Of Adversity Author：Francis Bacon
It was an high speech of Seneca , that the good things, which belong to prosperity, are to be wished; but the good things, that belong to adversity, are to be admired. Certainly if miracles be the command over nature, they appear most in adversity. It is yet a higher speech of his, than the other . It is true greatness, to have in one the frailty of a man, and the security of a God. This would have done better in poesy, where transcendences are more allowed.
The virtue of prosperity, is temperance; the virtue of adversity, is fortitude; which in morals is the more heroical virtue.
Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; and adversity is not without comforts and hopes.
We see in needle-works and embroideries, it is more pleasing to have a lively work, upon a sad and solemn ground, than to have a dark and melancholy work, upon a lightsome ground: judge therefore of the pleasure of the heart, by the pleasure of the eye.
Certainly virtue is like precious odors, most fragrant when they are incensed, or crushed: for prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue.
論逆境 作者：培根 翻譯：何新
“一帆風順固然令人羨慕，但逆水行舟則更令人欽佩。” 這是塞涅卡效仿斯多派哲學講出的一句名言。確實如此。如果奇跡就是超乎尋常，那麽它常常是在對逆境的征服中顯現的。塞涅卡還說過一句更深刻的格言：“真正的偉大，即在於以脆弱的凡人之軀而具有神性的不可戰勝。” 這是宛如詩句的妙語，其境界意味深長。
麵幸運所需要的美德是節製，而麵對逆境所需要的美德是堅韌，從道德修養而論，後者比前者更為難能。
一切幸福都絕非沒有憂慮和煩惱，而一切逆境也都絕非沒有慰藉與希望。
最美好的刺繡，是以暗淡的背景襯托明麗的圖案，而絕不是以暗淡的花朵鑲嵌於明麗的背景上。讓我們從這種美景中去汲取啟示吧。
人的美德猶如名貴的檀木，隻有在烈火的焚燒中才會散發出最濃鬱的芳香。正如惡劣的品質會在幸福而無節製中被顯露一樣，最美好的品質也正是逆境中而灼放出光輝的。
Rebecca Lin 2008 Summer In USA
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