工作，死亡，和疾病 Work, Death, and Sickness

托爾斯泰Leo Tolstoy著

Bill Lin 譯

1903

這是目前流傳在南美洲印地安人之間的傳說。

他們說，神原先造人並不需要他們去工作：他們不需要房子，不需要衣服，他們都至少活到了100歲，而且都不知道什麼是疾病。

過了一段時間，當神來關照人們如何生活的時候，祂看到人們不但沒有高高興興的生活，他們彼此爭吵，每個人只顧他自己，已經把各樣的事情帶到了這樣的關口──不但不能享受生活，他們還咒詛它。

然後神對自己說：「這樣下去就得變成他們分開生活，各為各的。」所以為了改變這種事情的狀況，神如此安排事情，使人們變得不工作就無法活下去。為了避免遭受風寒和飢餓，他們現在被迫要建造居所，而且要耕地，栽培和採集水果和五榖。

「工作會把他們聚在一起，」神這麼想。

「假如他們各自單獨分開，他們無法製造他們的工具，準備和運送他們的木料，建造他們的屋子，播種和採集他們的收成，紡紗和編織，做成他們的衣服。」

「這將會使他們了解：更衷心的一起工作，他們將會得到更多，活得更好；這會使他們團結一致。」

時間過了，神又來看人們如何生活，他們是否過得快樂。

但是祂看到他們活得比以前更糟糕。他們一起工作(他們不得不這樣做)，但是並不全都在一起，而是分成了小圈圈。而每個圈圈總想要搶奪其他圈圈的工作，他們互相扯後腿，浪費時間和力氣在他們的鬥爭上，所以每樣事情對他們來講都不對勁了。

神看到了這個情形，也感到不好，神決定要如此的安排事情，讓人不能知道他該死的時辰，但可能隨時會死；祂向他們宣告了這個安排。

「知道他們每一個人可能隨時會死，」神這麼想：「人們意識到獲得的利益，可能只持續一個如此短暫的時間，他們將不會浪費分配給他們生命的有限光陰。」

但是結果恰恰相反。當神回來看人們如何生活的時候，祂看到他們的生活毫無起色。

那些最強壯的人，他們自己利用了人隨時會死的事實，欺壓那些弱者，殺了某些人，用死亡恐嚇其餘的人。結果是這些最強壯的和他們的後代不工作，染上了怠惰的惡習，同時那些柔弱的必須超時賣力工作，卻不得休息。每一階級的人害怕和憎惡另一階級的人。人類的生活變得更不快樂。

看到這一切，神要修正這些事情，決定使用最後的手段；祂使各樣的疾病來到人間。神想，當人類遭受疾病時，他們應該了解，那些健康的人應該憐憫那些生病的人，應該幫助他們，因而當他們自己生病時，那些健康的才會轉而幫助他們。

然後神又離開了，但是當祂回來，看人們現在在遭受疾病下，他們是如何生活，祂看到他們的生活比以前更壞。這些疾病，神的目的應該是會使人團結，反而使他們更加區隔。那些強壯到可以要別人工作的人，在生病時也強迫弱者來服侍他們；但是輪到他們時，他們卻不去照顧病患。而那些被逼迫去替其他人工作和照顧他們的病人的，他們是如此的疲憊以至於沒有時間照顧他們自己的病人，只有讓他們自生自滅。為了使這樣民間疾苦的光景，不致攪擾有錢人的享樂，他們為這些遭受苦難面對死亡的貧窮的人們準備住處(集中營)，遠離那些或許同情會使他們快樂的人，把他們交給那些沒有同情心，或是甚至有嫌惡感的管理員看管。

此外，人們考慮到很多的疾病會傳染，因為害怕得病，不只規避病人，甚至和那些照顧病患的人隔離。

然後神對自己說：「假如，甚至連這個方法，都不能使人們了解他們的快樂在哪裡，讓他們被痛苦教訓吧。」所以神任憑人類自己去搞了。

所以，任憑他們去了，在他們明白大家應該，或許能活得快樂的道理的一段很長時間以前，人類還是活著。只有在最近，有很少數的人開始了解，工作不應該對某些人來講是恐懼的怪物，對其他的人像在兵艦上划船的奴隸，卻應該是一個普遍而且快樂的職業，結合了全人類。他們已經開始了解，在死亡持續的威脅之下，每個人的唯一合理的事就是把分配給他的生命的時間，分秒都花費在全體和愛的上面。他們已經開始了解疾病，不是用來隔離人，相反的，應該是讓大家相互之間有一個愛的結合的機會。

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This is a legend current among the South American Indians.

