文/阎成席
善心、善行与为人
Benevolence, Good Deeds and Excellent Interpersonal Relationship
Ba Jin completed his first novella entitled “Destruction” and he wrote in Chapter Twelve like this: “Your future will be happily bright as you have the endless kindness together with your youth and vitality.”
巴金1928年完成的第一部中篇小说《灭亡》，第二十章中他写到：“你的前途是很幸福的，你有青春，你有生命力，你有无限的善心。”
“Three Character Classic” makes it clear at the very beginning by giving us the methodical and patient guidance which goes like this, “Man at birth is fundamentally good in nature. Nature is quite similar while habit makes us different.”
《三字经》开宗明义，循循善诱，告诫我们：“人之初，性本善。性相近，习相远。”
We are required to read through the punch lines with care and comprehend the connotations: when people are newly born, they are pure and kind by nature and their temperament has little difference or even has the similarity. However, with the change and impact of their respective living environment, they show different habits, followed by their various behaviors, so there appears the difference between good and evil among people.
我们需一边仔细诵读，一边悟出其内涵：人刚出生之时，本性都是纯洁和善良的，性情几无差异，甚至很相近的。随着各自生存环境的变化和影响，人们的习性开始出现差异，行为举止也就各不相同了，因此人也就有善恶之分。
The so-called “Benevolence” means that people have the kind heart or an excellent mentality or ideological level so that they can put themselves in other's position from their heart for the benefit of them and are willing to treat others well enough or render assistance to them.
所谓“善心”指人们具有善良的心意或一种良好的心态和思想境界，能发自内心设身处地为他人着想，愿意善待或帮助他人。
Even if others are in dispute with the kind-hearted person or bear malice to him, he will treat them leniently and unselfishly with an open mind.
即便别人对自己有过节和行为不善，有善心的人也会宽大为怀，不予计较，别人需要帮助的时候，非常乐意伸出援助之手。
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A kind-hearted man can naturally transform his kindness into the daily good deeds and pays attention to his or her behavior or conduct in dealing with others or in the daily interpersonal communications and he can regard his entire life growth as a course of the cultivation of benevolence. It follows that we shall learn how to do good for others and enshrine it as the fundamental essentials for conducing ourselves.
富有善心的人，自然能将善心融入到日常的行为中并转化为善行，为人处世和日常人际交往中，注重自己的操行，将其自身的整个人生成长过程视为一场善心修炼的历程。所以，我们要学做善人，将善心视为做人之根本。
In this connection, having the mere kindness in heart is far from it but you will sublimate it into your voluntary good deeds. If we try to be kind to others, we should disregard our own personal gain or loss and should be public-spirited to do what we can for their benefit even at the sacrifice of our personal interests or our precious life, which represents the supreme state of the spiritual and moral cultivation.
所以说，有了善心，还远远不够，必须会将善心化为自主的善行。我们要做善事，不计个人得失，乐善好施，设身处地为别人好，甚至牺牲个人利益，甚至自己宝贵的生命也在所不惜，这就是心灵历练的最高境界。
2
我住的那条街上，有个自行车修补店，修车师傅姓项，快50了。
项师傅修车技艺高超，很多人自行车或电动车坏了，大老远跑来找他修车。他待人和气，干活利索，收费合理。有时候一些小毛病，他干脆分文不取，所以赢得了不少赞许。
平日里，不少邻居来到店里摆上棋牌桌，打牌下棋。他手里活干完了，就给玩友们倒茶倒水，热情招呼他们，乐此不疲。当然，他也偶尔看看别人下棋，也会给人支个招，和大家分享快乐，这场面那真叫个热闹嘿！
项师傅自叹读书不多，所以一有时间他就从旧书摊买回一些书，甚至熬夜苦读，所以现在他能吟咏唐诗三百首和背诵很多经典名篇。
除了忙生计，项师傅还义务参与社区家庭矛盾调解工作。哪家孩子不听话，不好好学习或上网成瘾；哪家婆媳关系紧张或夫妻不和；左邻右舍因鸡毛蒜皮小事儿闹得不可开交，他都会苦口婆心，现身说法，循循善诱，劝解矛盾，疏通紧张的关系，化解了人们心中的怨恨，人们心服口服，握手言和，或痛改前非，这是大善大德！。
更让人感到的是，项师傅乐于助人，门前来了讨饭的，他就给人三毛五角，好言相送；有时遇上上年纪的乞讨者，他会让老人家进店歇息片刻，他赶紧买碗混沌或汤面，伺候老者慢慢吃下，临走还给老人十块八块钱，扶着老人走出店，再三叮咛，要是有困难只管到店找他。
3
People who are kind-hearted and ready to show mercy to others are our good examples to model upon. They pass on their kindness and good deeds to the people around with full positive energy and shine brightly with the sparkles of humanity so that the people around them can follow suit in turning over a new leaf by casting away evil and do good, correcting their own actions for better performances and developing the proper behaviors without doing anything that may infringe upon the interests of others, let alone doing anything evil against conscience, contrary to the conscience or detrimental to the society.
