生活不全是年轻人的，生活更不应该让给那些糟糕的人

摘要：今年的高考作文题目出来后，穆旦成为热词。很多朋友向我表示祝贺，我也似乎与有荣焉。是的，穆旦是我的“兄长”。我甚至奇怪，今年以来我已经多次提及穆旦。我年轻时的作品集，前三本书中都收录了我写穆旦的文字。今年出版的《中国人的家风》中也写了穆旦家族。而十一年的一条微博

今年的高考作文题目出来后，穆旦成为热词。很多朋友向我表示祝贺，我也似乎与有荣焉。是的，穆旦是我的“兄长”。我甚至奇怪，今年以来我已经多次提及穆旦。我年轻时的作品集，前三本书中都收录了我写穆旦的文字。今年出版的《中国人的家风》中也写了穆旦家族。而十一年的一条微博是这样说的，“这几年的微博写作，提及孔子的微博有四五十条，最多；穆旦几乎第二第三，跟老子、鲁迅、胡适、蒋、毛等人一样，是生活世界的背景和资粮。”

今岁高考作文题揭晓，穆旦成热议之词。诸多友朋向余致贺，余亦若有荣焉。诚然，穆旦乃余之“兄长”也。余甚至讶然，今春以来，已数度言及穆旦。余少岁之文集，前三部皆录余所撰论穆旦之文。今岁刊行之《中国人的家风》，亦述穆旦家族事。而十一年前有微博云：“近岁微博撰文，言孔子者四五十条，为最；穆旦几居第二、第三，与老子、鲁迅、胡适、蒋、毛诸公同，乃生活世界之背景与资粮也。”

After this year's college entrance examination composition topics were released, Mu Dan became a hot keyword. Many friends congratulated me, and I also felt a sense of shared honor. Indeed, Mu Dan is my "brother". I even find it strange that I have mentioned Mu Dan many times since this year. In my early literary works, the first three books all include my writings about Mu Dan. This year's published Chinese Family Style also discusses the Mu Dan family. And a Weibo post eleven years ago said, "In recent years' Weibo writing, there are forty to fifty posts mentioning Confucius, the most; Mu Dan is almost second or third, alongside Laozi, Lu Xun, Hu Shi, Chiang, Mao and others, serving as the background and nourishment of the living world."

一个诗人朋友跟我说，我们这一代人多已离场，但我们还在这里陪跑，有时候真想放弃过自己的生活。我笑说，这也是生活。诗人朋友说，是的，生活不全是年轻人的，生活更不应该让给那些糟糕的人。

有诗人友谓余曰：“吾辈之人多已退场，然吾等犹在此陪跑，有时实欲弃己之生。” 吾笑曰：“此亦生也。” 诗人友曰：“然，生非尽属少年，更不应让与奸佞之徒。”

A poet friend told me, “Most of our generation have already left the stage, but we are still here running alongside them, sometimes truly wishing to give up and live our own lives.” I laughed and said, “This, too, is a part of life.” The poet friend replied, “Yes, life is not exclusively for the young, and life certainly shouldn’t be given up to those who are terrible.”

顾则徐先生是百科全书式的朋友，他曾有一个理想，写一部新的中国通史。其第一部分是人民生活方式，第二部分是技术、科学之演变，第三部分是文学、艺术，第四部分是体育、军事技术和能力，最后才是政治及其人物。贯穿其中是信仰、宗教、哲学。一个民族，当进入历史馆，打开其通史著作，如果第一眼见到的是政治人物，那么，这个民族一定是堕落的并没有前景的。

顾则徐先生，乃百科全书式之友也。尝怀一志，欲著一新中华通史。其书首编，述民之生计；次编，载技与科之流变；三编，列文与艺；四编，陈体育、军技与能；末编，方及政事与人物。而信仰、宗教、哲思，则贯乎始终。一民族，若入史馆，展其通史之卷，而首见者乃政客，则此族必已沉沦，前途黯淡矣。

Mr. Gu Zexi was an encyclopedic friend. He once had an ideal—to write a new comprehensive history of China. The first part would cover the people’s way of life; the second, the evolution of technology and science; the third, literature and art; the fourth, sports, military technology, and capabilities; and finally, politics and its figures. Running through all of this would be faith, religion, and philosophy. For a nation, when entering the hall of history and opening its comprehensive historical work, if the first thing one sees are political figures, then that nation must surely be decadent and without prospects.

一个校友联系上我，表示认可我的工作，我客气地说自己是没办法。结果我收到了这么一段话：“据我所接触的年轻人，00后，读您的书，并不会觉得空洞。您的情感深沉，行文克制典雅，您的语言结构，已经是奢侈的接引。会叫我想到钱钟书的话：虽凝珠圆，犹含泪热，已成珍饰，尚带酸辛。”我心里说，历史要是也有情就好了。

一校友来函，称许吾之工作。吾谦言，实乃不得已而为之。未几，复得书，言曰：“据吾所接之少年，00后辈，读君之著，不以为空泛。君之情愫深挚，行文含蓄典雅，语言结构，已属难得之引渡。令吾思及钱钟书先生之言：虽凝珠圆，犹含泪热，已成珍饰，尚带酸辛。” 吾心窃叹曰：史若亦具情，善莫大焉。

An alumnus contacted me, expressing his approval of my work. I modestly replied that I was doing it out of necessity. As a result, I received this message: “From the young people I’ve encountered, the post-00s generation, reading your books doesn’t make them feel empty or hollow. Your emotions are profound, your writing restrained and elegant, and your linguistic structure is already a luxurious kind of guidance. It reminds me of Qian Zhongshu’s words: ‘Though condensed into perfect pearls, they still hold warm tears; though already becoming precious ornaments, they still carry bitterness and sorrow.’” In my heart, I thought, “If history could only have feelings, that would be wonderful.”

