猴子的故事
The Story of the Monkey
梁漱溟
長慧、國華 譯
人類頂大的長處是智慧。但什麼是智慧呢?智慧有一個要點，就是要冷靜。譬如：正在計算數目，思索道理的時候，如果心裡氣惱，或喜樂，或悲傷，必致錯誤或簡直不能進行，這是大家都明白的事。但是一般人對於解決社會問題，偏不明此理。他們總是為感情所蔽，而不能靜心體察事理，從事理中尋出解決的辦法。
Man's greatest strength is wisdom, but what is wisdom? The key to wisdom is the ability to remain composed. For example, when you are calculating numbers or pondering over problem, if you are emotionally disturbed by anger, joy or grief, you are bound to make mistakes, or you may not even be able to proceed. This is something everyone understand this. They are always taken over by their emotions and thus are unable to calm down to observe how things work and find solutions to their problems.
我想說一個猴子的故事給大家聽。在《湯姆孫科學大綱》上敘說一個科學家研究動物心理，養著幾隻猩猩、猴子做實驗。以一個高的玻璃瓶，拔去木塞，放兩粒花生米進去，花生米自然落到瓶底，從玻璃外面可以看見，遞給猴子。猴子接過，亂搖許久，偶然搖出花生米來，才得取食。
I would like to share with you a story of the monkey. In Thompson's The Outline of Science there is a story about a scientist who kept several chimpanzees and monkeys in order to study animal psychology. He took a glass bottle, removed its cork and put two peanuts inside the bottle. Needless to say, the peanuts dropped to the bottom of the bottle and were easily seen from the outside. He then passed the bottle to a monkey, who shook it frantically for a long while and was only able to get the peanuts when they accidentally fell out.
此科學家又放進花生米如前，而指教它只須將瓶子一倒轉，花生米立刻出來。但是猴子總不理會他的指教，每次總是亂搖，很費力氣而不能必得。
The scientist then put some into the bottle again as he had done before and showed the monkey that it only needed to turn the bottle upside down for the peanuts to drop out. But the monkey always ignored his instructions. Each time it just shook the bottle frantically, with great effort but without necessarily achieving the desired result.
此時要研究猴子何以不能領受人的指教呢？沒有旁的，只為它兩眼看見花生米，一心急切求食，就再無餘暇來理解與學習了。要學習，必須兩眼不去看花生米，而移其視線來看人的手勢與瓶子的倒轉才行。要移轉視線，必須平下心去，不為食慾衝動所蔽才行。然而它竟不會也。猴子智慧的貧乏，就在此等處。
Now the question is why the monkey was unable to understand the instruction of the scientist. Simply because all its attention was focused on the peanuts. As it was single-mindedly concentrating on reaching the food, it had no time for understanding and learning. To learn, it must take its eyes off the peanuts and shift its attention to the hand movement of the man and the way the bottle was turned upside down. To shift its attention, it had to claim down and not be taken over by the impulse of its appetite. Yet the monkey was not able to understand this. It is instances like this that reveal the monkey's lack of wisdom.
人們不感覺問題，是麻痹；然為問題所刺激，輒耐不住，亦不行。要將問題放在意識深處，而游心於遠，從容以察事理。天下事必先了解它，才能控制它。情急之人何以異於猴子耶？
Some people don't sense problems because they are insensitive; yet it is also wrong to be excited by a problem and lose self-control. One cannot control things unless one has understood them first. What difference is there between an impatient human being and monkey?
還要注意：人的心思，每易從其要求之所指而思索辦法；觀察事理，亦順著這一條線而觀察。於是事理也，辦法也，隨著主觀都有了。其實只是自欺，只是一種自圓其說。智慧的優長或貧乏，待看他真冷靜與否。
There is one more thing to note: people tend to seek solutions on the basis of what they need and make observations in the same manner, believing that understanding and solutions will follow their subjective thinking. In fact this is merely self-deception or self-indulgence. The possession or lack of wisdom depends on whether the person involved is really able to calm down and remain detached.