在城市安居

But men labor under a mistake. The better part of the man is soon plowed into the soil for compost. By a seeming fate, commonly called necessity, they are employed, as it says in an old book, laying up treasures which moth and rust will corrupt and thieves break through and steal. It is a fool's life, as they will find when they get to the end of it, if not before.

年紀愈大，也就愈孤獨，因為老人的名字就叫孤獨。由於台灣人的共業，許多老人不但孤獨，而且已經活在無間的地獄中受苦。他們被來自異域的夜叉看守著，偶爾坐在刑車上到牢籠外透氣，但多半是躺在暗無天日的房間裡，身形逐漸消瘦，令人不忍卒賭。這樣的地獄幾乎家家戶戶都有一個，可是人人都認為自己以後不會和他的長輩一樣，而是會快快活活的上天堂。稍有一點警覺性的就每天早起到公園運動，注重飲食養生，然後把自己的日後交給不可知的天意。不知即時強健自己的心志，讓自己可以死得其所；只知儲存那蛾子會吃的、會鏽爛的、詐騙集團和子孫覬覦的財物，而不知道匹夫不可奪志也！

Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them. Their fingers, from excessive toil, are too clumsy and tremble too much for that. Actually, the laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day; he cannot afford to sustain the manliest relations to men; his labor would be depreciated in the market. He has no time to be anything but a machine. How can he remember well his ignorance — which his growth requires — who has so often to use his knowledge? We should feed and clothe him gratuitously sometimes, and recruit him with our cordials, before we judge of him. The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly. 

factitious: 人為造作的

gratuitous: given or done free of charged

生活在台灣，這個相對來說比較自由的國家，大部份的人卻仍為不必要的瑣事纒身，無法親自去摘取生命中最美好的果實；尤其是上班族，根本沒有能力和空閒去維持人格的一致性、與人維持最基本的真誠關係；因為一旦他這麼做，他的勞力在市場上就會貶值。所以，在勞動市場上可以保持人格一致的人，往往是卑劣的。

現在“經濟“這兩個字就是“命運“的同義詞。一個人沒了頭路就好像犯了什麼不可饒恕的罪似的。貪婪自私卻和英雄好漢畫上等號；為了賺錢而卑躬屈膝也成為一種美德、一種時尚。什麼時候銅臭味變香了？如果天使或是神仙知道人類這麼糟蹋與生俱來的感官知覺會怎麼想？因為他們是沒有這些的。他們之所以會想下凡塵來不正是因為只有人類才有的感知嗎？可是天使和神仙要錢幹什麼呢？他們想要多少就有多少。可以用錢買的東西只會使我們對於痛苦更加麻木不仁而已。就好像”爛蘋果日報”一樣，因為它的新聞都腐朽了，也只能腐蝕人心。生活在糞池中的蛆是聞不出它的臭的。也許「做人太苦，成仙太難」，人類只好這麼逃避？但是神仙如果知道下凡來要變成這樣，那寧可讓祂安樂死吧！

"The false society of men — — for earthly greatness All heavenly comforts rarefies to air."

"愚癡的人們 — — 為了塵世的所謂美好 任由上天的賞賜化為烏有。"