分享戴卓爾夫人好文一則

Interview for Woman's Own ("no such thing as society")

也許大家沒有時間細看, 節錄了其中的精彩部份:

I think we have gone through a period when too many children and people have been given to understand"I have a problem, it is the Government's job to cope with it!" or"I have a problem, I will go and get a grant to cope with it!" "I am homeless, the Government must house me!"

...and so they are casting their problems on society and who is society? There is no such thing! There are individual men and women and there are families and no government can do anything except through people and people look to themselves first. It is our duty to look after ourselves and then also to help look after our neighbour and life is a reciprocal business...

"All right, if you cannot get a job, you shall have a basic standard of living!" but when people come and say:"But what is the point of working? I can get as much on the dole!" You say:"Look! It is not from the dole. It is your neighbour who is supplying it..."

But it went too far. If children have a problem, it is society that is at fault. There is no such thing as society. There is living tapestry of men and women and people and the beauty of that tapestry and the quality of our lives will depend upon how much each of us is prepared to take responsibility for ourselves and each of us prepared to turn round and help by our own efforts those who are unfortunate.

我想, 香港人的步伐正好相反.
香港人走過了一段和諧日子. 在那段日子裡, 大家都自覺是社會一份子, 大家都意識到社會是靠每一個個體互相扶持構成, 大家都覺得向社會領福利等於把責任傳嫁給身邊的人而為此感到羞恥.
然後... 人們慢慢開始變質. 也許是因為貧富越來越懸殊, 人們開始從社會抽離. 大家都覺得社會已經由富人壟斷, 所以向社會要求一切的福利都的是合理的, 向社會作一切的自私行為都是無可厚非的, 而社會發生任何問題自已都不需承擔任何責任的.
於是就聽到類似這樣的流行歌, 「邊一個發明了返工, 唔係八婆就係八公...」. 它不是pop, 之所以說它是流行歌, 因為在年輕人中非常流行. 最令人痛心的, 正是發現了香港的年青人已經不再把自已當成社會的一份子, 而是把社會當成一個無中生有的福利中心. 他們不但沒有"prepared to take responsibility for ourselves", 更不可能"prepared to turn round and help by our own efforts those who are unfortunate". 這樣的社會還能撐多久? 我不敢想像.
我們將問題都歸咎於貧富懸殊, 將貧富懸殊歸咎於政府. 無錯, 全都是政府的錯. 結果呢? 因為無一個錯誤是自已的, 而自已的自私行為也有了合理的基礎, 所以亦無需要改變...
但為甚麼不能回個頭想想, 難道就因為錯的不是我, 就要眼睜睜看著香港陸沉而袖手旁觀嗎? 雖然錯不在我, 但畢竟這是我們的家, 為甚麼不能每人盡一分力去將他撥亂反正? 我們要做的其實並不多, 只要好好照顧自已, 並不時關心身邊需要援助的人, 已經很足夠了. 為何連這麼基本的公民責任我們都不願意負而寧願把社會拖垮? 我真不明白...