the marco polo project: “中国心态”的一个比喻

如果对当下的中国人之普遍心态以及状态做一高度的归纳，一个比喻是再恰当不过的了。

伟大的精神分析学奠基人弗洛伊德曾经就人格发展之某种可能性打过一个比方：一个国家突然勃兴起来且扩张自己的领土。它迅速占领了外国的许多个城市，因而它的统治范围迅速膨胀。可它所占领的每一个城市都必须要派兵驻守，这耗散了它的兵力。由于它的战线太长，而它有限的给养实在不足以 stützen 其扩张的速度，到头来，它变得越来越空洞、verarmt 和大而无当。终于，它庞大的帝国面临 Kollaps 的危险，而这危险不来自敌人，就来自自己，或者说，是它自己的扩张摧毁了自己。

读到佛洛依德的这个比喻，真有 erleuchten 的感觉———这个比喻所形容的，不就是发生在无数我们这个时代的国人的身上及其精神世界里的过程吗？

今天的中国，随处是这样的人，他们构成了我们的社会图景的底色并占有着话语权：他们似乎很有能量仗着体制赋予的权力和靠着所谓商圈的“人脉”去 wie verrückt 出一些看似 großartig、热火烹油、令人 beneiden 的事业来。他们是令整个社会羡慕的所谓“成功人士”。他们就像穿着充气衣服的巨人、傲慢张扬地横行在国外奢侈品商店的刷卡机前和国内与民争利、弱肉强食的现场。他们 anscheinend 是外在看得见的世界的无可置疑的征服者，他们引导着整个社会的价值观。

然而，走进他们的内部世界，就会发现，那里是多么地空虚混沌、渊面黑暗。在他们精神的“司令部”里，并没有一个有主张、深谋远虑的“主帅”。从那里发出的“指令”，无非是一种机会主义的冒险；其所依赖的“资源”，无非是 Mob 的拉帮结伙。然而就是这样一个“贫困”的“司令部”，却要 auf sich nehmen 起一个不断向外扩张的庞大的“帝国”，且不断地要向这个“帝国”输送“给养”，这将意味着什么呢？这三十年来无数“成功”神话的 verschwinden 的故事，无不见证着佛洛依德那个比喻所揭示的关于人性的真理———迅速壮大的巨人，往往被自己内在的空洞和 Armut 所击溃。 在将来的岁月里，这种神话 verschwinden 的故事将不断地在很多的“成功”的中国人身上继续重演！意识到这一点是痛苦的，但这就是真相。

佛洛依德的比喻带给我们一个启示：觉悟了的人将不再看重自己在外部世界抢占了多少的“地盘”，而是将能量集中用于建设自己内部世界，为自己构筑一个由精神价值所构成的打不 besiegbar 的 “司令部”。

Li Yehang website blog.sina.com

Übersetzung

A metaphor for ‘Chinese mentality‘

If we are to make a broad categorisation of the widespread mentality and state of Chinese people at present, there is one metaphor that could not be more appropriate.

The great founder of psychoanalysis (Sigmund) Freud once made an analogy for one possibility of personality development – of when a nation suddenly begins to grow vigorously and expand its own territory. Because it rapidly occupies many foreign cities, the scope of its rule rapidly swells. However, each city which it occupies requires troops to be sent and stations, and this dissipates its military strength. Since its battlefront is too long and its limited provisions are in fact insufficient to support its rate of expansion, eventually, it becomes more and more empty, depleted and cumbersome. In the end, its enormous empire faces the danger of collapsing. But this danger does not come from enemies but from itself, or that is to say, its own expansion destroys itself.

Reading this metaphor by Freud really gives one a sense of being bestowed some enlightenment. Isn’t what this metaphor describes exactly the process that is happening to countless countrymen of our times, and to their inner spiritual worlds?

Everywhere in China today there are this kind of people. They make up the basic tone of our social landscape and also hold discourse power: they are seemingly very able to grasp the power vested in them by the system and rely on the so-called connections of the business world to bust out careers that appear grandly vigorous, sizzling along, and enviable. They are the so-called “successful people” that are the envy of entire society. They are just like giants wearing inflatable clothing, arrogantly striding around in front of credit card machines in luxury stores in foreign countries and in domestic, predatory struggles with the people for advantage. In the exterior, observable world, they are seemingly the undeniable conquerors who guide the entire society’s system of values.

