120 philosophical essays you must read in your life

Chapter 71

Chapter 4 Section 11 Social Injustice

[France] La Bruyère
In society, there are many people who are hungry and poorly clothed, which is shocking.However, there are also those who eat the early fruit, and they demand that the land produce fruit against the seasons to satisfy their appetite.Some Bai Ding with a little savings can swallow the living expenses of a hundred families for a day with one dish.Who wants to fight against these extreme absurdities?If possible, I don't want to be the unlucky one or the lucky one. A life where I don't have to worry about food and clothing, and I have some spare money to buy some gadgets I like is my ideal world.

In the face of immediate suffering, people feel ashamed of being happy.

On the endless fields, many black spots are constantly shaking. When you look closely, you can find that their skin is dark or gray, scorched by the sun; they are tirelessly digging and turning the soil. , as if chained there; they seemed to speak, indeed, they were human.At night they creep into filthy huts, they feed on bad bread, cold water, potatoes for their perpetual food; they save others from the toil of sowing, plowing, and reaping, so it is they who should enjoy the fine bread harvested by their labour. .

I think that the common people need the daily necessities of life more than the big men, and the latter have a lot of cravings.It is impossible for an ordinary person to do any bad deeds to harm others, and a great man can do no good deeds but commit blatant crimes; the former is born for peace, while the latter is born with evil intentions to harm others; The rudeness and straightforwardness of the performance, the latter is to cover up the cunning and corrupt way of life with a polite appearance; the common people have no intelligence, while the big men have no soul; Under the gorgeous appearance hides a selfish selfish heart.If I had to choose, I would choose the former without hesitation.

【Together with you】

A great man without a soul can never be called great.The more great a person is, the more humble and simple he is.Ripe rice is always drooping. Great men like Lincoln and Washington have a commoner nature that will never change in their bones.Their character comes from the simple earth, and the harvest finally belongs to the earth.What they do is closely related to the fate of the common people... Happiness makes the soul good and makes the heart soft.Understanding each other is so difficult, even between lovers.

(End of this chapter)