本能是囚牢 The Instincts Are Prison
[本能是囚牢]
The Instincts Are Prison
接下來要談的囚牢是「本能」。我們一直活在本能的影響下，處于本能的勢力下，不論是人類、動物或植物，只要有生命就具有本能。我們經常受本能的擺布行事，尤其是性欲或繁殖的本能，它控制、逼迫我們，困擾我們的程度是多麼大啊！然而我們還是無法擺脫它，甚至有時還樂此不疲。當我們的孩子長大，性欲的本能發育成熟時，也會被這座囚牢禁錮住。
The next prison to consider is that we live under the influence of the instincts. We are under the instincts’ power. All living things, whether people, animals, or plants, have instincts. These instincts constantly force us to follow their concerns and needs. This is especially true for the sexual or reproductive instinct. How much does it control, hassle, activate, and complicate us? Sexual feelings and reproductive urges squeeze us, oppress us, disturb us so profoundly; they force us through all kinds of difficulties. But we can’t stop. Sometimes we prefer it this way. Our children grow and mature to the stage where the sexual instinct ripens completely and then the child is caught in the prison of this sexual instinct.
即使是喜歡炫耀也是一種本能，但許多人根本未察覺它是一種本能。實際上想表現自己就是一種本能，即使動物也具有想炫耀自己是漂亮的、強壯的、敏捷的或其他種種特徵的本能，像這種最糊涂、荒謬的本能也是一種囚牢。假如這種本能不是囚牢，它應該絲毫不會壓迫到我們才對。然而，它迫使我們去買漂亮的衣服和鞋子，而且還要擁有一大堆。為什麼我們要擁有這麼多的裝飾品和漂亮的鞋子呢？
Finally, even the instinct of showing off can run our lives. Many people wouldn’t think of this as an instinct, but all animals have it. The need to show off, to brag, to display oneself is an instinct. Even animals have the condition of wanting to show off that they are beautiful, or strong, or agile, or whatever. Even this craziest, most ridiculous instinct is a prison. We want to show off and boast. If it wasn’t a prison, it wouldn’t force and oppress us in the least. Now, however, it forces us to buy beautiful clothing, beautiful jewelry, beautiful shoes even, and lots of them, too!
為什麼這些我們通通都想要呢？(請容我說：女眾這種現象特別嚴重！)好表現的本能就是一種囚牢，人們禁不起這種本能的驅使，只好被迫去隨順它。這種好賣弄自己的本能，真是各種本能中最可笑、最荒謬的一種！而它確實是一座囚牢。因為身陷這種囚牢，人們的錢從來不夠用。請仔細思考我們前面提過關于本能的例子，它們全是囚牢啊！
Why must we have many beautiful shirts and many pairs of beautiful shoes? Why do we need them all? (And forgive me, we must mention the women in particular here.) There is this instinct to show off and it is one kind of prison. Because people can’t endure it, they are forced to follow this instinct, spending all kinds of money on all kinds of things. The instinct to show off is the funniest, most ridiculous of them all. Still it truly is a prison. People never have enough money because of this prison. Please consider and reflect carefully about these examples of instincts which we have raised. They are prisons too.
如果我們想一想、算一算花費，會發現我們花在打扮自己以隨時保持漂亮的錢，比花在食物上的費用來得多。再加上還要裝潢美化房子，花費就更可觀了。如果合起來算，這兩項花費比維持生命所需的費用超出太多了，可見我們花在生命非必需品的錢，比花在食物等生命必需品的還多。這又是另一種身陷本能囚牢的情況。
If we think about this, if we make an account of all our expenses, we’ll discover that some people spend more money on clothing, jewelry, and keeping themselves always beautiful than they spend on food. Further, they insist on decorating and prettying up their houses, which piles up their expenses. Taken together, the two are more than they spend on food, which is necessary for life. We put more money into things which are unnecessary in life than we put into the necessities of life, like food. This is one more way of getting caught in the instinctual prison.