有善心且处处行善的人一定是人们的榜样和楷模，他们会将自己的善心和善行传递给身边的人，传递满满的正能力，闪耀着人性的光芒，感动身边的人弃恶从善，修正自己的言行，端正品行，不干有损他人利益的事情，更别说干任何有悖良心和危害社会的坏事。
If every one of us has the moral and behavioral bottom line without going beyond it as the off limits, the entire society is presumably so harmonious and happy.
如果人人有道德和行为底线，不越城池半步，那么整个社会想必是多么和谐和幸福呀。
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When people are all kind-hearted and public-spirited and scrupulously abide by the moral bottom line and put ourselves in their shoes and do whatever we can for the benefit of others, the whole society will be far away from the evil deeds and people can sleep sound with their doors wide open with no worries about such things as theft and robbery, murder and arson, swindle and bluff.
人人有善心，有公益之心，恪守道德底线，并能设身处地为他人着想，那么整个社会就会远离恶行，人们就可以敞开大门睡大觉，用不着担心偷盗抢劫、杀人放火、坑蒙拐骗的事情了。
4
Nowadays, many people send out a strong stink of money and put money above everything else. So now some people show the fickleness of human nature and snobbery as the way of the world, so the moral bottom line of the people goes from bad to worse, for which we just heave a deep sigh by shaking our head. Moreover, some people lack the sufficient moral self-cultivation but are always yelling: “we don’t have to do anything good for others, or we may stir up a fire only to burn ourselves -- to ask for trouble!”
当今社会很多人散发出浓浓的铜臭味，一切向钱看。正所谓人情冷暖、世态炎凉，道德底线每况愈下，令人摇头叹息。而且，总有那么些人自我道德修养不够，还天天嚷嚷：“好事做不得，反而惹得一身骚！”。
If an elderly person falls down and fails to get on his or her feet in the public eye, people turn a blind eye to it and take to their heels from the scene and no one is willing to give a helping hand but look on indifferently or wait and see if there is any blockhead who dares to get invoked into the muddy water and repeat the classic stories of “The Snake and the Farmer” and “Dongguo and the Wolf” in defiance of the universal condemnation.
现在老人跌倒不能站起来，且在公众视野内，人们视而不见，赶紧避之，没有上前帮扶的意愿。反而，他们袖手旁观，看看有木有哪个傻冒敢趟这浑水，冒天下之大不韪重复“农夫与蛇”和“东郭先和狼”故事。
Without doubt, we can not merely focus the torch light on others, but on the contrary, we should lay the hand on the heart and examine ourselves: Am I kind-hearted enough to others? Will I come out boldly to help others out within our capability when others are in danger? If others treat us with great kindness by doing us a favor, should we remember “to repay as much as we can for even a little bit of favor we have received” some day?
当然，我们不能拿着手电筒只照别人，我们也该扪心自问：自己真的有一颗善心吗？在别人危难之时，能挺身而出，提供力所能及的帮助吗？别人善待我们，给予过我们恩惠，我们是否心存感激，日后会不会记得“滴水之恩，当涌泉相报”？
We should have the kindness in our heart at any rate, so even if we fail to do good for others, we should at least show compassion for the weak, give a smile to a stranger, give more care and concern to our family, friends and others.
不管如何，我们都应有善心，即便无能力施善，也要给弱者一份同情，给陌生人一个微笑，给亲朋好友以及他人一份关爱，一份牵挂。
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