164.8月4日美好生活的規則－白孟德神父（Fr. Charles Belmonte Lopez）語錄-譯者:林豪

Rules for good living. What does a family, the imperial Habsburg, have to offer a modern, and liberal society? Archduke of Austria Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen answers this question in his new book: The Habsburg Way: Seven Rules for Turbulent Times. He identifies the most essential convictions that apply not just to princes and the powerful, but to all of us.

美好生活的規則。有一個家庭，哈布斯堡王朝，必須為現代和自由的社會提供什麼呢？奧地利大公，愛德華·哈布斯堡-洛特林根（Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen），在他的新書《哈布斯堡王朝之路：動蕩時代的七條規則》（The Habsburg Way： Seven Rules for Turbulent Times）中回答了這個問題。他指出了最基本的觀點，這些觀點不僅適用於皇親國戚和有權勢的人，也適用於我們所有的人。

Rule 1: GET MARRIED AND HAVE LOTS OF CHILDREN. Without families, society tends to collapse into isolation and self-centeredness. Children learn from one another and their elders. A successful marriage requires being with someone who shares your values, ideas, faith, and outlook. Still, because the Catholic faith provides such a deep spiritual foundation, it facilitates the formation of the deepest bond between spouses. Precisely because the Catholic faith is stable, it creates stability in marriages; thus,

規則1：要結婚並生很多孩子。沒有家庭，社會往往會陷入孤立和以自我中心。孩子們互相學習，且向長輩學習。成功的婚姻來自於需要有人與你一起分享價值觀、想法、信仰和觀點。儘管如此，由於天主教信仰，提供了如此深厚的神修基礎，它有助於形成配偶之間最深厚的關係。正是因為天主教信仰是穩定的，它創造了穩定的婚姻;因此

Rule 2: BE CATHOLIC. Due to “original sin,” man needs visibility in the life of the faith, such as “processions, rosaries, novenas, and other forms of so-called popular piety.” Still, modernization and a more scientific mindset are needed in many areas.

規則2：成為天主教徒。由於「原罪」，人類需要在信仰生活中的曝光度，例如：「遊行、玫瑰經、九日敬禮和其他形式的所謂群眾虔敬。」儘管如此，在許多領域，仍然需要現代化及更具科學的思維方式。

Rule 3: USE THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY. Issues should be addressed by the lowest institutional level that is competent to resolve them, whether in countries, states, or other social institutions.

規則3：使用輔助原則。問題應由有能力解決這些問題，最低機構層級來解決，無論是在國家、州，或是其他社會機構。

Cities should never take responsibility away from families. A centralization of power and policymaking is prone to corruption and destruction of society: First, it is inefficient. Second, there is little or no accountability –nobody seems responsible for bad decisions. And lastly, human beings are naturally inclined toward local interaction in families, towns, and countries with common cultures.

城市永遠不應該把責任從家庭撇開。權力和政策的集中，容易導致腐敗和社會破壞：首先，是毫無效率。其次，則是很少或根本沒有責任制度—似乎沒有人對錯誤的決定負責。最後，人類自然傾向於在具有共同文化的家庭、城鎮和國家中，進行當地的互動。

Rule 4: STAND FOR LAW AND JUSTICE. Nobility is the responsibility to serve, which in turn means to put one’s own interests second. In the modern age, the real power is the “power of example.” This stands in stark contrast to the present political climate, in which politicians are more naturally tempted to use their careers as paths to personal advancement and profit.

規則4：代表法律和正義。貴族有責任服務，換言之，意味著將自己的利益放在第二位。在現代，真正的力量是「善表的力量」。這與目前的政治氛圍形成鮮明對比，在當前的政治氛圍中，政治家更自然地傾向於，利用他們的職業生涯，作為個人進步和獲得利益的途徑。

Rule 5: KNOW WHO YOU ARE. “Those who don’t know where they come from, do not know where they are heading, because they don’t know where they stand.” Knowing who you are, gives you control over yourself, not to be swayed by fleeting fads but to follow the truth about yourself and about God.

規則5： 了解自己的身分。「那些不知道自己來自何處的人，不知道自己要往哪裡去，因為他們不知道自己站在何處。」了解自己的身分，讓你掌控自己，不被轉瞬即逝的時尚所左右，而是跟隨關於你自己和天主的真理。

Rule 6: BE BRAVE IN THE STRUGGLE. While relying on diplomacy, do not shy away from struggle when you have to.

規則6：奮鬥更勇敢。在依靠外交手腕的同時，不要在必要時迴避奮鬥。

Rule 7: DIE WELL. In a life full of uncertainty, one thing is certain: death; Heaven is not certain. Most people seem blissfully unaware that there is a possibility that they may end up in Hell for all eternity. Even in death, the Habsburgs were aware that they had to “serve” by giving Catholics a good example of how to die. Living well leads to dying well, and the desire to die well leads to living well.

Image of a Russian icon of the Mother of God

規則7：善終。在充滿不確定性的生活中，有一件事是肯定的，就是：死亡；天堂並不確定的。大多數的人似乎完全沒有意識到，他們有可能永遠落入地獄。即使在死亡中，哈布斯堡王朝也意識到他們，必須藉由「服務」，給天主教徒一個如何善終的善表。好好地生活導致善終，善終的渴望導致好好地生活。

天主之母，俄羅斯風格的畫像