The Sour Grapes Behind "Justice"

正義感背後的酸葡萄味

In an era of heightened sensitivity, constructive and positive discourse is incredibly valuable. We all love to see "people with a sense of justice" step up. Yet, no one wants to be the one on the receiving end of criticism. Let's remember that being kind to others is also being kind to ourselves. Sometimes, "righteous" criticism can even sound a bit like sour grapes.

在一個過度敏感的時代，正面且有建設性的言論是無比珍貴的。我們都愛看到「有正義感的人」挺身而出，但誰也不希望成為那個被批判的人。請記住，放過別人，就是放過自己。有時候，「正義」的批判，聽起來也有點酸葡萄的味道。

When I gave a speech at National Tsing Hua University, I shared an anecdote: If I saw someone littering, I wouldn't yell, "Don't you know what a trash can is?!" Instead, I'd pick up the plastic bottle they dropped, hand it back to them, and say, "Sir, you dropped something! Or do you want to throw it away? I can put it in the trash can for you."

我之前在清華大學演講時也提過，當我看見有人隨地亂丟垃圾，我並不是直接對他咆哮：「是不知道什麼叫垃圾桶嗎？」而是會撿起他丟的寶特瓶，遞給他的同時，說：「先生，你東西掉了！還是你要丟掉？我幫你放那邊的垃圾桶。」

Perhaps you might think this is disingenuous, that they deserve a scolding, and why be so polite? It's true, and I did want to scold them. But everyone has a fear of losing face. If you criticize them directly, they'll only deny it and resent you, and we won't achieve the educational outcome we want. Instead, by giving them a way to save face, you'll leave a more lasting impression.

或許你會覺得這樣很假，他就欠罵，為什麼要這麼客氣？沒錯，我確實很想罵他，但是每個人都有一個怕丟臉的心態。你直接批評他，他只會否認、反感，無法達到我們想要的教育結果。反而，給對方台階下，留點面子才能讓他印象深刻。

If our goal is to make society better, we can't have the mindset of, "But they're the one who did wrong, why should I be polite to them?" This world is inherently unfair, but I'm clear that what I want isn't some vague "fairness and justice." Instead, I aim to change the future through every interaction with others.

如果我們的目標是讓社會更好，就不能有「可是做錯事的人是他，憑什麼要我對他客氣？」的心態。這世界本來就不公平，但我很清楚我要的不是什麼虛無的「公平正義」，而是透過每一次的人與人的互動，改變未來。

I recall my college psychology professor asking us, "Do you know why most people are unhappy?" The answer was, "Because most people want to be happier than others."

記得上大學的時候，心理學的教授問我們：「你知道為什麼大部分的人都不快樂嗎？」答案是：「因為大部分的人都想比別人快樂。」

Many people can't stand seeing others receive praise, access resources, or have better financial means to spend, which leads to more opportunities to win bids or lotteries. Some are willing to wake up early to queue for limited-edition products, while others, when they can't get them, complain that it's too early and they can't get up.

很多人看不慣別人獲得讚賞，獲得資源，甚至看不慣別人有更好的經濟能力消費，所以可以有更多機會中發票、中樂透。有人願意早起排隊搶購限量商品，也有人在排不到的時候，抱怨太早了，起不來。

The professor also said, "People who constantly complain about society being unfair are often not very diligent. Because diligent people usually don't have time to complain."

記得教授也說：「老是抱怨社會不公平的人，往往都不是很努力。因為很努力的人，通常沒時間抱怨。」