他自由发展，这小孩子长大了，会变成一个埋坟的人，这有什么用啊！唉，赶快搬家！赶快搬家！不能由他自由发展，因为「近朱者赤，近墨者黑」。

　　An example of this principle is Mencius, the “second sage” of China after Confucius. Mencius” father died when he was very young, and he was raised by his mother. At first they lived near a slaughterhouse. When Mencius” mother saw him imitating the butcher, she thought, “I shouldn”t let him follow his inclinations and learn to slaughter animals.”

　　Then they moved next to a cemetery, and the young boy learned how to dig graves and make offerings to the deceased. He watched people place offerings on the altar for ancestors, light incense, and burn paper money, and he soon learned to copy them. His mother thought, “This will never do! If I allow him to develop freely, he”ll end up doing these kinds of things when he grows up. How will that help him

　　 We”d better move, or else this environment will be a bad influence on him.”

　　于是又搬家了，搬到一个学校的旁边。那么这学校的学生上学向圣人鞠躬，放学也向圣人鞠躬，回到家里向父母也行礼，在学校也好好读书。孟子家里没有钱，虽然没有钱，但是他有学习的能力。他看人家怎么样，他就模仿模仿，怎么样去读书识字，进退有礼，礼仪如一，他就学这个。孟母一看，这回我要在这儿住下来了，这个孩子一学，学好一点，不要由他自由发展。

　　They moved again, this time next to a school. At the beginning and the end of the school day the students bowed to the sages. They studied hard at school, and bowed to their parents when they got home. Although Mencius” family was poor, he turned out to be a good student. Following the others, he learned to read and study, and he learned the rites and rules of propriety. Mencius” mother was pleased. “I”m going to stay here. My boy is learning and becoming a better person. I will raise him carefully.”

　　那么在这儿一住，以后孟子学啊学，时间一久，他又讨厌了，就不读书，又淘气，又调皮。孟母那时候织布，看儿子不读书了，就把织布机割断，布也不织了。孟子一看织布能卖钱，维持家庭生活，那么母亲不织布了，生活的来源断了，怎么办呢？就请问妈妈，为什么把这个机和线都弄断了，不织布？妈妈就对他说：「你现在不读书了，就等于织布机断了线一样，不能再织了。」孟子一想，原来我不读书，就等于织布机断了线一样，这是不行的。于是以后就用功读书，终于成了一个大圣人。

　　After Mencius studied for some time, he became bored and wanted to quit school. He was naughty and mischievous. His mother made a living by weaving cloth. When she saw her son quit studying, she cut the cloth on her loom and stopped weaving.

　　Mencius knew…

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