authoritarian, you must never abandon the truth.

專制者，你決不能放棄真理。

The authoritarian wants absolute power over you, and one of the things they need to achieve

獨裁者希望對你擁有絕對的權力，而他們需要實現的一個目標是

this is for you to abandon the truth.

這是讓你放棄真理。

How does holding on to the truth protect you from the authoritarian?

堅持真理如何保護你免受專制主義的影響？

That's what I'm interested in exploring, and as always, I'm gonna explore this idea

這就是我感興趣的探索，和以往一樣，我將探索這個想法

through a dialogue.

通過對話的方式。

---

---

The following is a conversation between a monk (M) and a student (S).

下面是一個和尚（M）和一個學生（S）之間的對話。

M: If you wanna protect yourself from the authoritarian, never abandon the truth.

M：如果你想保護自己不受獨裁者的影響，就永遠不要放棄真理。

S: Well, before I can even decide whether to abandon it or not, I need to know something:

S:好吧，在我決定是否放棄它之前，我需要知道一些事情。

what is truth?

什麼是真理？

M: Truth is the only way to get what you want.

M: 真相是獲得你想要的東西的唯一途徑。

S: What do you mean?

S:你是什麼意思？

Can't I lie to you in order to get what I want from you?

我不能為了從你那裡得到我想要的東西而對你撒謊嗎？

M: You can, but you're not understanding what I mean by the truth.

M：你可以，但你沒有理解我說的真相是什麼意思。

We're using the word differently.

我們使用這個詞的方式不同。

Let me explain.

讓我解釋一下。

Let's say I wanna walk to a particular point across the room.

比方說，我想走到房間對面的一個特定點。

There are several ways I can get to that point.

我有幾種方法可以達到這個目的。

For one, I can walk directly to it.

首先，我可以直接走到它那裡。

Or, I can take an indirect path.

或者，我可以走一條間接的道路。

I can walk around the room until I eventually arrive at the point.

我可以在房間裡走來走去，直到最終到達那個點。

And the truth contains all of those ways.

而真理包含所有這些方式。

/So truth is all of the ways you can reach your goal./

/所以，真理是你能達到目標的所有方法。

S: Hmm… all of the ways I can reach my goal.

S：嗯......所有我可以達到目標的方法。

M: Yeah.

M：是的。

So we could say the truth /is/ what works, and in fact, it is the /only/ thing that works!

是以，我們可以說，真理/是/是有效的，事實上，它是/唯一/有效的東西!

So if you wanna get something from me and lying helps you get it, then that's the

所以，如果你想從我這裡得到一些東西，而撒謊能幫助你得到它，那麼這就是

truth.

真相。

Truth isn't something you speak.

真理不是你說出來的東西。

It isn't even something you act.

這甚至不是你的行為。

Rather, it's more like a road between where you are and where you wanna be.

相反，它更像是你所在的地方和你想去的地方之間的一條道路。

If you travel down that road, then you arrive at the point where you wanna be.

如果你沿著這條道路走下去，那麼你就會到達你想去的地方。

S: So truth is like a road.

S：所以真理就像一條路。

Can you give me an example?

你能給我一個例子嗎？

M: Sure.

M：當然。

So imagine a cup on a table.

是以，想象一下桌子上有一個杯子。

Let's say you wanna move that cup across the table.

比方說，你想把那個杯子移到桌子對面。

There are two separate moments.

有兩個獨立的時刻。

There's the present: that's where the cup is now.

那裡是現在：那是杯子現在的位置。

And there's the future: that's where you want the cup to be.

還有就是未來：那是你希望杯具的地方。

Now there are several ways you can get that cup from where it is to where you want it

現在有幾種方法可以讓杯子從原地到你想要的地方。

to be.

是的。

You can drag the cup across the table, you can lift it up and put it down, you can call

你可以在桌子上拖動杯子，你可以把它抬起來又放下，你可以叫

a friend and ask them to move it for you, and so on.

一個朋友並要求他們為你移動它，以此類推。

Now here comes the important part.

現在重要的部分來了。

There are several /roads/ you can take to get the cup to where you want it to be.

