马太效应——塔兰特币(Talent)寓言

译者 白露为霜

In various religious texts, there can be found some interesting personal development gems.  One from the Bible is “The Parable of the Talents.”

各种宗教文本里均有一些有趣的人生发展精华故事。《圣经》中就有一则叫做《塔兰特币(Talent)寓言》。

The Parable of the Talents is one of the stories Jesus told to teach a moral lesson.  Although the word “talents” in the story refers literally to money, you can obviously extend the meaning to other areas.  It’s interesting to read it using the common definition of “talents.”

塔兰特币寓言是耶稣用来教导道德的故事之一。尽管“塔兰特币(Talent)”此处指的是货币，实际上它可以指任何别的事物。以“talent”的通用含义（才干）来读这个故事非常有趣。

Here’s the story:

故事如下：

The Parable of the Talents

《塔兰特币(Talent)寓言》

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.  To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.  Then he went on his journey.  The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.  So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.  But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

故事又是以一位要出门的主人开始。出门前，他叫来仆人，将财产托付与他们。根据仆人能力的大小，他分给其中一位5个塔兰特币，另一位2个塔兰特币，还有一位1个塔兰特币。之后就启程上路了。得到5个塔兰特币的仆人立即将钱投入使用，并又获得了5个塔兰特币。得到2个塔兰特币的依葫芦画瓢，也获得了2个塔兰特币。然而获得1个硬币的仆人跑去在地上挖了一个洞，把钱藏了进去。

After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.  The man who had received the five talents brought the other five.  “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents.  See, I have gained five more.”

很久之后，主人返回家中，开始与仆人们结清账目。得到5个塔兰特币的仆人带来了10个硬币。他说：“主人，您托付给我5个硬币，所以，我挣了5个。”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!”

主人回答说：“干得好！有能力而又忠诚的仆人！你对于一些事情很忠诚，我将让你负责很多事务。过来分享你主人的快乐吧！”

The man with the two talents also came.  “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.”

得到2个塔兰特币的仆人也过来了。“主人，”他说，“您托付给我2个硬币，所以，我挣了2个。”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!”

主人回答说：“干得好！有能力而又忠诚的仆人！你对于一些事情很忠诚，我将让你负责很多事务。过来分享你主人的快乐吧！”

Then the man who had received the one talent came.  “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.  See, here is what belongs to you.”

得到1个塔兰特币的仆人过来说：“主人。我知道您很残酷，在没有播种的地方收割，在没有撒种的地方获取。所以，我很害怕，因此将您给的硬币藏于地下。看，这就是属于您的。”

His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant!  So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

主人回答说：“你这个邪恶的懒仆人！你认为我在没有播种的地方收割，没有撒种的地方获取了？你还不如把我的钱放在银行，这样我回来后可以连利息一起拿钱。”

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.  Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

“把硬币拿走给有10个塔兰特币的仆人。有财富的人将获得更多财富，那么他会变得富裕。没有财富的人，那么连他所拥有的都要被剥夺。把这无用的仆人扔到外面去，让他在黑暗中哭泣，让他在黑暗中咬牙切齿。”

- Matthew 25:14-30 (NIV)

-《马太福音  25:14-30》

This simple story makes some interesting points that are applicable to the pursuit of personal development.

这个简单的故事中蕴含着适用于个人发展的有趣观点。

First, we’re all given a different starting position.  Some of us are born into abundance (five talents).  Others are born into scarcity (one talent).  But what matters isn’t what we’re given — it’s what we do with it that matters.  So Jesus acknowledges the unfairness of life, but he also suggests that our starting conditions are irrelevant.  One person earns five talents, another earns only two, but both are congratulated equally because both achieved a 100% gain.  (I’d sure like to know where those servants invested their money!)

首先，我们都有着不同的出身。有人含着金钥匙出生（5个塔兰特币）。有些生于贫困之家（1个塔兰特币）。但是最重要的并不是父母给予的出身——而是我们如何来使用这个出身。所以耶稣承认生命是不平等的，但是暗示人生起点并不相干。有人挣了5个塔兰特币，有个挣了2个，但是两者都获得同样的赞许，因为两者都是获得百分百的回报。（我真的很想知道这两个仆人是如何投资的！）

This is also a good lesson in how to deal with other human beings.  Deal with other people based on their starting positions, and evaluate yourself by your own starting position.  If you happen to be one of those who receives five talents, don’t pat yourself on the back that you’re already above average.  If you have abundant talents, you should expect even more from yourself.  Similarly, there may be times in your life where you only have one talent and do the best you can with it, and even though your gains appear small from an external standard, by Jesus’ standard you’ve still made a notable accomplishment.  I wrote about this previously in Raise Your Standards.

