看來天主和財富勢不兩立。甚麽是天上的財寶,各自表述。不論怎樣説,地上的財寶,天主教會則清楚不過,因為到了中世紀,教會已經是歐洲的國際銀行系統,所以差點兒連聖方濟的修會也被列為異端,事實上方濟會都不能避免發展成一個龐大的建制。如果你到過意大利的亞西西,就知道山丘上的方濟會是多麽的宏偉,是建築的傑作。地上神貧只是空話而已。艾柯 (Umberto Eco) 小説「玫瑰之名」(The Name of The Rose) 裡面,就有紅衣主教團和一班方濟會布衣修士在修院内討論基督「神貧」的問題,但被修院的謀殺案打亂了,還惹來宗教法庭的審判長來查案,故事峰回路轉。
中國人愛財,過年一定要財神到。小時候一個廣告告訴我,文財神叫比干,武財神名趙公明。比干是忠臣,在封神榜裡已經看過他把心也挖了出來還不死的故事。趙公明是誰?原來是「塊面黑過玄壇」的玄壇真君是也。但他為甚麽是武財神,就不得而知了。
農曆新年(對,是農曆新年,不是春節),一定要聽一聽財神的歌。許冠傑的「財神到」很動聽,歌詞通俗但流水行雲,寫得很好。雖然在我們這個唯利是圖的社會,這種歌詞實在老掉牙,還是值得細味,歌曲唱的還是人深處的一種盼望。除了財神到,我最喜歡譚詠麟一首「天降財神」,因為天降的財神不是教你點揾錢,而是教你怎樣活得幸福,怎樣得到幸運 ——
「開工逢日晒,收工雨水淋,並未叫苦,萬事要忍, 遇事無懼怕,不必計升沉,莫負愛心,幸運會將你等.....」
希望新的一年,大家都有天降財神。
The trouble with money is that you can't "live" if it becomes your "master", but you can't live without it as "servant". Far too many can't tell the difference. A would-be philosopher will probably say that money is necessary but insufficient for "life".
ReplyDeleteIf money becomes too big and too powerful we can no long manoeuvre it and money likely becomes our master. So a wise man should make some money so he can survive, but not to the extent that allows it to control his life.
DeleteWe don't really need that much just to survive. So the possibility of the ordinary folks becoming wiser through reflection is not as dim as it has sometimes been made out to be. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to have learned this must spread the word so that the ordinary folks may become less enslaved by their "master" and the "masterminds" behind the existing socio-economic-political systems.
ReplyDelete"錢不是萬能, 但沒錢是萬萬不能", 這句雖是陳腔濫調, 但不無道理。
ReplyDelete我對錢有此的看法: 吃喝穿著但求溫飽而已, 所費有限。但人一定要時常保留足夠的財力照顧自己的健康和應付打官司。
這是金科玉律!金錢是工具,是最基本的東西,没有工具,做甚麽也不成!健康和不可預測的不幸,除了心靈上的慰籍,就只有金錢可以帮助我們。
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