人类的未来

　　The Future of Humankind

　　◎宣化上人一九八五年二月九日

　　开示于加拿大温哥华

　　Lecture by Venerable Master Hua at University of British Columbia

　　Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on February 9, 1985

　　在现今科技与物质文明都这么发达的时代里，我们该得好好想一想，并问问自己，这可是个适于人居的好时候？

　　In this era, when technology and materialism flourish, we want to take a careful look at the thinking of the times and ask ourselves whether or not this is a good age to live in.

　　科技使人生活得到改善，人当然认为它是好的，可我们也得明白俗语所谓「乐极生悲」的道理。

　　Science has made great advances in technology and that certainly counts as good. But we should also realize the truth in the saying,

　　"Anything taken to the ultimate point

　　transforms into its opposite."

　　即科学进步虽是好事，不过好事反而也会招来祸事，眼前电视就是一个现成的例子！

　　In the case of technological advances, good things also beckon misfortune.

　　我知道有人，会反对我对电视的评语，而说：「法师，你怎么愈活愈回去了呢？你真是个老骨董啊！你太赶不上时代了。」

　　Let”s look at television, for example, I know people will object to my analysis of the TV, saying "Dharma Master, you”re a throwback to another age. You”re an anachronism. You”re out of step with the times.

　　虽然如此，我还是认为电视对人的生活确实构成了威胁，你可知道，它简直就是一个食人魔！

　　"Nonetheless, in my opinion, the television is a menace to human life. The television is a man-eater. Did you know that

　　看看现在的孩子吧！他们不做功课，只会坐在电视机前面，眼睛巴着萤幕，任由电视把他们的精气神一点一点地吸光榨干。

　　Look at children these days. Instead of doing their schoolwork, they sit in front of the TV set. They”re glued to the screen, and it eats up their very life-force. The children might as well be dead, because they will never learn the basic principles of being good people. They only learn how to stare at the television.

　　那电视到底教了孩子什么呢？就是一切你所能想得出的各种奇怪而颠倒的行径。他们很少从电视上学到有价值的东西，反而是对那一些邪恶有害的东西，一教便会。这样一来，不出多久，他们就会学遍一切人所能干得出来的坏事了。

　　And what does the TV teach them

　　 Every kind of strange and freakish behavior you can imagine. They learn precious little of value. The kids very quickly learn to enact the evil and harmful lessons they watch. In no time at all, they learn all the bad things that people can do.

　　在电视尚未发明以前，这个食人魔是收音机，它也会吸干人的精气神。在收音机流行的时代，人的耳朵老是粘着收音机，把什么都给忘了，忘了吃，忘睡，忘了日常生活的一切事情。现在电视也把我们迷到不知何去何从的地步了！

　　Before television came into the world, the people-eater was radio. Radios sucked up humans” life-force. People used to stick a radio in their ear and completely forgot everything else. Radios made us forget about eating, sleeping, and the ordinary events of life. Now the television has confused us to the point of not knowing whether we”re coming or going.

　　接续电视而来的是电脑。

　　中文说它是「电脑」，那么以后应该还会有电眼、电耳、电舌头、电鼻子、电身体，无论这六种器官中的哪一个，都可以随我们的意思给模造出来(就像录音机)，再通上电就成了。

　　Computers have followed along right after the television.

　　In Chinese, the word for computer translates literally into "electric brain". In the future there will be electric eyes, as well as electric ears, electric tongues, electric noses and electric bodies. Every one of the six organs will have disposable modules, likes cassettes, and will gain an electric boost.

　　从此，眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意都将电脑化，甚至连「意」也会和「万事通电脑记忆银行」搭上线。

　　Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind will be computerized. Even the mind will tie in organically with "know-it-all computer memory banks."

　　这是个当人的好时期吗？

　　绝对不是，这正是人类史上的黑暗时期。

　　Is this a good time to be a person

　　Impossible! This is a dark age in human history.

　　生在这个愚痴的时代，人的智慧都给物质偷走了，没有一个人真正称得上有智慧，因为我们的自性光明全被物质蒙蔽了。

　　In this benighted era, our wisdom has been stolen away by material things. Nobody has any natural wisdom to speak of. Our inherent brightness has been replaced by products and goods.

　　一旦我们以物质代替智慧，人将变得呆滞迟钝，像白痴一样。那个时代，智慧不见了，人都不做有益的事。

　　And once we substitute things for wisdom, then people will grow up blank, like idiots. Wisdom will become outmoded. People will no longer serve any useful function.

　　你们要切记我说的：将来的人会退化成废物！你们说这个问题严不严重？

　　Mark my words: in the future, people will become obsolete. Would you say this is a serious proble…

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