作者簡介：奧爾德斯·赫胥黎，是偉大的科學(xué)家托馬斯·赫胥黎的孫子，生于英格蘭的薩里郡，現(xiàn)住在洛杉磯，是一名多產(chǎn)作家。

　　Learning to Get Out of the Way

　　學(xué)會擺脫自負

　　In every one of the higher religions there is a strain of infinite optimism on the one hand,and on the other,of a profound pessimism.In the depths of our being,they all teach,there is an inner high--but an inner Light which our egotism keeps,for most of the time,in a state of more of less eclipse.

　　If,however,it so desires,the ego can get out of the way,so to speak,can dis--eclipse the Light and become identified wiht its divine source.Hence the unlimited optimmism of the traditional religions.There pessinism springs from the observed fact that,though all are called,few are chosen--for the sufficient reason that few choose to be chosen.

　　在每種高級宗教的信仰中既包含無窮的樂觀精神，又有一種深奧的悲觀論。它們都告誡我們，在我們生命深處有一道內(nèi)在的光芒——而這道光芒大多時候多多少少被我們自負的陰影所遮蓋。

　　然而，如果愿意，自負可以離開，或者說可以讓這道光芒重新閃耀，并與創(chuàng)造它的神相融合，于是產(chǎn)生了傳統(tǒng)宗教無盡的樂觀主義，而其悲觀論源于人們觀察到的事實，即盡管人人皆受到召喚，卻只有極少數(shù)人受到垂青——全因幾乎無人愿受到垂青。

　　To me,this older conception of man's nature and destiny seems more realistic,more nearly in accord with the given facts,than any form of modern utopianism.

　　In the Lord's Prayer we are taught to ask for the blessing which consists in not being led into temptation.The reason is only too obvious.Whe temptations are very great or unduly prolonged,most persons succumb on them.To devise a perfect social order is probably beyond our powers,but I believe that it is perfectly possible for us to reduce the number of dangerous temptations to a level far below that which is tolerated at the present time.