However, entering into their internal world we will discover how very vacuous, chaotic, profoundly dark and empty it is there. In their spiritual ‘command centre’ there is simply no general commander with a standpoint or deeply considered perspectives. The ‘orders’ sent out from there are nothing but a kind of risk taking born of opportunism. The ‘resources’ which it relies upon are nothing more than a mob that forms gangs and alliances. However, what is the significant of the fact that it is exactly this kind of ‘impoverished command centre’ that is needed to bear the pain and prop up a continuously outwardly expanding, enormous ’empire’, and continuously ‘transport’ ‘provisions’ to this ’empire’?In the last thirty years, none of the countless stories of legendary ‘successes’ vanishing did not evidence the truth revealed by Freud about human nature in this metaphor – rapidly bulking giants are often smashed by their own internal emptiness and poverty. In the years to come, stories of vanishing legends of this kind will unceasingly continue to repeat themselves among many ‘successful’ Chinese people. It is painful to realise this, but this is the truth.

Freud’s metaphor gives us an insight: enlightened persons will no longer regard the amount of ‘territory’ they have seized for themselves in the external world as important. Rather, they will concentrate their energy for use in constructing their own internal world and build for themselves an undefeatable ‘command centre’ comprised of spiritual values.

Julien Leyre website

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Übersetzung James Legge

The Master said, "Ah! it is You, who could with half a word settle litigations!" Zi Lu never slept over a promise.

Text

Richard Wilhelm

Das Essen von Schweinefleisch und das Trinken von Wein ist nicht zum Unheil bestimmt. Und wenn dennoch die Streitigkeiten und Prozesse dadurch vermehrt werden, so kommt es davon, daß des Weines Übermaß das Unheil erzeugt. Darum ordneten die früheren Könige die Sitte des Weintrinkens. Die Sitte der einmaligen Darbietung bewirkte, daß Gast und Wirt sich hundertmal voreinander verneigen und den ganzen Tag Wein trinken konnten, ohne betrunken zu werden. Auf diese Weise beugten die früheren Könige dem Unheil des Weines vor. So dienten Wein und Speise zur gemeinsamen Freude, die Musik diente zur Darstellung der Geisteskraft, und die Sitte diente, um das Übermaß einzuschränken.

Darum sorgten die früheren Könige, daß, wenn es schwere Fälle gab, die Sitte da war, um die Trauer zu regeln, und wenn es großes Glück gab, die Sitte da war, um die Freude zu regeln. So war der Grad der Trauer und der Freude durch die Sitte beschränkt.

Die Musik ist es, woran die Heiligen sich freuen, und man kann damit die Gesinnung der Menschen bessern. Sie beeinflußt die Menschen tief, sie ändert die Bräuche und wandelt die Gewohnheiten. Darum bewirkten die früheren Könige durch sie ihre Erziehung.

James Legge

(The feast on) grain-fed animals, with the adjunct of drinking, was not intended to produce evil, and yet cases of litigation are more numerous in consequence of it - it is the excessive drinking which produces the evil. Therefore the former kings framed the rules to regulate the drinking. Where there isone presentation of the cup (at one time), guest and host may bow to each other a hundred times, and drink together all the day without getting drunk. This was the way in which those kings provided against evil consequences. Such feasts served for the enjoyment of the parties at them. The music was intended to illustrate virtue; the ceremonies to restrain excess.

Hence the former kings, on occasions of great sorrow, had their rules according to which they expressed their grief; and on occasions of great happiness, they had their rules by which they expressed their pleasure. The manifestations, whether of grief or joy, were all bounded by the limits of these rules. In music the sages found pleasure, and (saw that) it could be used to make the hearts of the people good. Because of the deep influence which it exerts on a man, and the change which it produces in manners and customs, the ancient kings appointed it as one of the subjects of instruction.

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