小时候一直不太懂的一个典故 —— 不食嗟来之食，为什么课文会表扬这种精神。
因为在我看来，马上都要饿死了，还要在乎这点脸面？和性命比起来，一点羞辱算得了什么？
最近，又想到这个故事，也是突然灵光一现，感觉自己终于有所理解了。
回到前面的问题，和性命比起来，尊严到底算不算的了什么？
或者换个说法：
当你面对不得不做的选择时，是应该选择
- 毫无尊严的活着
- 有尊严的死去
不考虑额外的条条框框和人性限制之类，纯粹的从理智的角度出发，显然应该选择有尊严的死去。
为什么？
因为没有尊严的活着，那活着本身也不过是受苦，还不如干干脆脆的结束。
但是考虑到现实因素，以及人怕死的天性，即使是现在的我，也不敢说自己一定会做上面的理智选择。更大的可能是，我会多方衡量 —— 如果受到羞辱，受到的羞辱程度；如果可以活命，那么苟活的质量。以及也会考虑，以后可能的报复等。
即课文中，是两个极端的例子，而生活中普通人往往都会折中处理。
但无论如何，选择 2 的人，是值得钦佩的与敬仰的。因为正是由于他们的选择，掌权者才不会肆无忌惮，才会有所顾忌，对剩下选择活的人也会更多一些怜悯。反而，选择活的人，应该或多或少要有愧疚之心。因为你的退让，只会让整体的环境更加恶劣。
When I was young, there was a story I never quite understood —— the idea of refusing charity offered with disdain. Why does the text praise this spirit?
To me, if you’re almost starving to death, why case so much about face ？ Compared to life itself, a bit of humiliation seems insignificant.
Recently，I thought about this story again，and suddenly a flash of insight came to me —— I finally feel understand it。
Returning to the earlier question：compared to life, how much does dignity really matter?
Or to put it another way：
When faced with an unavoidable choice, should you choose
- to live without dignity
- or to die with dignity
Without considering extra conditions or human nature, purely from a rational perspective, it’s obvious we should choose to die with dignity.
Why?
Because living without dignity is just a form of suffering itself —— it's better to end it decisively.
But taking reality and the human fear of death into account, even I cannot say for sure I would make this rational choice now. Most likely, I would weigh different factors —— for example, the degree of humiliation I would suffer; the quality of life I could have if I survived；and possibly future revenge.
In face，the text presents these as two extreme cases，but in real life，ordinary people often choose a middle ground.
Still, those who choose option 2 deserve respect and admiration. Because of their choice, those in power cannot act recklessly —— they have limits, and show more mercy to the survivors.On the other hand, those who choose to live should feel some guilt, because your concession only worsens the overall situation.