在如何与他人相处方面，这个故事也有教育意义。基于他人的起点与人相处，但是基于自己的起点评价自己。如果你很幸运生于富贵之家，不要洋洋得意以为自己高人一等。如果你的父母给你很多财富，你应该期待自己能挣到更多。同样地，在你的生命中，有时你也许只有1个塔兰特币，一定要尽己所能来使用好它。如是，尽管从外部标准来看，你的所能似乎很小，但是从耶稣的角度来说，你已经获得了很大的成就。这个，我在之前的“提高你的标准”中已经写过。

Another interesting aspect of the parable is that our talents are entrusted to us, like a master putting money into the care of his servants.  We are stewards of our wealth, and I define wealth very loosely here, well beyond material possessions.  For example, if I can write and speak fairly well, those are talents entrusted to me.  I can bury them in the ground out of fear, or I can push out of my shell and strive to create increase for all.

这个寓言暗含另一个有趣的观点，即我们的财富都是托付给我们的，就像那个主人将钱托付给他的奴仆一样。所以我们都是自己财富的管理员。此处，我给财富的定义相当宽泛，超越了狭义的物质财富。比如，如果我能说会写，这就是托付给我的财富。出于恐惧，我可以将我的才能埋于地下，或者我也可以冲破牢笼努力增加这份才能。

One thing I wonder about the parable is this:  What would have happened if one of the servants who invested the money realized a loss instead of a gain?  There’s a clue to how Jesus would have answered this because of how the master addressed the third servant:  ”You wicked, lazy servant!”  Later the master refers to that servant as “worthless” and has him physically thrown out.  That’s pretty harsh language considering the servant still gave the master all his money back.  Is Jesus saying that inaction is wicked?  Yes, I believe so.  In other words, if you do nothing with your talents… if you hide them in the ground and hoard them, you are choosing to be wicked, lazy, and worthless.  You are supposed to invest what you’ve been given.  Don’t be lazy.

这个寓言我有一处疑问：如果投资的两位仆人中有人投资失败怎么办？有一句线索可以暗示耶稣会如何回答，因为主人对他的第三个仆人说的话中有：“你这个邪恶的懒仆人。”之后主人认为此仆人是“无用的”，并让人把他扔出去。考虑到此仆人还是把钱还了回去，他主人想来真是用词刺耳。难道耶稣想说没有行动就是邪恶？我想是的。换句话说，如果你不使用自己的才能。。。如果你把自己的才能埋藏于地下，就是选择了邪恶，懒惰，无用。你应该投资自己的才能。不要懒惰。

Another clue is how the first two servants are praised.  The master praises them for being “faithful.”  Very interesting.  It would have been different if the master praised them for being shrewd or effective or profitable.  But the praise is given for their faith, not for their results.

另一句线索是前两个仆人是如何被表扬的。主人称赞他们是“忠诚的”。很有意思。如果主人称赞他们是精明的，或者高效的，或者有益的，将有很大的不同。但是赞扬是因为忠诚的行动，而非结果。

Given the language (and hopefully my points still work with non-English versions of this scripture), I conclude that if one of the servants had invested money and lost some or all of it, they would still have been praised for their faithfulness.  However, given that Jesus doesn’t directly address this condition in the parable, he may also be suggesting that faith itself is the path to success — a common theme in his other teachings.  So perhaps if you use your talents faithfully, you aren’t really going to lose.

考虑到主人的话语（希望我的观点在此段经文的非英语版本中依然有效果），我认为如果其中一位仆人投资了金钱，但是失败了，他仍将由于忠诚而得到表扬。但是，考虑到耶稣并没有直接在此寓言中关注这一问题，他也许暗示，忠诚本身就是通向成功的路径——他的教导中永恒的主题。所以也许如果忠诚地使用自己的才能，就不会失败。Another notable quality of the parable is the lack of competition.  The servants aren’t competing with each other for their master’s favor.  It’s not a zero-sum game.  The first two servants both contribute something of value to their master’s estate.

