Light One Candle

在課堂上，我鼓勵年青人尋求自己理想方向，我的理想方向又在哪裡呢？昨晩有機會在網上聽到 Peter Paul & Mary 的歌曲 Light One Candle，提醒我不要放棄理想和價值，繼續要爭取民主、和平、公義。

Light One Candle

Light one candle for the Maccabee children
With thanks that their light didn't die
Light one candle for the pain they endured
When their right to exist was denied
Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice
Justice and freedom demand
But light one candle for the wisdom to know
When the peacemaker's time is at hand

chorus:
Don't let the light go out!
It's lasted for so many years!
Don't let the light go out!
Let it shine through our love and our tears.

Light one candle for the strength that we need
To never become our own foe
And light one candle for those who are suffering
Pain we learned so long ago
Light one candle for all we believe in
That anger not tear us apart
And light one candle to find us together
With peace as the song in our hearts

(chorus)

What is the memory that's valued so highly
That we keep it alive in that flame?
What's the commitment to those who have died
That we cry out they've not died in vain?
We have come this far always believing
That justice would somehow prevail
This is the burden, this is the promise
This is why we will not fail!

(chorus)

Don't let the light go out!
Don't let the light go out!
Don't let the light go out!

心理學家Erik Erikson在研究人的終生發展方面甚有貢獻，他的心理社會發展理論被廣為接受。其中談到成年中期的發展任務，他認為這個階段的人應關注下一代需要並給與他們適當的指導與關懷，能夠完成這個發展任務，則可孕育出普遍關注(Generativity)的特質，相反就會引發自我專注(Stagnation)的困局，累積的知識經驗無人承傳，不知生命為何。聖經教導我們「行公義、好憐憫、存謙卑的心，與上帝同行」、「各人不要單顧自己的事，也要顧別人的事」，就是要我們關懷別人、關懷社會。不論從心理學的角度看，或從基督徒的身份看，追求理想、關懷社會、關心下一代，我都責無旁貸。