《瓦尔登湖·第一章·经济篇·Economy》第63节
There is no odor so bad as that which arises from goodness tainted. It is human, it is divine, carrion. If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life, as from that dry and parching wind of the African deserts called the simoom, which fills the mouth and nose and ears and eyes with dust till you are suffocated, for fear that I should get some of his good done to me,—some of its virus mingled with my blood. No,—in this case I would rather suffer evil the natural way. A man is not a good man to me because he will feed me if I should be starving, or warm me if I should be freezing, or pull me out of a ditch if I should ever fall into one. I can find you a Newfoundland dog that will do as much. Philanthropy is not love for one’s fellow-man in the broadest sense. Howard was no doubt an exceedingly kind and worthy man in his way, and has his reward; but, comparatively speaking, what are a hundred Howards to us, if their philanthropy do not help us in our best estate, when we are most worthy to be helped? I never heard of a philanthropic meeting in which it was sincerely proposed to do any good to me, or the like of me. The Jesuits were quite balked by those Indians who, being burned at the stake, suggested new modes of torture to their tormentors. Being superior to physical suffering, it sometimes chanced that they were superior to any consolation which the missionaries could offer; and the law to do as you would be done by fell with less persuasiveness on the ears of those who, for their part, did not care how they were done by, who loved their enemies after a new fashion, and came very near freely forgiving them all they did.
注释摘要
这一段出现在《经济篇》后半讨论慈善与邻人关系的地方，是梭罗整章里最容易被误读为冷酷无情的文字之一。他用了极其强烈的感官比喻——腐臭的气味、沙漠里令人窒息的热风、混入血液的病毒——来抗拒一种特定类型的善意：那种以施与者自我意识为中心的、带着改造他人意图的行善。他说这种善意一旦变质，比任何臭味都难闻，因为它不再是出于自然的流淌，而是承载了施与者的自恋与支配欲。…