某天在捷運站出口，我看到一位年邁乞討者，年紀或許只比我大十幾歲。那是下班時段，台北人的善心令我驚訝，幾乎有一半的路人會從口袋掏出零錢或紙鈔投入他手上的籃子。

當他籃中的現金多到必須暫時移往巷口整理，再回到原位繼續接受施捨時，我心中不禁推想：如果某天他收到一張千元大鈔呢？

這張鈔票，對慷慨者而言可能只是身上的零頭，但對另一些人來說卻是一週的生活費。這位老人，是否從此更期待下一位「大方的路人」？

「大」與「無限大」，哪個大？關鍵或許在財富格局，也就是分母，或許，億萬富翁和街頭乞者都曾幻想過「無限大」的富裕。

當經濟拮据時，我們夢想中樂透的奇蹟降臨；但你是否知道，有些人固定投入大筆金額包牌購買彩券，他們的戶頭可能早已是千萬等級。

有人能花兩千元享用一餐，對照一餐不超過兩百元的大多數人，同樣是吃一餐，營養可能相差不多，只是格調和餐廳服務員態度的差別。

 

人們總習慣以自己的標準來評價他人，有時甚至不自覺的想一股腦將心中所想傾吐出來，卻忽略了現場沒有聽這些話的氣氛。

有一次我跟身旁的人提起，一碗摩斯漢堡的玉米濃湯可以是我那天唯一的一餐，對方的反應卻是：「那怎麼行？你會營養不良的！」

這種對話情境，猶如我們急欲向親友分享斷食有多麼好，結果卻發現對方像是來自外星球，明明說的是共同語言，卻毫無交集。

你或許也看過因政治立場不同而當街互罵的場景，冷靜想想，人有時真的很可笑，為了輸贏，非得爭個你死我活。

而更荒謬的是，當戰爭發動，幾千幾萬條人命被犧牲時，發號施令的國家領袖，竟能毫無悔意的堅持自己的決定。

當一個人的目標明確，卻不惜讓無數他人成為犧牲品，並用各種方式掩飾那些犧牲的事實時，那個目標十之八九，就是極端自私、極度圖利自身的產物。

 

「人不為己，天誅地滅」，這句話本身存在一定程度的人性根基，但若被過度擴大解釋，便形成了毀滅世界的軌跡。

地球上的每一個生物都具備照顧自身生存的本能，但人類，在所有物種中最擅長自我保護，卻也最擅長透過傷害他人來成就自己。

銀行提供貸款，是為了幫助有財務困難的人嗎？不完全是。無須揣測銀行高層的獲利意圖，只需看一眼放款業務員的眼神便知，這不是關於對錯，而是利己和利他的平衡。

那些走上破產之路的企業家，他們大多能清楚指出導致惡性循環的轉捩點，也許是被迫擴張信用的關卡，也許是某場讓貪念爆表的深夜會議。

我用同樣的邏輯看待疾病，那個讓人跌入惡性循環的節點，常常是在一段放縱沉迷之後持續惡化，而當事人經常沉醉不醒。

可能是長期不改的壞脾氣、每日熬夜的壞習慣，或者是身邊太多約吃的飯友。

體會過傲慢的破壞力，也嚐過貪婪的殺傷力。那些造成壞結果的因子，我也曾染上，那正是我人生最辛苦卻也最失衡的階段。

 

思考「個人利益最大化」這句話，我的靈魂突然震動了一下，不正是這種企圖，曾經被環境輸入、當成主流價值深植於我腦海？

這個普遍存在於民間的信念，正在無聲無息的侵蝕人們的生命品質。

當我們在「自掘墳墓」的同時，也在為他人挖墳；在侵犯他人權益的當下，仍不願放下自身的貪婪。

極端氣候正逐步侵蝕人類的命脈，我想到那些為了巴結上位者而曲意逢迎的行為，想到藥品市場的製藥創意，也想到政商場上那一個個低頭哈腰的身影。

人類的虛偽與虛假，正悄悄將整個地球推向毀滅邊緣，也將我們自己的生命一併斷送。

我眼前只是一個單純的學習環境，但虛偽和自私的思維無處不在，只顧自己方便的人比比皆是。

這種思維不斷被放大，將成為整體人類世界的危機。

 

我最後想到那些罹患癌症的人，他們多半覺得自己無辜，無情的命運怎麼會落到自己頭上？若說：那是行為違逆了天地之道，他們大多仍試圖為自己辯護，即使他們荒唐的行為只是不睡覺和愛生氣。

而正是在那個關鍵節點，當局勢對自己極度不利之時，他們心中仍堅守「個人利益最大化」的立場。

那麼，「退一步，海闊天空」究竟到哪去了？

這不也像是那些學習斷食養生一段時間後，僅僅因為旁觀者幾句無的放矢的話語，接著過河拆橋，否定一切過往努力的行為嗎？

養生這件事，最值得學的，不只是愛自己，更是從「愛自己的基本面」出發，細細品味如何讓這份愛流向他人，成為真正豐盛的贈與。

 

（地球的資源足以滿足每個人的需求，卻無法滿足每個人的貪婪。）

 

The Maximization of Self-Interest

One day at the exit of a metro station, I saw an elderly beggar who, perhaps, was only a decade older than me. It was rush hour, and the kindness of Taipei’s people surprised me—almost half the passersby would take coins or bills from their pockets and drop them into the basket he held.

