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前言：父親節(jié)，美國(guó)國(guó)父?jìng)兗娂娕莱鰤災(zāi)?，看到如今的亂世景象，他們會(huì)怎么說？ On Father’s Day of 2020, our founding fathers crawled out of their tombs, bewildered by the chaos of the country. What would they say?  喬治·華盛頓在波特蘭市的雕像在夜間被推倒了。我的猜測(cè)是，善良的老喬治不會(huì)覺得此事可樂。華盛頓將軍是一個(gè)相信舉止端莊的人。在16歲之前，喬治·華盛頓已抄下含有110條文明行為規(guī)則的清單。這些規(guī)則表明，尊重同胞以確保和諧社會(huì)，他贊賞這一手段的重要性。那些加入污損或推倒雕像的不計(jì)后果的人們最好考慮一下喬治·華盛頓的兩個(gè)明智的建議： “如果你珍視自己的名聲，就應(yīng)與賢良交往；因?yàn)樽蕴幭铝鬟€不如離群索居?！?/span> “在爭(zhēng)端中，不要總想占上風(fēng)，要給每個(gè)人發(fā)表意見的自由?！?/span> We found out today that George Washingon’s statue in Portland was pulled down overnight. My guess is that good old George would not have been amused. General Washington was a man who believed in dignified behavior. Before age 16, George Washington had copied down a list of 110 rules for civilized behavior. These rules indicate his appreciation of the importance of treating fellow citizens with respect as a means to ensure a harmonious society. The people who have joined the thoughtless mobs that have defaced or pulled down statues would do well to consider the wisdom of just two of these recommendations: “Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad Company.” “In Disputes, be not So Desirous to Overcome as not to give Liberty to each one to deliver his Opinion.” 如果有機(jī)會(huì)“致敬”那些銷毀古跡的人，華盛頓將軍可能會(huì)努力傳達(dá)與他1783年在紐約州紐堡的會(huì)議上向軍官們傳達(dá)的相似信息。由于沒有領(lǐng)到薪水，之前承諾的退休金也沒有發(fā)放，軍官們對(duì)國(guó)會(huì)憤憤不平，并在考慮叛亂。華盛頓向他們保證，他了解他們的抱怨。華盛頓從他的口袋里拿出一封信，在閱讀之前停了一下，他接著說：“先生們，請(qǐng)?jiān)试S我戴上眼鏡，因?yàn)樵跒閲?guó)家的效力中，我不僅頭發(fā)變白了，而且?guī)缀跏髁??！?/span> Given the opportunity to address those who would destroy the monuments to the founders, General Washington might strive to deliver a message similar to the one he imparted to a group of his officers in a meeting in Newburgh, New York in 1783. The officers, angry with Continental Congress for its failure to pay them for their service, were considering a revolt. Washington assured them that he understood their complaints. Pulling a letter from his pocket, Washington paused before reading it, saying, “Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country.” 華盛頓將軍知道如何給人留下深刻印象。今天的美國(guó)公民應(yīng)該理解他和他同時(shí)代的其他愛國(guó)者在共和政體的偉大實(shí)踐中所遭受的痛苦。如今，我們所有人也可以借鑒華盛頓的勇氣和智慧。 Washington knew how to make an impression. American citizens of today should understand how much he and the other patriots of his day suffered to bring forth this great experiment in republican government. We all could use the courage and wisdom of a Washington these days. 亞歷山大·漢密爾頓（Alexander Hamilton）了解了暴民行動(dòng)的力量和危險(xiǎn)： “人民動(dòng)蕩不安，變化萬(wàn)端；他們很少判斷正確或做出正確的決定?！?對(duì)目前的境況，亞歷山大·漢密爾頓可能不會(huì)感到驚訝，因?yàn)槿藗儾粩啾簧缃幻襟w激發(fā)，從而對(duì)國(guó)父?jìng)兂錆M憤怒，因?yàn)樗麄冎徊贿^是壓制有色人種的“死去的白人”。 Alexander Hamilton had an understanding of the power and danger of mob action: “The people are turbulent and changing; they seldom judge right or make good decision.” He likely would have not been surprised that people would be roused to anger toward the founding fathers through continuous social media criticism of them as just “dead white guys” who repressed people of color. 縱觀漢密爾頓的一生，他本人正是他的政治敵人散布眾多謠言的靶子。他承認(rèn)“沒有一個(gè)人物，無(wú)論品行多么端莊正直，能夠抵擋的了反復(fù)不斷的、哪怕是虛假的攻擊?！?漢密爾頓時(shí)代的報(bào)紙比今天的報(bào)紙，黨派相爭(zhēng)更為露骨。所以，在漢密爾頓看來，像《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》這樣的知名媒體推動(dòng)對(duì)美國(guó)歷史的不準(zhǔn)確的歷史性改寫以符合其世界觀，這是很自然的。如果人們經(jīng)常聽到，國(guó)父?jìng)兪菫榱吮Ａ襞`制而在美洲煽動(dòng)并發(fā)起針對(duì)英國(guó)革命的，那么他們可能真的會(huì)開始相信它。 Hamilton was the subject of many rumors spread by his political enemies, and he acknowledged that “no character, however upright, is a match for constantly reiterated attacks, however false.” Newspapers of his day were even more openly partisan than today’s. It would seem natural to Hamilton that a supposedly reputable media outlet such as the New York Times would push historically inaccurate rewritings of American history to match its world view. If people hear often enough that the founders instigated revolution against Great Britain in order to maintain slavery in the Americas, then they start to believe it. 托馬斯·杰斐遜（Thomas Jefferson）曾有過幾段名言：“時(shí)不時(shí)地叛亂是一件好事，在政治世界中的風(fēng)暴，就像現(xiàn)實(shí)世界中風(fēng)暴一樣，都是必不可少的……這是維持政府健全健康的必要藥物”，還有“自由之花需要經(jīng)常用愛國(guó)者和暴君的鮮血來澆灌”。 Thomas Jefferson famously wrote that “a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical...It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government" and “the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” 在法國(guó)大革命演變成極端暴力之前，托馬斯·杰斐遜是早期法國(guó)大革命的堅(jiān)定支持者。杰斐遜可能比其他的國(guó)父?jìng)兏敢庀嘈疟┟竦男袆?dòng)可能會(huì)帶來一些好處。當(dāng)看到當(dāng)代美國(guó)人為如何建立一個(gè)“人人生而平等”的公正的社會(huì)而苦苦掙扎，當(dāng)看到自己的雕像被推倒時(shí)，他可能會(huì)露出困惑的微笑。但是，一旦了解了法國(guó)大革命的暴力路線，他就不會(huì)那么樂觀了。 Thomas Jefferson was a strong supporter of the French Revolution in its early stages, before it devolved into extreme violence. Jefferson might have been more willing than some of the other founding fathers to believe that something good could come from mob actions. He might allow a bemused smile at seeing his own statue toppled as the current generation of Americans struggles with questions of how to build a just society and how to pursue a state where “all men are created equal”. But knowing the violent route of the French Revolution might make him less optimistic.  冷酷世界中的溫柔 |
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