智慧人生篇章 第26期:希望—西方文明的基石

More recent and disturbing history will be reviewedthis week by a court in Oslo. While Anders BehringBreivik will present his own warped view of reality,victims and bereaved families will confront againthe terror of what actually happened. To resistsimple vengeance, pursue justice and to relive thepain is a brave thing to do and shows in the words ofthe commentator Libby Purves that "the defaultsetting of Western civilisation is not hatred or fearbut hope".Perhaps, part of that default setting ofhope stems from our Judaeo-Christian history. Thelast steel ingot from the Consett steelworks was made into a cross and is kept at a local RomanCatholic Church. It represents for me the pain of the past but also hope for the future.It istempting to despair for the future of the world, in a time of financial insecurity and mindlessterrorism. Yet history does remind me that human communities of justice and love stilltriumph.

这周奥斯陆法庭将会翻开最近一段纷扰的历史。尽管Anders Behring Breivik会继续歪曲事实，受害者和受害者家庭将为还原真实恐怖事件而战。不为复仇，只想讨回公道而自揭伤疤，这种行为是勇敢的，用评论员Libby Purves的话来说，“西方文明的本质不是仇恨或恐惧，而是希望。”可能，这种希望的本质部分来源于犹太-基督历史。Consett钢铁厂最后一块钢锭做成了一个十字架，现存于当地的一家罗马天主教堂里。对我来讲，这代表了过去的伤痛和对未来的希望。当遭遇财务危机或者无端恐怖事件时，人们很容易会对这世界的未来失望。但是，历史告诉我们，公道和爱终将胜利。