我刚翻译的一点东西

昨天偶然读到这个，觉得不错，就花了点时间翻译了一下，与大家分享。其中有好多困惑不清之处，还请各位指正：
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人生

1． 有些东西是重要的，更多的却只是需要的。

2． 需要的东西只有在缺乏的状态才显得重要。比如氧气，食物，饮料，住所和肉体上的需要。

3． 重要的东西是永远重要的，无论你是否拥有甚至是否意识到它的存在。

4． 将需要的东西误认为是重要的东西的人是不会幸福的，即使他已经拥有想要的东西，或者甚至已经不再意识到这些东西的存在时，也不会快乐。

5． 重要的东西是指无须借助外力来实现而能自我满足的。而需要的东西，因为不是因为自身的原因而具备重要性，所以永远不能自我满足，只是因为显得重要而得以流行。因此，物质上的富裕，权力，名声和威望永远无法自我满足。

6． 世间唯一真正重要的是真理，也就是现实世界的总体结构。事物的意义存在于与这个总体结构之间的关系之中。物质的东西之所以不重要，是因为它只是从属于这个总体结构的关系。

7． 从这个观点来看，重要的东西可能存在于现实世界中的各个层次。例如：肉体的健康，锻炼和身体的协调性对于肉体层面而言是重要的，但是比起更高的层次来说，这些东西的重要性就降低了。

8． 更高的层次指的是情感和认知的觉醒。

9． 重要的东西是与人的认知水平相关的，因为认知水平能帮助人类更加接近真理。

10． 每个人都是不完美的，所以，人只能从某几个方面去提高自身的认知水平，这些方面包括愿望和决心。

11． 因为人都有不足之处，除非能真正认清自己与现实的关系，人很难把握需求的度量以及很难把自己的精力用在有价值的事情上。如果一个人只是谋求需要的东西，他是无法有成就感的。因为这样一来，他把自己误认为是世界的中心，其实却不是。因此，自私无法成就自我。

12．因此，人生最重要的目标应该是帮助他人提高认知水平。这就是康德所说的：决不能将他人当成使用的工具，而应该把每个人当成独一无二的圆满的个体。从人类的基本体验而言：一个人如果谋求自身所需的东西，将无法直接获得。人只能通过为他人谋求这些东西而间接拥有。所以，一个谋求财富的人永远不会觉得富有；一个谋求权力的人永远不会感到安全；一个寻欢作乐的人不会觉得快乐。然而，一个为他人寻求重要的东西的人，会感到自己是富有，安全和快乐的。

13．他人的需要存在于各种层面，比如肉体的，情感的和知识的需求。的确，每一种关系中都存在着这三种需求。帮助他人去体验这些需求并且从中成长的愿望就是爱。这种爱是宇宙的真正动力，也是宇宙的自然性。这是上帝之爱的表现。上帝是最根本的“道”，而人类的最终目标是无限接近“道”。但是人是无法独自达“道”的，只能逐步认知之，而且需要通过与他人同道，也就是经由“爱”而达“道”。因此爱他人，最终达“道”，是人类一步步接近真理的途径。

原文：

LIFE

Written by Professor Quigley in the hopes of assisting a troubled colleague.

1. Some things are important, but most things are only necessary.

2. Necessary things are only important when you do not have them and are generally ignored when they are amply supplied. These include oxygen, food, drink. shelter, and all physical needs.

3. Important things are important all the time whether you have them or not, whether you realize it or not.

4. People who regard necessary things as important are unhappy and frustrated even when they get them and even if they are quite unaware that the important things exist.

5. Important things are those which can be made ends in themselves, worth seeking and worth having. Necessary things, since they are not important for their own sakes, should never made ends in themselves, but must be permitted only to be means to important ends. Thus, material wealth, power, popularity, and prestige should never be ends but only means to ends, because however necessary they may be they are never important.

6. THE ONLY THING WHICH IS IMPORTANT IS TRUTH -- that is the total structure of reality. The meaning of anything arises from its relationship to that total structure. The reason that material things are not important is because of the subordinate position they hold in that total structure.

7. From this point of view, important things may exist on any level of reality. For example, physical health, exercise. and    are important on the physical level, but are not as important as things on higher levels, even though they can be made ends in themselves.

8. On the higher levels are such things as feelings. and intellectual awareness.

9. The important things are those concerned with the realization of the potentialities of an individual because such realization brings the individual in closer contact with the total structure of reality -- that is, with TRUTH.

10. Each individual is so inadequate that there are only a few things he can do to help realize his potentialities. Among these few are will - the desire to do this and the determination to do it.

11. Because of the inadequacy of the individual -- that is, his basic need for other persons and his inability to direct his efforts unless he has recognition of his relationships with the rest of reality, the individual can achieve nothing by seeking to obtain things for himself, because this makes him the center of the universe, which he is not. Thus, selfishness achieves nothing.

12. Thus the chief immediate aim in life of each individual must be to help others realize their potentialities. This is what Kant meant when he said that others must never be treated as means to be used, but always as ends in themselves. It is basic in human experience that those things a person seeks for himself directly are never obtained. They are only obtained indirectly as a by-product of an effort to obtain them for others. Thus the man who seeks only wealth for himself never feels rich, as the man who seeks power never feels secure, and the man who seeks pleasure never feels satisfied. But the man who seeks important things for others often feels rich, secure, and satisfied.

13. The need for others is present on all levels, the physical. emotional, and intellectual. Indeed, every relationship has in it all three aspects. The desire to help others experience these things and to grow as a result of such experiences is called love. Such love is the real motivating force of the universe and is, in its ultimate nature. a manifestation of the love of God. Because while God is pure Reason and man' s ultimate goal is Reason, it can not be reached directly and must always be approached step by step, not alone but in companionship with others, and thus through love. Thus love of others, ultimately love of God, are the steps by which man develops reason and slowly approaches pure Reason.

Carroll Quigley, August 1967