宗博季刊第70期

F or most people, the acquisition of material wealth is equated with happiness and accepted as the goal of life, as evidenced by the customary Chinese New Year greeting “May you enjoy abundant wealth.” Moreover, in this age where the rich and powerful are regarded as heroes, getting rich has become an almost universal aspiration. Thus the worship of the God of Wealth has been transformed from just another New Year folk custom into an expression of the single-minded pursuit of wealth. This is most evident during the Chinese New Year, when the temple of the God of Wealth is invariably packed with worshipers employing all sorts of extraordinary methods in hopes of hitting the jackpot. In a society which has no money, banks or real estate with which to measure personal wealth, however, those who have attained a high level of skill in some socially beneficial endeavor are regarded as wealthy. According to the value system of such a society, such people deserve a high status and a high level of respect. Take, for example, the Tao people of Orchid Island (Lanyu). In their view, nature endows everybody equally with innate talent and opportunity. Thus someone who has mastered an important skill—carving, weaving, fishing, planting, singing, dancing or storytelling—typically accumulates a large number of sheep horns or flying fish, which are taken as indication of his wealth and praiseworthiness. In a more complex society, however, it is those who have lots of money and/or wield the reins of power who are considered wealthy. In such a society status begets wealth and wealth begets status. As the measure of success becomes increasingly concretized, naturally all sorts of expedient means and excuses for gaining wealth become rationalized. The acquisition of material wealth, however, does not equate with happiness. For some people, true wealth is the happiness which comes from loving and stable relationships, health, a relaxed, simple and stress-free lifestyle, and making a meaningful contribution to society. May all of your wholesome endeavors bear fruit in the Year of the Ox. 新春迎財納福 Enjoying the Bounty of Spring AWord From the Director 4 館長的話 館長 的話 世 俗生活中，接財祈福是人們普遍追求的 生活目標，新年見面第一句話：「恭喜 發財」，就是人人祈財納福的心理反映；特別 是在以權勢、財富論英雄的現代社會，「發 財」成為全民運動；因此崇拜財神，從過新年 的民俗儀禮，也變成刻意追求，財神廟與無奇 不有的招財術更加氾濫。 在沒有以紙幣、銀行借貸、房地產為計算 財富的社會裡，往往擁有精湛製作、展演技藝 的人就是擁有財富，有豐富收藏的人也是一種 財富，這種價值觀在他所屬的社會裡獲得了敬 重和地位；如在蘭嶼的達悟人觀念裡，自然賦 予人的機會和天賦一律平等，如果你擅長於雕 刻、編藤、捕魚、種芋、歌舞、說故事，或者 貯藏許多羊角或飛魚，就等同於擁有財富而備 受讚美。 但在一個複雜化的政治社會裡，誰掌握了 控制、支配金錢的權力與，才是財富；地位可 以創造財富，財富也可以供養權力，於是成就 榮枯的標準變得更為功利與現實，追求名利的 各種手段和理由，自然地也被合理化了；但這 並不表示他得到了幸福。幸福是一種感覺，知 識、親情愛情、健康、隨意適性的生活、知足 常樂、服務貢獻對某些人來說就是最大的財 富，更是獲得了幸福的感覺。 己丑年新春伊始，敬祝各位萬事如意。