美式道德

章　鴻

Do Americans have any morals? Thats a good question. Many people insist that ideas about right and wrong are merely personal opinions. Some voices, though, are calling Americans back to traditional moral values. William J. Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education, edited The Book of Virtues in 1993 to do just that. Bennett suggests that great moral stories can build character. The success of Bennetts book shows that many Americans still believe in moral values. But what are they?

To begin with, moral values in America are like those in any culture. In fact, many aspects of morality are universal. But the stories and traditions that teach them are unique to each culture. Not only that, but culture influences how people show these virtues.

One of the most basic moral values for Americans is honesty. The well-known legend about George Washington and the cherry tree teaches this value clearly. Little George cut down his fathers favorite cherry tree while trying out his new hatchet. When his father asked him about it, George said, “I cannot tell a lie. I did it with my hatchet.” Instead of punishment, George received praise for telling the truth. Sometimes American honesty—being open and direct—can offends people. But Americans still believe that “honesty is the best policy.”

Another virtue Americans respect is perseverance. Remember Aesops fable about the turtle and the rabbit that had a race? The rabbit thought he could win easily, so he took a nap. But the turtle finally won because he did not give up. Another story tells of a little train that had to climb a steep hill. The hill was so steep that the little train had a hard time trying to get over it. But the train just kept pulling, all the while saying, “I think I can, I think I can.” At last, the train was over the top of the hill. “I thought I could, I thought I could,” chugged the happy little train.

Compassion may be the queen of American virtues. The story of “The Good Samaritan” from the Bible describes a man who showed compassion. On his way to a certain city, a Samaritan man found a poor traveler lying on the road. The traveler had been beaten and robbed. The kind Samaritan, instead of just passing by, stopped to help this person in need. Compassion can even turn into a positive cycle. In fall 1992, people in Iowa sent truckloads of water to help Floridians who had been hit by a hurricane. The next summer, during the Midwest flooding, Florida returned the favor. In less dramatic ways, millions of Americans are quietly passing along the kindnesses shown to them.

In no way can this brief description cover all the moral values honored by Americans. Courage, responsibility, loyalty, gratitude and many others could be discussed. In fact, Bennetts bestseller—over 800 pages—highlights just 10 virtues. Even Bennett admits that he has only scratched the surface. But no matter how long or short the list, moral values are invaluable. They are the foundation of American culture—and any culture.

美國人還有道德嗎？這是個好問題。許多人堅持對與錯乃是個人的意見。但是，還是有些人在呼喚美國人回到傳統(tǒng)的道德價值觀去。威廉·貝內(nèi)特，前任美國教育部長，正是為了此目的而在一九九三年編輯了《美德》。貝內(nèi)特認為偉大的道德故事可以建造性格。貝內(nèi)特這本書的成功顯示了許多美國人仍然相信道德的價值。但是它們到底為何？

最開始，道德價值在美國就像在任何其它的文化一樣。事實上，許多道德的觀點是全球一致的。但是，不同的文化則有不同的故事和傳統(tǒng)來教導(dǎo)它們。不僅如此，文化也影響了人民如何表現(xiàn)這些美德。

美國人最基本的道德價值之一是誠實。眾所周知的喬治·華盛頓砍櫻桃樹的傳說，顯然就是教導(dǎo)這種道德的。小喬治在試他新斧頭時砍倒了爸爸最心愛的櫻桃樹。當爸爸問他的時候，喬治說：“我不能說謊，我用我的斧頭砍了它。”喬治非但未被懲罰，反而因為誠實而被贊賞。有時候美國人仍然相信“誠實是最上策”。

另外一個為美國人所尊崇的美德為毅力。記得龜兔賽跑這則伊索寓言嗎？兔子以為它可以贏得很輕松，便睡了個午覺，但是烏龜卻最后終因不放棄而贏了這場比賽。另一個故事談到一個必須爬過陡峭山頭的小火車，山頭是這么陡，以至于小火車很難爬上去，但是它仍不斷地爬，并不停地說：“我想我能做到，我能做到。”最后，火車終于爬過了山頭，“我就知道我可以。”這個快樂的小火車笑哈哈地說。

同情心，可能是美國的道德之最了。《圣經(jīng)》中的《善良的撒瑪利亞人》的故事，描述一個流露同情心的人。在這個撒瑪利亞人去某城市的途中，看到一個可憐的旅客躺在路旁。這旅客被鞭打、搶劫，這位仁慈的撒瑪利亞人非但沒有視而不見，反而停下來幫助這位遭難的人。同情心還可以變成一個正面循環(huán)，在一九九二年的秋天，衣阿華的居民將好幾輛卡車的水卻幫助受颶風(fēng)侵襲的佛羅里達州的人；而就在第二年夏天，當中西部鬧水災(zāi)的時候，佛州人便投挑報李。數(shù)以百萬計的美國人民正用較不醒目的方式回報人們向他們表達的善意。

在這么一篇短短的文章里，無論如何也不能將美國人所尊崇的道德述盡。勇氣、責(zé)任心、忠誠、感激之心還有許多其它可以討論的。事實上，貝內(nèi)特最暢銷的書——超過八百頁——著重談了十種美德。即使貝內(nèi)特也承認他只談到了皮毛而已。但是不論這張道德表是長或短，道德價值都是無價的。它們是美國文化——和任何其它國家的文化之基礎(chǔ)。