人生的目的

Talk of a divinity in man! Look at the teamster on the highway, wending to market by day or night; does any divinity stir within him? His highest duty to fodder and water his horses! What is his destiny to him compared with the shipping interests?

See how he cowers and sneaks, how vaguely all the day he fears, not being immortal nor divine, but the slave and prisoner of his own opinion of himself, a fame won by his own deeds. Public opinion is a weak tyrant compared with our own private opinion. What a man thinks of himself, that it is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate. Self-emancipation even in the West Indian provinces of the fancy and imagination, - what Wilberforce is there to bring that about? Think, also, of the ladies of the land weaving toilet cushions against the last day, not to betray too green an interest in their fates! As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.

據說現在台北年輕人認為人生的目的就是繳房貸和養小孩。雖然我不認為人生有什麼目的，但這樣的人生會比沒有目的的人生好嗎？長遠來說，人的目標是什麼，你就會達到什麼。這一代不成功，下一代總會成功；所以很多人正繳著上一代留下來的房貸。事實上他們人生的目的就只有繳房貸，如果他們的下一代不跟著繳，就發覺自己是白活了。我的父母親作了一輩子這種意見的奴隸和囚徒，還希望我繼續跟著他們這樣作，真是夠了！他們可以對著不同政治立場的言論義憤填膺，但在經濟之神面前卻鬼祟畏縮，惶惶不可終日，一點都不覺得自己有什麼不妥。若說經濟不是命運的同義詞那又怎麼會這樣？然而，如果經濟之神賣得了錢，他們也是可以把它拿去市場上賣的。

不是說相由心生嗎？梭羅說：What a man thinks of himself, that it is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate. 難道這就是我們的命運，還是我們可以掌握自己的命運，讓經濟只是經濟？給我貧窮，讓我可以享用真正的財富！