When the amount of cash in his basket grew so large that he had to step aside into a nearby alley to sort it before returning to his post to continue receiving alms, I couldn’t help but wonder: what if, one day, someone dropped a 1,000 NTD bill into his basket?

To the generous donor, that bill might have been spare change, but to someone else, it could be an entire week’s living expense. Would that old man, from that moment on, begin to expect the next “generous passerby”?

Which is greater—”big” or “infinite”? The answer may lie in the scale of one’s financial framework, or in other words, the denominator. Perhaps both billionaires and beggars have, at some point, fantasized about infinite wealth.

When money is tight, we dream of winning the lottery. But do you know there are people who regularly spend large sums buying every number combination—people whose bank accounts might already be in the tens of millions?

Some can spend two thousand dollars on a single meal, while the majority keep theirs under two hundred. Both are meals, the nutrition may be similar—the difference lies in ambiance and the attitude of the restaurant staff.

People often use their own standards to judge others, and sometimes can’t help but blurt out their thoughts, oblivious to whether the setting is right for such words.

Once, I mentioned to someone that a bowl of corn soup from MOS Burger could be my only meal for the day. Their immediate reaction was: “How can that be? You’ll become malnourished!”

This kind of conversation is much like when we’re eager to share how great fasting is, only to realize the person listening seems to come from another planet. We speak the same language, yet find no common ground.

You’ve probably also witnessed people shouting at each other on the street over political differences. When you think calmly about it, humans can be truly absurd—fighting to the death just to win an argument.

What’s even more ridiculous is when wars are launched and thousands, even tens of thousands, of lives are sacrificed, the national leaders giving the orders remain unapologetically firm in their decisions.

When someone has a clear goal but is willing to let countless others become casualties, all while hiding the cost of these sacrifices, that goal is, more often than not, one born of extreme selfishness and personal gain.

The phrase, “If a man doesn’t act in his own interest, heaven and earth will destroy him,” is rooted in human nature. But when taken to extremes, it paves a path toward the destruction of the world.

Every creature on Earth has a survival instinct. But among all species, humans are the best at self-preservation—and the most adept at achieving it through harming others.

Do banks offer loans to help people in financial need? Not exactly. You don’t need to speculate about the motives of bank executives—just look into the eyes of the lending officer. It’s not about right or wrong; it’s about the balance between self-interest and altruism.

Most entrepreneurs who eventually go bankrupt can clearly point to the turning point that led to their downward spiral—perhaps a forced credit expansion, or maybe a late-night meeting that unleashed unchecked greed.

I see disease through the same lens. The moment when one falls into a vicious cycle often comes after a period of indulgence and addiction—and many people remain intoxicated and unaware.

It might be an unchecked temper, chronic sleep deprivation, or simply too many social meals. I’ve experienced the destructive power of arrogance and the harm caused by greed. I’ve been tainted by the same factors that lead to negative outcomes—those were the most difficult and unbalanced times of my life.

When I reflect on the phrase “maximizing personal interest,” my soul jolts. Isn’t this very idea one that was deeply ingrained in me by the environment and accepted as a mainstream value?

This belief, so common in our society, is quietly corroding the quality of our lives. While we dig our own graves, we’re also digging them for others. As we infringe upon others’ rights, we refuse to let go of our own greed.

As extreme climate patterns steadily eat away at humanity’s lifeline, I think of those who curry favor with superiors through flattery, of pharmaceutical markets driven by clever drug inventions, and of those sycophantic figures in politics and business.

Human hypocrisy and deceit are quietly pushing the planet toward the brink of collapse—and taking our lives down with it.

What lies before me is merely a simple learning environment, yet selfish and hypocritical thinking is everywhere. People who only care about their own convenience are everywhere.

This way of thinking, if left unchecked, will grow into a global human crisis.

Finally, I think of those who have been diagnosed with cancer. Most of them feel wronged—how could such a merciless fate fall upon them? But if we say it was because their behavior defied the laws of nature, many will still defend themselves, even if their “crimes” were as simple as not sleeping or frequently getting angry.

And it is precisely at that critical juncture—when the odds are overwhelmingly against them—that they still cling to the principle of “maximizing personal benefit.”

So, where did the wisdom of “take a step back and the sea opens wide” go?

Isn’t this the same as those who, after practicing fasting and wellness for some time, suddenly abandon all their past efforts just because of a few careless remarks from outsiders?

The greatest lesson in wellness is not merely learning to love oneself—but understanding how to let that self-love overflow and extend to others, becoming a truly generous offering.