Name: 阿諛諂媚，其實很重要？ (The Importance of Flattery)
Uploaded: 2017-07-10T21:59:58.000Z
Duration: 4 min 47 s

Flattery has a bad name. It’s associated with saying something upbeat but untrue in

諂媚有個壞名聲。諂媚就是為了達到膚淺的個人利益，說一些樂觀卻不真實的話語，

order to hoodwink its unsuspecting target for low personal gain. In Aesop's famous

來蒙騙未察的諂媚對象。在有名的伊索寓言「狐狸與烏鴉」中，

fable, The Fox and the Crow, an ugly crow has found a piece of cheese and retired to

醜烏鴉找到了一塊起司，飛回到樹枝上享用它

a branch to eat it. A sly fox, wanting it for himself, flatters the crow, calling it

一隻狡猾的狐狸，為了得到這塊起司，諂媚了烏鴉，

beautiful and wondering whether its voice will be as sweet as its appearance. The crow

說牠很漂亮，而且很好奇牠的聲音是不是也和牠的外表一樣甜美

lets out a horrific screeching sound and the cheese drops straight into the fox’s gaping

烏鴉發出了可怕的尖銳叫聲，起司也直接落進狐狸張得開開的下顎，像是早就在嘲諷烏鴉一樣

expectant mocking jaw. But there’s another form of flattery with more valuable and ethical

但是諂媚有另一個更可貴、更有道德野心的形式

ambitions. Parents of small children invariably discover its uses – which deserve to be

小孩的父母親常常發現它的用途，這件事也值得被更多人知道

better known and practiced around all age groups. Let’s imagine that a child isn’t

並且運用在各個年齡層，讓我們想像一個小孩

yet entirely kind to their brother, or good at drawing, or a perfect cook or helpful around

還沒有好好對待兄弟，或者還不擅長畫畫，或者在家裡還不是個完美的廚師，又或者不是很有用處

the house – but the parent declares that they are so as to encourage and make more

但是他的父母聲稱，他們都是如此會畫畫、煮飯等等，這樣才可以去鼓勵孩子，

concrete what is as yet only tentative and fragile in their ambivalent nature. The child

使得對未來還是猶豫不決又脆弱的他們可以定型

is being helped to end up as some of the things he or she has already been described as being. In

這個孩子就這樣被幫助了，最終成為一些他早就已經被父母描述而成的樣子

1956, the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer was invited to create a new capital city for

1956年，巴西的建築師Oscar Niemeyer，受邀為國家建一座新的首都：巴西利亞

his nation: Brasilia. Brazil is a country of frenetic economic activity, of rainforest

巴西是一個充滿經濟活動、雨林、亞馬遜村落、貧民窟、足球、沙灘

and Amazonian villages, favelas, soccer, beaches and intense disagreement about political priorities…

以及對擁有政治特權者有強烈不滿的國家

none of which is apparent from contemplation of the beautiful, serene, futuristic rational

那些特質都和美麗、寧靜、未來主義感充斥的理性巴西利亞建築概念無關

architecture of Brasilia. One day, the buildings propose, Brazil will be a place where rationality

有一天，建築群提出來，巴西會是一個充滿無比理性的地方

is powerful; where order and harmony reign; where elegance is normal. There will be no

會是一個秩序和和諧統治的地方；會是一個視優雅為理所當然的地方

more corruption or chaos. In offices, efficient secretaries will type up judicious briefing

也不會再有貪汙或混亂。在辦公室裏面，有效率的秘書將敲打出思緒清晰又簡明的筆記

notes; the filing systems will be perfect – nothing will get lost, overlooked, neglected

檔案系統將會是完美的系統－沒有東西會遺失、放任不管、忽略或放錯地方

or mislaid; negotiations will take place in an atmosphere of impersonal wisdom. The country

爭論都會在一個充滿超脫個人的學識氛圍中進行

will be perfectly managed. Oscar Niemeyer’s capital is an essay in flattery. It hints

國家將會被管理到滴水不漏。Oscar Niemeyer的首都是一個諂媚的短文

that certain desirable qualities which are as yet only very latent in Brazil could one day be central

文章中暗示著某種渴望的品質，雖然這個品質還沒成形

to the country and its governing class. Shortly after the capital buildings were completed,

但總有一天會是這個國家、統治階層的中心思想，首都建築群完工後不久

a journalist asked Niemeyer why he had designed a capital that was so dramatically unlike

一個記者問Niemeyer，為什麼他設計了一個完全不像是這個國家想要呈現的樣貌的首都？

the country it was meant to represent. ‘It won’t be one day,’ said Niemeyer – with

Niemeyer帶著一個歪歪的微笑說：「那是不可能會發生的事」

a wry smile. Brazilians continue to wait for that day. And the finest buildings of Brasilia continue

巴西人繼續等待著那天到來。巴西利亞最好的建築也繼續鼓舞人心

to inspire. We need flattery because we so badly need to be guided to develop beyond

我們需要諂媚，因為我們總是渴望被引導去發展我們現在還沒辦法勝任的事情

what we are right now. We need other people’s belief in us to bolster our capacities for

我們需要其他人對我們的信賴，才可以去支撐我們去改變、成長的空間

reform and growth. We need a chance to grow into the person we have flatteringly been

我們需要一個機會，才可以去成為一個我們因諂媚而被描述而成的樣子

described as already being. Consider a painting by Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda. There’s

讓我們想想Velázquez的一個畫作「The Surrender of Breda」

been a battle between Spain and the Netherlands. Spain has won. The picture shows the Spanish

這曾是西班牙和荷蘭之間的戰爭。西班牙打贏了。

general, Spinola receiving the key to the city of Breda from the representative of the

畫作呈現了西班牙將軍Spinola，從戰敗的荷蘭軍隊代表Justin of Nassau手上，接收了Breda城市的鑰匙

defeated Dutch forces, Justin of Nassau. What’s striking is how cordial everything is. Historians

這張畫作醒目的地方是，每件事情都如此誠懇

report that both sides behaved extremely well. There was no recrimination or wanton bloodshed.

歷史學家說明，兩方陣營都表現得極好。畫中沒有責罵和流血衝突

The painting is a memorial to unusually noble conduct. But it’s not a comprehensive or

這張畫作是一個罕見高尚舉止的紀念。但是它對於戰爭和突圍並不是一個令人理解或準確的紀錄

accurate account of war or sieges; just as Brasilia is not a completely accurate presentation

就像是巴西利亞並不全然是一個對巴西而言準確的呈現一樣

of what Brazil is like. Instead, each of these works presents an ideal in the hope of generating

取而代之的是，每個作品都呈現了一個理想，期望去實現後續的真實

a subsequent reality. We should learn to be gentler on flattery and the energy it can

我們應該學會更溫和地看待諂媚，以及它可以給我們的能量，

lend us to move towards greater generosity, intelligence and wisdom. We should use its

使我們可以朝向更偉大的寬容、聰明、智慧前進。我們應該利用它

benign power in order to bring about a world where we’ll more often be able simply to

好的方面的力量，才可以創造一個使我們可以更常輕易誇讚他人的世界

praise one another, and no longer merely just to flatter.

We believe in making the world a more emotionally intelligent place

我們相信可以使世界成為一個情感更為理性的地方

and to that end we have now also published some extraordinary books.

而為了完成這個目的，我們同時發行了一些特別的書籍

As well as other merchandise that reinforces some of the other themes illustrated in our videos.

就如同其他產品一般，都是強調其他在我們影片中所說明的主題

Please click on the link below to see more.