Ji's Corner

雖然抗癌成功的例子時有耳聞，但癌症發生在周遭的人或自己身上時，幾乎每個人都會把它跟死亡做很直接的聯想，悲觀的人甚至會將其劃上等號。死亡在各種人文呈現如文學、電影、音樂中，跟愛情一樣都是寫不完也演不爛，無限詠唱的主題。相信很多Mitch Albom的讀者跟我一樣，看完Tuesdays with Morri後對死亡有豁然開朗、無所畏懼的感想，「生命有始有終，一個人才可以審視他的一輩子，然後知道走這一遭的目的。」上周陪母親到長庚接受子宮頸癌的診治，才發現我只是自以為豁達的看待生老病死，那天，我卻沉默寡言，同理心根本無法讓我體會母親承受的恐懼有多大，我不該叫她正面思考，她有權也應該發洩任何情緒，以下這本書跟其中一段字句很撫慰人心，把它們翻譯出來可以幫助我理解跟思考，也希望對某些人而言是有幫助的。

The reality and possibility of serious illness evokes soul from the first moment it registers:

it might be after hearing a report that something serious was found on the X-ray

or more sophisticated scans or in the specimen sent to the lab,

or after an illness announced itself with the sudden onset of an acute pain,

loss of consciousness or bleeding...

whenever or however that line from health to illness is crossed,

we enter this realm of soul.

Illness is both soul-shaking and soul-evoking for the patient

and for all others for whom the patient matters.

We lose an innocence, we know vulnerability,

we are no longer who we were before this event,

and we will never be the same.

We are in uncharted terrain, and there is no turning back.

Illness is a profound soul event, and yet this is virtually ignored and unaddressed.

Instead, everything seems to be focused on the part of the body

that is sick, damaged, failing, or out of control.

靈魂在病痛到來時甦醒，疾病宣佈自己的來臨可能是藉著一紙X光檢驗報告、精密的掃瞄儀器、送往實驗室的抽樣，也許是一陣劇痛，失去意識或者失血。

每當遭遇病痛，我們進入靈魂的領域，自身與身邊的人靈魂或受撼動，或受啟發。我們不再天真，我們感到脆弱，我們再也不是以往的自己，在靈魂的國度，我們所知幾稀，也尋無出口。

病痛，靈魂層次的深刻體悟，並不受重視;肉體層次的衰敗，反而成為焦點。

Illness makes us acutely aware of how precious life is

and how precious a particular life is.

Priorities shift.

We may see the truth of what matters, who matters,

and what we have been doing with our lives and have to decide what to do--

now that we know.

疾病使我們驚覺生命的無價，重視的人、事、物也隨之移轉。生命中的種種，孰輕孰重，昭然若揭，也了解到我們每個人如何定義自己的生活，如何在選擇中做決定。

Significant relationships are tested and either come through strengthened or fail.

Pain and fear bring us to our knees in prayer.

Our spiritual and religious convictions or the lack of them are called into question.

Illness is an ordeal for both body and soul,

and a time when healing  either or both can result.

病痛鍛煉每段珍貴的情誼，關係可能更加深厚堅固，也可能經不起考驗，碎裂崩潰。

苦痛、懼怕迫使我們跪拜祈禱，質疑或投靠信仰。

生病是身心上的折磨，最幸運的倖存者不過就是像平常人一樣身心健全。

Illness takes us out of our ordinary lives and concerns,

and confronts us with big questions

and the opportunity of tapping into soul knowledge

that can transform us and the situation.

疾病將我們從日常瑣事中抽離，以面對大問題，進而一窺心靈層面的智慧，內在與外在都將脫胎換骨。

At a soul level,

we can see clearly what matters and recognize the truth of our personal situation.

We know that we are spiritual beings on a human path

rather than human beings who may be on a spiritual path.

At the soul level we recognize what is sacred and eternal.

At the soul level,

an illness, even a terminal one,

is a potential beginning,

a liminal time when we are between the ordinary world and the invisible one.

用心去看，才能看透什麼是純粹、不變的。

我們是具有靈性的存在，而非存在著只為了尋覓自己的靈魂。

用心去體會，即便病魔領我們走向黑夜，

也要接受這將是另一天的早晨，黎明時我們都將進入那看不見的世界。