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 私自身は,子供（←男の子）が自分はすてきな人間なんだと思うように育てることには大きなメリットがある,と考えている。いかなるクジャクも,ほかのクジャクのシッポ（の美しさ）を羨みはしないと,私は思う。なぜなら,クジャクはみな,自分のシッポが世界中で一番すばらしいと思いこんでいるからである。その結果,クジャクは'平和を好む（穏やかな）鳥'になっている。もしクジャクが,自分のことを良く考えることは良くないと教えられていたならば,クジャクの生活はどんなに不幸になることか,想像してもらいたい。ほかのクジャクがシッポを大きく広げるのを見るたびに,クジャクはいつも自分に次のように言うだろう。
「私のシッポは,あいつのシッポよりすばらしいなんて,思ってはいけない。なぜなら,そう思うのはうぬぼれだろうからだ。ああ,だけど,それが本当であればなあ! あの憎たらしい鳥は,自分はりっぱだと,まったく確信している。あいつの羽を何本か抜いてやろうか。そうすれば,たぶん,あいつと比較される心配はなくなる。」あるいは,もしかすると,このクジャクは,相手のクジャクにわなをしかけ,相手のクジャクは,クジャクにあるまじきぬふるまいをした邪なクジャクであることを証明し,クジャクの指導者集会で告発するかもしれない。しだいにそのクジャクは,特別立派なシッポを持ったクジャクはほとんど邪であり,また,クジャク王国の賢明な統治者は,２，３本のシッポの羽のみを引きずっているような'謙虚なクジャク'を捜し出すはずだ,という原則を打ちたてるであろう。この原則を受け入れさせた後で,彼は,もっとも美しいクジャクたちをすべて殺してしまい,そうして,ついには,本当に素晴らしいシッポなどというものは,'過去のぼんやりした記憶'になってしまうにちがいない。これこそ,道徳の仮面をかぶった'ねたみ'の勝利である。だが,（これに対し）全てのクジャクが,自分は他のいずれのクジャクよりも素晴らしいと思っている世界では,このような弾圧は,いずれのクジャクにとっても,必要でない。どのクジャクも自分がコンテストにおいて一等賞を獲得するものと思っているし,また,どのクジャクも自分の雌クジャクを大事に思っているので,自分が一等賞を獲得したのだと思いこんでいる。 |
Unnecessary modesty has a great deal to do with envy. Modesty is considered a virtue, but for my part I am very doubtful whether, in its more extreme forms, it deserves to be so regarded. Modest people need a great deal of reassuring, and often do not dare to attempt tasks which they are quite capable of performing. Modest people believe themselves to be outshone by those with whom they habitually associate. They are therefore particularly prone to envy, and, through envy, to unhappiness and ill will. For my part, I think there is much to be said for bringing up a boy to think himself a fine fellow. I do not believe that any peacock envies another peacock his tail, because every peacock is persuaded that his own tail is the finest in the world. The consequence of this is that peacocks are peaceable birds. Imagine how unhappy the life of a peacock would be if he had been taught that it is wicked to have a good opinion of oneself. Whenever he saw another peacock spreading out his tail, he would say to himself: 'I must not imagine that my tail is better than that, for that would be conceited, but oh, how I wish it were! That odious bird is so convinced of his own magnificence! Shall I pull out some of his feathers? And then perhaps I need no longer fear comparison with him.'Or perhaps he would lay a trap for him, and prove that he was a wicked peacock who had been guilty of unpeacockly behaviour, and he would denounce him to the assembly of the leaders. Gradually he would establish the principle that peacocks with specially fine tails are almost always wicked, and that the wise ruler in the peacock kingdom would seek out the humble bird with only a few draggled tail feathers. Having got this principle accepted, he would get all the finest birds put to death, and in the end a really splendid tail will become only a dim memory of the past. Such is the victory of envy masquerading as morality. But where every peacock thinks himself more splendid than any of the others, there is no need for all this repression. Each peacock expects to win the first prize in the competition, and each, because he values his own peahen, believes that he has done so. |
（掲載日：2005.06.09／更新日：）
