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马丁·路德·金（1929—1968）是著名的美国民权运动领袖，曾于1964年获诺贝尔和平奖。他一生致力于宣扬种族平等，希望黑人能获得平等的权力，并主张通过非暴力的形式完成社会变革。《我们向何处去》是他在1967年所作的一篇影响深远的演讲词，再次宣扬了其“爱是解决人类问题的唯一答案”的理念。
英文正文
Now alot of us are preachers,and all of us have our moral convictions and concerns,and so often have problems with power.There is nothing wrong with power if power is used correctly.You see,what happened is that some of our philosophers got off base.And one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites—polar opposites—so that love is identified with aresignation of power,and power with adenial of love.
It was this misinterpretation that caused Nietzsche[1],who was aphilosopher of the will to power,to reject the Christian concept of love.It was this same misinterpretation which induced Christian theologians to reject the Nietzschean philosophy of the will to power in the name of the Christian idea of love.Now,we've got to get this thing right.What is needed is arealization that power without love is reckless and abusive,and love without power is sentimental and anemic.Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice,and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.And this is what we must see as we move on.What has happened is that we have had it wrong and confused in our own country,and this has led Negro Americans in the past to seek their goals through power devoid of love and conscience.
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And so Isay to you today that Istill stand by nonviolence.And Iam still convinced that it is the most potent weapon available to the Negro in his struggle for justice in this country.And the other thing is that Iam concerned about abetter world.I'm concerned about justice.I'm concerned about brotherhood.I'm concerned about truth.And when one is concerned about these,he can never advocate violence.For through violence you may murder amurderer but you can't murder.Through violence you may murder aliar but you can't establish truth.Through violence you may murder ahater,but you can't murder hate.Darkness can't put out darkness.Only light can do that.
And Isay to you,I have also decided to stick to love.For Iknow that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems.And I'm going to talk about it everywhere Igo.I know it isn't popular to talk about it in some circles today.I'm not talking about emotional bosh when Italk about love.I'm talking about astrong,demanding love.And Ihave seen too much hate.I've seen too much hate on the faces of sheriffs in the South.I've seen hate on the faces of too many Klansmen[2] and too many White Citizens Councilors in the South to want to hate myself,because every time Isee it,I know that it does something to their faces and their personalities and Isay to myself that hate is too great aburden to bear.I have decided to love.If you are seeking the highest good,I think you can find it through love.And the beautiful thing is that we are moving against wrong when we do it,because John was right,God is love.He who hates does not know God,but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.
中文译文
我们向何处去
马丁·路德·金
我们中有许多人是传道士，而且我们所有的人都有自己的道德信念和所关心的事，也因此经常与权力有冲突。如果使用得当，权力并没有什么问题。问题是我们有些哲学家曲解了它。历史上的一大问题就是常把爱和权力的概念对立起来——把它们看作两极化的对立面——结果爱被认为须放弃权力，而权利则意味着对爱的摒弃。
正是这种曲解使得研究权力意志的哲学家尼采拒绝基督教的爱的概念。也是这种曲解诱使基督教的神学家们，以基督的爱的思想的名义拒绝尼采的权力意志的哲学。现在我们必须得把这一曲解改正过来。我们需要认识到没有爱的权力是毫无节制的、易被滥用的，而没有权力的爱则是多愁善感的、苍白无力的。最理想的权力是实现公正所需的爱，最理想的公正是改正任何阻挠爱的权力。这就是我们走向未来时必须要理解的。事实表明，我们在自己的国家对此有过误解及混淆，并因此导致了美国黑人曾试图用没有爱和良知的权力实现他们的目标。
因此，今天我想告诉你们，我仍坚持非暴力这一原则。而且我仍然坚信，它是黑人在这个国家争取公正的斗争的最有效的武器。另外，我企盼一个更美好的世界。我企盼公正。我企盼兄弟情谊。我企盼真理。当一个人有此企盼时，他绝不会倡导暴力。因为暴力可能除掉一个凶手，但却不能消除谋杀。暴力可能除掉一个骗子，但却不能缔造真理。暴力可能除掉一个仇人，但却不能消除仇恨。黑暗不能驱除黑暗，只有光明才能驱除黑暗。
我还想告诉你们，我已决意继续以爱为本。因为我知道爱是最终解决人类问题的唯一答案。因此，无论走到哪里我都会谈及此话题。我知道今天在某些圈子里这是一个不受欢迎的话题。我所谈及的爱不是情感纠葛。我所谈及的爱是一种强烈的、高要求的爱。因为我看到了太多的仇恨。在南部县治安官的脸上看到了太多的恨。在太多的三K党成员和南方白人公民议员的脸上看到仇恨，以至于我开始厌恶自己。因为每次我看到它，我知道这对他们的脸和他们的人格都有影响，我会对自己说，仇恨是一个令人难以承受的负担。因此我已决定以爱为本。倘若你在寻求最高层次的德行，我想你可以在爱中找到。美妙的是，当我们这样做的时候，我们在远离邪恶，因为约翰是正确的，神就是爱。心存怨恨的人不认识神，倒是心中有爱的人掌握了能够开启通向现实大门的钥匙。
词汇速记
anemic adj. 贫血的；没有活力的
devoid adj. 缺乏的；全无的
nonviolence n. 非暴力
bosh n. 胡说；胡思乱想
sheriff n. 郡治安官；州长；执行吏
councilor n. 顾问；议员
ultimate adj. 终极的；根本的
美句欣赏
① And one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites—polar opposites—so that love is identified with aresignation of power,and power with adenial of love.历史上的一大问题就是常把爱和权力的概念对立起来——把它们看作两极化的对立面——结果爱被认为须放弃权力，而权利则意味着对爱的摒弃。
② What is needed is arealization that power without love is reckless and abusive,and love without power is sentimental and anemic.Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice,and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.我们需要认识到没有爱的权力是毫无节制的、易被滥用的，而没有权力的爱则是多愁善感的、苍白无力的。最理想的权力是实现公正所需的爱，最理想的公正是改正任何阻挠爱的权力。
③ For through violence you may murder amurderer but you can't murder.Through violence you may murder aliar but you can't establish truth.Through violence you may murder ahater,but you can't murder hate.Darkness can't put out darkness.Only light can do that.因为暴力可能除掉一个凶手，但却不能消除谋杀。暴力可能除掉一个骗子，但却不能缔造真理。暴力可能除掉一个仇人，但却不能消除仇恨。黑暗不能驱除黑暗，只有光明才能驱除黑暗。