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1、ThePerilsofIndifference ElieWiesel:ThePerilsofIndifference Mr.President,Mrs.Clinton,membersofCongress,AmbassadorHolbrooke,Excellencies,friends: Fiftyfouryearsagototheday,ayoungJewishboyfromasmalltownintheCarpathianMountainswokeup,notfarfromGoethesbelovedWeimar,inaplaceofeternalinfamycalledBuchenwald
2、.Hewasfinallyfree,buttherewasnojoyinhisheart.Hethoughtthereneverwouldbeagain.LiberatedadayearlierbyAmericansoldiers,herememberstheirrageatwhattheysaw.Andevenifhelivestobeaveryoldman,hewillalwaysbegratefultothemforthatrage,andalsofortheirpassion.Thoughhedidnotunderstandtheirlanguage,theireyestoldhimw
3、hatheneededtoknowthatthey,too,wouldremember,andbearwitness. Andnow,Istandbeforeyou,Mr.PresidentCommanderinChiefofthearmythatfreedme,andtensofthousandsofothersandIamfilledwithaprofoundandabidinggratitudetotheAmericanpeople.GratitudeisawordthatIcherish.Gratitudeiswhatdefinesthehumanityofthehumanbeing.
4、AndIamgratefultoyou,Hillary,orMrs.Clinton,forwhatyousaid,andforwhatyouaredoingforchildrenintheworld,forthehomeless,forthevictimsofinjustice,thevictimsofdestinyandsociety.AndIthankallofyouforbeinghere. Weareonthethresholdofanewcentury,anewmillennium.Whatwillthelegacyofthisvanishingcenturybe?Howwillit
5、berememberedinthenewmillennium?Surelyitwillbejudged,andjudgedseverely,inbothmoralandmetaphysicalterms.Thesefailureshavecastadarkshadowoverhumanity:twoWorldWars,countlesscivilwars,thesenselesschainofassassinations(Gandhi,theKennedys,MartinLutherKing,Sadat,Rabin),bloodbathsinCambodiaandNigeria,Indiaan
6、dPakistan,IrelandandRwanda,EritreaandEthiopia,SarajevoandKosovo;theinhumanityinthegulagandthetragedyofHiroshima.And,onadifferentlevel,ofcourse,AuschwitzandTreblinka.Somuchviolence;somuchindifference. Whatisindifference?Etymologically,thewordmeansnodifference.Astrangeandunnaturalstateinwhichthelinesb
7、lurbetweenlightanddarkness,duskanddawn,crimeandpunishment,crueltyandpassion,goodandevil.Whatareitscoursesandinescapableconsequences?Isitaphilosophy?Isthereaphilosophyofindifferenceconceivable?Canonepossiblyviewindifferenceasavirtue?Isitnecessaryattimestopracticeitsimplytokeeponessanity,livenormally,
8、enjoyafinemealandaglassofwine,astheworldaroundusexperiencesharrowingupheavals? Ofcourse,indifferencecanbetemptingmorethanthat,seductive.Itissomucheasiertolookawayfromvictims.Itissomucheasiertoavoidsuchrudeinterruptionstoourwork,ourdreams,ourhopes.Itis,afterall,awkward,troublesome,tobeinvolvedinanoth
9、erpersonspainanddespair.Yet,forthepersonwhoisindifferent,hisorherneighborareofnoconsequence.And,therefore,theirlivesaremeaningless.Theirhiddenorevenvisibleanguishisofnointerest.IndifferencereducestheOthertoanabstraction. Overthere,behindtheblackgatesofAuschwitz,themosttragicofallprisonersweretheMuse
10、lmanner,astheywerecalled.Wrappedintheirtornblankets,theywouldsitorlieontheground,staringvacantlyintospace,unawareofwhoorwheretheywerestrangerstotheirsurroundings.Theynolongerfeltpain,hunger,thirst.Theyfearednothing.Theyfeltnothing.Theyweredeadanddidnotknowit. Rootedinourtradition,someofusfeltthattob
11、eabandonedbyhumanitythenwasnottheultimate.WefeltthattobeabandonedbyGodwasworsethantobepunishedbyHim.BetteranunjustGodthananindifferentone.ForustobeignoredbyGodwasaharsherpunishmentthantobeavictimofHisanger.MancanlivefarfromGodnotoutsideGod.Godiswhereverweare.Eveninsuffering?Eveninsuffering. Inaway,t
12、obeindifferenttothatsufferingiswhatmakesthehumanbeinginhuman.Indifference,afterall,ismoredangerousthanangerandhatred.Angercanattimesbecreative.Onewritesagreatpoem,agreatsymphony.Onedoessomethingspecialforthesakeofhumanitybecauseoneisangryattheinjusticethatonewitnesses.Butindifferenceisnevercreative.
13、Evenhatredattimesmayelicitaresponse.Youfightit.Youdenounceit.Youdisarmit. Indifferenceelicitsnoresponse.Indifferenceisnotaresponse.Indifferenceisnotabeginning;itisanend.And,therefore,indifferenceisalwaysthefriendoftheenemy,foritbenefitstheaggressorneverhisvictim,whosepainismagnifiedwhenheorshefeelsf
14、orgotten.Thepoliticalprisonerinhiscell,thehungrychildren,thehomelessrefugeesnottorespondtotheirplight,nottorelievetheirsolitudebyofferingthemasparkofhopeistoexilethemfromhumanmemory.Andindenyingtheirhumanity,webetrayourown. Indifference,then,isnotonlyasin,itisapunishment. Andthisisoneofthemostimport
15、antlessonsofthisoutgoingcenturyswiderangingexperimentsingoodandevil. IntheplacethatIefrom,societywasposedofthreesimplecategories:thekillers,thevictims,andthebystanders.Duringthedarkestoftimes,insidetheghettoesanddeathcampsandImgladthatMrs.Clintonmentionedthatwearenowmemoratingthatevent,thatperiod,th
16、atwearenowintheDaysofRemembrancebutthen,wefeltabandoned,forgotten.Allofusdid. AndouronlymiserableconsolationwasthatwebelievedthatAuschwitzandTreblinkawerecloselyguardedsecrets;thattheleadersofthefreeworlddidnotknowwhatwasgoingonbehindthoseblackgatesandbarbedwire;thattheyhadnoknowledgeofthewaragainsttheJewsthatHitlersarmiesandtheiracpliceswagedaspartofthewaragainsttheAllies.Iftheyknew,
