James Poy Wong 黃培正

"The conflict of humans is the battle between reason and emotion. Therefore, someone had said that there are two “I”: one is a reason-I and one is an emotion-I."

"Emotion" - 1947

感情

感情是人类的最奇特的东西。 不认识感情的人，对富于感情的人窃笑，以为他摆不脱稚气。认识感情的人，却又沈溺于感情之中，无以自拔。

感情的反面是理智。理智可对事情作公正的分析，所以是客观的。 而感情是溺于情， 所以是主观的。如果人是有灵魂的动物，理智就是支持人身的肢骨，感情使人体丰美的皮肤和筋肉。我不敢想像到一个完全只有理智的世界。

理智是冰冷的东西，感情是温暖的知觉。人类所有的美满收获，如爱的享受，朋友的结合，幸福的给与，从这些美满收获所得来的快乐， 同情，安慰和鼓励，都是起于感情而终于感情。

但是感情是烦恼的使者。它不独带来烦恼，而且还带给你最大的悲哀， 失望，痛苦和无聊。

人类的矛盾，就是理智和感情的斗争。所以有人说，每一个人都有两个 “我”： 一个就是理智的我，一个就是感情的我。 如果只有一个“我” 存在， 世间就没有烦恼，可是也不会知道什么是快乐。 理智和感情交织的如此密切，而又偏不相容，迫着人们去加以取舍。 理智固可取，感情亦可爱。这就是人生问题的全部。做人难就在于取舍这一点。

对别人的过错，可作理智的忠告。对自己所走的路径，总因为感情的障碍而无法看得清楚。有时明知是自己走错了路，也不谋补救，继续错下去。

感情和理智，虽然是互相矛盾，但同时又是互相为助。理智需要感情来减少冷酷的人生，感情需要理智来检查及做指南针。

Emotion

Emotion is the thing that is most unique and strange in humans. Those who don’t understand emotions will secretly laugh at those who are full of emotions and regard them as people who have not outgrown their childish character. Yet those who understand emotions would indulge in their emotions and are unable to self-withdraw.

The opposite of emotions is reason. Reason can analyze events impartially, therefore it is objective. Whereas emotions are indulged in the senses, so it is subjective. If humans have souls, reason is the bones that support the bodies and emotion is the skin and flesh that make the bodies luxuriant and beautiful. I do not dare imagine a world consisting of only reasons.

Reason is an ice-cold thing, and emotion is a warm sensibility. The satisfying rewards of humans, such as the enjoyment of love, bonding of friends, sharing of bliss as well as happiness, sympathy, comfort, and encouragement from these rewards, are all initiated by emotions and ended with emotions.

But emotion is a messenger of vexation. It brings not only vexation, but also a paramount of sorrow, disappointment, pain and boredom.

The conflict of humans is the battle between reason and emotion. Therefore, someone had said that there are two “I”: one is a reason-I and one is an emotion-I. If only one “I” exists, the world will not have vexation, but we won’t know what happiness is either. Reason and emotion interweave so tightly and yet they just would not tolerate each other, and thus they force us to choose. Reason is desirable but emotion is lovable. This is the whole problem of life. Having to choose is what makes it difficult to conduct oneself.

We can give reasonable advice to others’ faults, but we could never clearly see our own path of life due to the obstruction of our emotions. Sometimes when we definitely know we are on the wrong path, yet we don’t try to make a remedy and continue to be wrong.

Although emotions and reason are mutually in conflict, they are also mutually complementary. Reason requires emotion to minimize the cruelty of life, and emotion needs reason to supervise as a compass.