你可以走幾條路，把杯子送到你想要的地方。

But there are other roads, that if you take them, won't get the cup to where you want

但也有其他的路，如果你走了，也不會把杯子帶到你想要的地方。

it to be.

它是。

For example, you can't just knock the cup off the table and expect it to be where you

例如，你不能只是把杯子從桌子上打下來，然後期望它在你的位置上。

want.

想。

When you take the right roads, which is to walk the truth, you get what you want, but

當你走正確的道路，也就是走真理的時候，你會得到你想要的東西，但

when you take the wrong roads, which is to walk falsehood, you don't get what you want.

當你走錯了路，也就是走虛偽的路，你就得不到你想要的東西。

Do you understand now?

你現在明白了嗎？

S: I think I do.

S：我想我知道。

So when we began talking, you told me that if I wanted to protect myself from the authoritarian,

是以，當我們開始交談時，你告訴我，如果我想保護自己不受獨裁者的影響。

I should never abandon the truth.

我不應該放棄真理。

What does it mean to abandon the truth?

拋棄真理是什麼意思？

M: If you reject evidence that contradicts your current beliefs, that means you have

男：如果你拒絕與你目前的信念相矛盾的證據，這意味著你有

abandoned the truth.

拋棄了真理。

S: Why does the authoritarian want me to abandon truth?

S:為什麼獨裁者要我放棄真理？

M: So they can take advantage of you.

男：所以他們可以利用你。

S: How will they take advantage of me?

S：他們會如何利用我？

M: By making you dependent on them.

男：通過使你依賴他們。

Once you're dependent on them, they can make you do and believe whatever they want.

一旦你依賴他們，他們就可以讓你做任何事，相信任何事。

S: But how will they make me dependent on them?

S：但他們會如何讓我依賴他們？

M: If you abandon the truth, you will have no choice.

男：如果你放棄真理，你將別無選擇。

S: How does abandoning truth make me dependent on them?

S: 拋棄真理如何使我依賴他們？

M: Because once you abandon truth, you reject any evidence that contradicts your current

M: 因為一旦你放棄了真理，你就會拒絕任何與你目前的情況相矛盾的證據。

beliefs.

信念。

And once you start rejecting evidence that contradicts your beliefs, you stop being able

而一旦你開始拒絕與你的信念相矛盾的證據，你就不再能夠

to learn.

來學習。

And once you stop learning, you start losing the ability to take care of yourself.

而一旦你停止學習，你就開始失去照顧自己的能力。

And once you start losing the ability to take care of yourself, you look to others to take

而一旦你開始失去照顧自己的能力，你就會期待別人來照顧你。

care of you.

照顧你。

And when others are in a position of care over you, they have immense power over you.

而當別人處於對你的照顧位置時，他們對你有巨大的權力。

And it's the authoritarians dream for you to be in their care, because once they have

而讓你接受他們的照顧是專制者的夢想，因為一旦他們擁有了

you, they have every intention of abusing their power.

你，他們完全打算濫用他們的權力。

They'll make you do and believe whatever they want.

他們會讓你做什麼，相信什麼。

S: Well, what if I hold on to the truth?

S:那麼，如果我堅持真理呢？

What happens then?

然後會發生什麼？

How will that protect me?

這將如何保護我？

M: When you hold on to the truth, you acknowledge any evidence that contradicts your current

男：當你堅持真理的時候，你會承認任何與你目前的情況相矛盾的證據。

beliefs.

信念。

You use that contradiction to learn and expand your mind.

你利用這種矛盾來學習和擴大你的思想。

And as your knowledge grows, you get better and better at taking care of yourself.

而隨著你的知識的增長，你在照顧自己方面會越來越好。

And as you get better at taking care of yourself, you become more independent.

隨著你在照顧自己方面變得更好，你會變得更加獨立。

And when you become independent, no one can have absolute power over you.

而當你變得獨立時，沒有人可以對你有絕對的權力。

Independence is the greatest threat to the authoritarian, because it undermines the source

獨立性是對專制主義的最大威脅，因為它破壞了專制主義的來源。

of their power: dependence.

