等待微風入眠

年輕人 Youth

字體:16+-

[古希臘]亞裏士多德/Aristotle

亞裏士多德(前384-前322),出生於希臘北部的斯塔吉拉,父親是馬其頓國王的禦醫。公元前367年,17歲的亞裏士多德到當時希臘的文化中心雅典,進入柏拉圖的阿卡德米學院學習。由於他聰敏過人,深受柏拉圖的喜愛,成為柏拉圖的得意門生。他在學院一共學習了20年,直到柏拉圖去世。

To begin with the Youthful type of character. Young men have strong passions, and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. They are changeable and fickle in their desires, which are violent while they last, but quickly over:their impulses are keen but not deep-rooted, and are like sick people's attacks of hunger and thirst. They are hot-tempered, and quick-tempered, and apt to give way to their anger;bad temper often gets the better of them, for owing to their love of honor they cannot bear being slighted, and are indignant if they imagine themselves unfairly treated. While they love honor, they love victory still more;for youth is eager for superiority over others, and victory is one form of this. They love both more than they love money, which indeed they love very little, not having yet learnt what it means to be without it-this is the point of Pittancus, remark about Amphiaraus. They look at the good side rather than the bad, not having yet witnessed many instances of wickedness. They trust others readily, because they have not yet often been cheated.

They are sanguine;nature warms their blood as though with excess of wine;and besides that, they have as yet met with few disappointments. Their lives are mainly spent not in memory but in expectation;for expectation refers to the future, memory to the past, and youth has a long future before it and a short past behind it:on the first day of one's life one has nothing at all to remember, and can only look forward.

They are easily cheated, owing to the sanguine disposition just mentioned. Their hot tempers and hopeful dispositions make them more courageous than older men are;the hot temper prevents fear, and the hopeful disposition creates confidence;we cannot feel tear so long as we are feeling angry, and any expectation of good makes us confident.