God, say they, at first made men so that they had no need to work: they needed neither houses, nor clothes, nor food, and they all lived till they were a hundred, and did not know what illness was.

When, after some time, God looked to see how people were living, He saw that instead of being happy in their life, they had quarreled with one another, and, each caring for himself, had brought matters to such a pass that far from enjoying life, they cursed it.

Then God said to Himself: 'This comes of their living separately, each for himself.' And to change this state of things, God so arranged matters that it became impossible for people to live without working. To avoid suffering from cold and hunger, they were now obliged to build dwellings, and to dig the ground, and to grow and gather fruits and grain.

'Work will bring them together,' thought God.

'They cannot make their tools, prepare and transport their timber, build their houses, sow and gather their harvests, spin and weave, and make their clothes, each one alone by himself.'

'It will make them understand that the more heartily they work together, the more they will have and the better they will live; and this will unite them.'

Time passed on, and again God came to see how men were living, and whether they were now happy.

But He found them living worse than before. They worked together (that they could not help doing), but not all together, being broken up into little groups. And each group tried to snatch work from other groups, and they hindered one another, wasting time and strength in their struggles, so that things went ill with them all.

Having seen that this, too, was not well, God decided so as to arrange things that man should not know the time of his death, but might die at any moment; and He announced this to them.

'Knowing that each of them may die at any moment,' thought God, 'they will not, by grasping at gains that may last so short a time, spoil the hours of life allotted to them.'

But it turned out otherwise. When God returned to see how people were living, He saw that their life was as bad as ever.

Those who were strongest, availing themselves of the fact that men might die at any time, subdued those who were weaker, killing some and threatening others with death. And it came about that the strongest and their descendants did no work, and suffered from the weariness of idleness, while those who were weaker had to work beyond their strength, and suffered from lack of rest. Each set of men feared and hated the other. And the life of man became yet more unhappy.

Having seen all this, God, to mend matters, decided to make use of one last means; He sent all kinds of sickness among men. God thought that when all men were exposed to sickness they would understand that those who are well should have pity on those who are sick, and should help them, that when they themselves fall ill those who are well might in turn help them.

And again God went away, but when He came back to see how men lived now that they were subject to sicknesses, He saw that their life was worse even than before. The very sickness that in God's purpose should have united men, had divided them more than ever. Those men who were strong enough to make others work, forced them also to wait on them in times of sickness; but they did not, in their turn, look after others who were ill. And those who were forced to work for others and to look after them when sick, were so worn with work that they had no time to look after their own sick, but left them without attendance. That the sight of sick folk might not disturb the pleasures of the wealthy, houses were arranged in which these poor people suffered and died, far from those whose sympathy might have cheered them, and in the arms of hired people who nursed them without compassion, or even with disgust.

Moreover, people considered many of the illnesses infectious, and, fearing to catch them, not only avoided the sick, but even separated themselves from those who attended the sick.

Then God said to Himself: 'If even this means will not bring men to understand wherein their happiness lies, let them be taught by suffering.' And God left men to themselves.

And, left to themselves, men lived long before they understood that they all ought to, and might be, happy. Only in the very latest times have a few of them begun to understand that work ought not to be a bugbear to some and like galley-slavery for others, but should be a common and happy occupation, uniting all men. They have begun to understand that with death constantly threatening each of us, the only reasonable business of every man is to spend the years, months, hours, and minutes, allotted him -- in unity and love. They have begun to understand that sickness, far from dividing men, should, on the contrary, give opportunity for loving union with one another.