他們的權力：依賴性。

S: So dependence is the source of the authoritarian's power?

S：所以依賴性是專制者的權力來源？

M: Yeah.

M：是的。

Think about a baby.

想一想一個嬰兒。

A baby is completely dependent on its parents, and practically speaking, the parents have

嬰兒完全依賴其父母，實際上，父母有

absolute power over that baby.

對那個嬰兒有絕對的權力。

But as the baby grows up, it becomes educated.

但隨著嬰兒的長大，它變得有教養。

And as it becomes more and more educated, it learns to take care of itself.

而且隨著它變得越來越有教養，它學會了照顧自己。

It becomes more independent.

它變得更加獨立。

And this independence decreases the power that the parents have over it.

而這種獨立性減少了父母對它的權力。

S: But education isn't enough to be independent, right?

S：但要獨立，光有教育是不夠的，對嗎？

What if I lose my ability to move?

如果我失去行動能力怎麼辦？

Then I'll be dependent on others to take care of me.

然後我就會依賴別人來照顧我。

M: That's true.

M：那是真的。

Education isn't the only cause of independence, but it is, perhaps, the one you have the most

教育並不是獨立的唯一原因，但它也許是你最擁有的原因

control over.

控制的。

Independence is a very easy thing to lose.

獨立性是一個非常容易失去的東西。

You may even spend your whole life educating yourself on how to do a certain job, and all

你甚至可能花費一生的時間來教育自己如何做某項工作，而所有的

of a sudden, that job may no longer be useful to society.

突然間，這份工作可能不再對社會有用了。

And so you lose that job, and not just that, but your education may becomes useless.

是以，你失去了那份工作，不僅如此，你的教育也可能變得毫無用處。

And so you instantly go from independent back to dependent.

是以，你馬上就從獨立的狀態回到了依賴的狀態。

Independence is a very rare, fragile, and treasured thing, and it's not a bad thing

獨立性是一種非常罕見的、脆弱的、值得珍惜的東西，而且它不是一件壞事

to be dependent.

要有依賴性。

You might even say that we're all dependent on each other to some degree.

你甚至可以說，我們在某種程度上都是相互依賴的。

We can't even breathe without the trees.

沒有樹木，我們甚至無法呼吸。

But you should always keep this in mind: the more dependent you are on others, the more

但你應該始終牢記這一點：你越是依賴他人，就越是

power they'll have over you.

他們將對你擁有的權力。

And the authoritarian thrives among the most dependent people.

而獨裁者在最依賴的人中茁壯成長。

---

---

In his novel /1984/, George Orwell consistently wrote about the importance of never abandoning

在他的小說/1984/中，喬治-奧威爾一直在寫永不放棄的重要性。

the truth, and I explored this idea more deeply through a dialogue.

真相，我通過對話更深入地探討了這個想法。

When you abandon the truth, you stop being able to learn.

當你放棄真理時，你就不再能夠學習。

And when you stop being able to learn, you become less able to take care of yourself.

而當你不再有能力學習時，你就變得沒有能力照顧自己。

And when you become less able to take care of yourself, you become more dependent on

而當你變得不太能照顧自己時，你就會變得更加依賴

others.

其他人。

And the authoritarian uses this dependence to gain absolute power over you.

而獨裁者利用這種依賴性來獲得對你的絕對權力。

But by holding on to the truth, educating yourself, and becoming independent, you become

但通過堅持真理，教育自己，併成為獨立的人，你會成為

a threat to the authoritarian.

對獨裁者的威脅。

You undermine the source of their power, which is dependence, and you become capable of liberating

你破壞了他們力量的來源，也就是依賴性，你就有能力解放他們。

yourself, and others, from their control as well.

你自己和其他人也能擺脫他們的控制。

But at the end of the day, this is just my opinion and understanding of Orwell's words,

但說到底，這只是我對奧威爾的話的看法和理解。

not advice.

不是建議。

Feel free to use this information however you like, and if you have a different take

請隨意使用這些資訊，如果你有不同的看法

on his words, I'd love to hear your perspective in

對他的話，我很想聽聽你的觀點，在

the comments.

的評論。