端午的粽子让一些人觉得清香，让一些人觉得不适。我则想到这三四十年的变迁。穿越到三十多年前，我们根本不会想到粽子能成为飞机上的美食，能成为朋友间的伴手礼。不止粽子，我们有人甚至以为筷子都要成为历史；学习刀叉的西餐礼仪是一门知识也是很时髦的事。服装也是如此，以至于农民下地干活都穿着西服。……一个朋友说，要感恩我们传统生活那些美好的事物，也诅咒那些仍窒息我们的糟糕的事物。

端午之粽，或觉其香清，或感其味不适。余则念此三四十年之变。溯至三十余年前，吾辈未尝料粽能为机上之美食，能为友朋之赠礼。非独粽也，昔有人以为箸将成陈迹；学刀叉之西餐礼，既为一艺，亦属时兴。服色亦然，乃至农夫耕于野，亦着西服。……有友曰：“当感传统生活中美好之物，亦咒彼仍窒吾辈之恶物。”

The Dragon Boat Festival zongzi makes some people feel its delicate fragrance, while others find it uncomfortable. I think of the changes over these thirty to forty years. Going back more than thirty years, we never imagined that zongzi could become a delicacy on airplanes or a gift between friends. It's not just zongzi—some of us even thought chopsticks would become history; learning Western table manners with knives and forks was both knowledge and a fashion. The same went for clothing, to the point that farmers working in the fields wore suits. … A friend said, "We should be grateful for the beautiful things in our traditional life, and curse the bad things that still suffocate us."

几个家长议论，现在的孩子知道的东西太多了，拥有的东西也太多了，但他们的诱惑和困惑也更多了，怪不得他们会有这样那样的身体和心理问题。一个人回应说，别说孩子，我们大人不同样如此。最后的结论是，要做减法，老子说过，少则得，多则惑；要返璞归真，回到最简单最根本的状态里，因为大道至简，简能驭繁。

数家长聚议，谓今之童子，所知者众，所拥者亦众，然其惑与诱亦愈多，怪不得其身心时有疾患。一人应曰：勿论童子，吾辈成人，岂独不然？终论曰：当为减法。老子有言：少则得，多则惑；当返璞归真，复归至简至本之态，盖大道至简，简能御繁也。

Several parents were discussing how children nowadays know too much and possess too much, but they also face more temptations and confusions, which explains why they have all sorts of physical and psychological problems. One person responded, “Don’t just talk about children; aren’t we adults the same?” The final conclusion was that we need to practice subtraction. Laozi said, “Less is gain, more is confusion.” We need to return to simplicity, to the most basic state, because the Great Way is profoundly simple, and simplicity can master complexity.

一年轻人问一长者，我们为什么都不懂商业？好像大家都没有生意头脑？长者说，其实我们都曾经是有生意头脑的，我们的文化一直说生生之为大德。我们以易立命，变易交易是随时生成的消息；以农立国，可以说生意生机无限。后来打工，就狭隘了。既丢了耕种，又不懂得交易之道。跟打工者求人不同，商业精神最重要的是反求诸己，自己拥有什么，自己有哪些东西可以给予悦人；商业精神因此是认识自己改变自己的精神。

一少者问于耆老曰：吾辈何故皆不谙商贾之道？似皆无生意之才耶？耆老曰：实则吾辈皆曾具生意之才也。吾国之文化，恒言生生乃大德。吾人以《易》安身立命，变易交易，乃随时而生之信息；以农建国，可谓生意生机无限。及后为人佣工，遂趋狭隘。既失耕种之本，又不谙交易之术。异于佣工者之仰人鼻息，商业精神，其要者在于反求诸己：己有何物？己有何能以悦人而予人？商业精神，故乃认识己身、改变己身之精神也。

A young person asked an elder, “Why is it that none of us seem to understand business? It’s as if none of us have a head for commerce?” The elder replied, “Actually, we all once possessed a head for commerce. Our culture has always emphasized that the principle of continuous creation is the greatest virtue. We established our lives based on the I Ching, where change and exchange generate information at every moment; we built our nation through agriculture, which could be said to hold infinite potential for business and vitality. Later, when we became wage earners, our perspective narrowed. We lost the fundamentals of farming and failed to understand the ways of exchange and trade. Unlike wage earners who depend on others, the most important aspect of the commercial spirit is introspection: what do I possess? What can I offer to please and benefit others? Therefore, the commercial spirit is the spirit of self-awareness and self-improvement.”

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