此则语言另一个值得注意的地方就是缺乏竞争。仆人们并没有互相竞争以获得主人的喜爱。这不是一场零和游戏。前两个仆人都给主人的财产贡献了有价值的事物。

What’s the ultimate reward for the faithful servants?  Although Jesus doesn’t explicitly say it, it seems obvious they don’t get to keep the money.  The two successful servants aren’t even working for their own increase.  It’s not their money.  They’re working for the increase of their master, and they share in the increase to his estate.  Their true reward is to share in their master’s happiness.  So happiness is the reward, and happiness comes from serving others.

忠诚仆人的最终报酬是什么呢？耶稣也并没有明讲。显然，他们没有保留钱币。这两个成功的仆人甚至都不是为增长自己的财富工作，因为财富不是他们的。他们为主人的财富增长而工作，然后分享他增长财富中的一部分。他们的真正报酬是分享主人的快乐。所以快乐是报酬，而快乐来源于为他人服务。

I know from experience that if I undertake some action to create increase only for myself, there’s very little energy to it, and it doesn’t usually increase my happiness.  But if I focus on creating increase for others (such as by helping people grow), then I feel great joy in doing that, and it ultimately creates increase for me too.

过去的经验告诉我，如果我采取行动只为给自己带来发展，那么动力会很小，而且往往并没有更家快乐。但是如果我集中精力给别人带来发展（比如帮助别人成长），那么我将获得很多快乐，而且最终我也获得发展。

But there’s more to it than that.  Happiness is a quality that I inject into my work, not something I derive from it.  When I work only for myself, I’m looking for happiness outside myself.  Trying to achieve happiness that way doesn’t work.  But when I work for others’ benefit and turn off WIIFM for a while (What’s In It For Me?), I tap into the deep wells of happiness that are already inside me.  Instead of trying to achieve happiness, I happily achieve.  Happiness flows outward from me and into the work I do, so I experience it as an outflow, not an inflow.

但是其中的含义其实更多。快乐是我注入工作的动力，而不是我要从工作中获得快乐。如果只为自己努力，就是寻找自身之外的快乐，快乐并不出现。但是如果为别人工作，暂时忘却自己的利益，将能深入内心挖掘快乐之井，那么快乐将像井水一样源源不断从内心流出。这样，就无需努力获得快乐，而是快乐地获得。快乐从我体内奔腾而出，流入我的工作，所以快乐对我是流出而非流入。

Happiness is something you exhale, not something you inhale.  Are you one of those people who must say, “Yes, Senator, I had a supply of happiness in my gut, but I did not exhale?”

快乐是你呼出而非吸入的事物。你是否成为必说此话之人？“是，参议员。我的内脏中有很多快乐，但是我并没有呼出。”

As Jesus implies in The Parable of the Talents, creating abundance requires you to move beyond fear.  If you’re too fearful or suspicious or distrustful, you’re going to bury your talents.  And this leads to “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” i.e. sorrow and depression.

耶稣在此则寓言中暗示，创造富裕需要超越恐惧感。如果你太害怕，太怀疑，或者不信任，你将埋葬自己的才能。这将导致“哭泣和咬牙切齿”，就是指悲伤和绝望。

You might think that fear and suspicion will keep you out of trouble, but really they’ll just cause you suffering and pain.  You don’t need fear to avoid being a gullible idiot; for that you just need common sense.  To live a life of abundance, you must ultimately move beyond fear and work to create abundance for others.  Otherwise you’ll ultimately be cast out as worthless.  Jesus doesn’t pull any punches here, youse bums.

你也许认为恐惧和怀疑能让你免于麻烦，但是实际上他们将使你遭受折磨和痛苦。你不需要恐惧来避免成为上当受骗的啥子；因为你只需常识就可以了。要获得富裕的生活，你必须超越恐惧，并先为他们的财富努力。否则，你最终将一无是处。耶稣在此不会手下留情。

Serve to create increase for others, and happiness is your reward.  Bury your talents, and you get “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  The choice is yours.

服务他人以帮助他人成长，快乐将向你奔来。埋藏自己的才能，你将“哭泣并咬牙切齿”。选择在于你自己。

And that’s my parablog for the day.

这就是我今天的寓言部落格。