早前,有學者重提上世紀社會學學者韋伯談論從政的一篇演講(Max Weber, Politics as aVocation)。溫故知新,我趁機找來細讀了。香港的政論家,一面倒強調「政治是妥協的藝術」,韋伯這篇演講,卻有這樣的結語:
"Politics is a strong and slow boring of hard boards. Ittakes both passion and perspective. Certainly all historicalexperience confirms the truth-that man would not haveattained the possible unless time and again he had reachedout for the impossible. But to do that a man must be aleader, and not only a leader but a hero as well, in a verysober sense of the word. And even those who are neitherleaders nor heroes must arm themselves with thatsteadfastness of heart which can brave even the crumblingof all hopes. This is necessary right now, or else men willnot be able to attain even that which is possible today.Only he has the calling for politics who is sure that he shallnot crumble when the world from his point of view is toostupid or too base for what he wants to offer. Only he whoin the face of all this can say 'In spite of all!' has the callingfor politics." ( 錄自From Max Weber: Essays inSociology, H.H. Gerth 及C. Wright Mills 編譯。)