《第五項修練》出版的年代，正好是我大量閱讀的時期。當時的我並未真正理解書中的核心，卻隨著風潮去參加了作者彼得．聖吉來台的演講。

坦白說，即使聽完作者的詮釋，我仍是一頭霧水。唯一確定的是：若不親身實證，所謂的「系統性思考」與「共同願景」終究只是紙上談兵，而我對它們卻充滿憧憬。

所謂「學習型組織」，當時在我心中，是未來事業藍圖的理想架構：集結一群願意學習的人，共同維繫文化與價值，最終創造勞資互利的共同目標。

我曾把合作案的失敗歸咎於「缺乏共同願景」，因為合夥人目標不一致，成果與期待出現落差，爭端便隨之而來。後來我才領悟：在願景之前，還有更根本的初衷。若投入的動機與目的不在同一條水平線上，願景也難以在同一平面上相交。

縮小到兩個人的相處亦然，若彼此交往僅抱持功利性的目的，終將回到各自的世界。就像在咖啡廳會面的兩人，主導的一方心裡很清楚要談什麼，但談話是否愉快，關鍵仍在於雙方能否顧及彼此立場。

 

我真正想談的是「相處」：可能是私人感情，可能是工作責任，可能是合作協商。

一方或許是業主，另一方是廠商；一方是買方，另一方是賣方；也可能是彼此有好感的兩人，不論性別。

不論談的是什麼，若雙方都把對方視為重要，並在態度上維持尊重，那麼結果總會接近圓滿。

反之，若溝通中有人不斷邀功，強調自己如何幫過對方，卻抱怨對方不懂感恩，雙方都想討回人情債，結局註定不歡而散。

你一定看過「論功行賞」的場合，台面上的幾家歡樂幾家愁，背後的癥結往往不是功與賞的分配公平，而是人性的私心與貪婪。

在以業績為唯一指標的環境裡，必然充斥著欲求不滿與貪得無厭的聲音。直到有一天，所有人都厭倦了這種爾虞我詐，一場大搬風突如其來，景物依舊，人事全非。

 

從組織談到個人，從願景談到人性，你或許難以想像，這樣的議題最終會與「健康」產生交集。那些看似無關的爭執與情緒角力，卻讓長期處於其中的人一個個病倒。

可能只是進入一個不適合的職場，可能只是嫁給一個從未站在你立場思考的人。你的人生還未真正分崩離析之前，身體卻已先一步垮掉。

是的，生命中有太多始料未及的發生。最煎熬的是：當「圓滿人生」的憧憬仍遙不可及時，身體卻已嚴正宣告：「別再幻想，我不陪你玩了。」

人生彷彿總是如此：要拚搏才算贏，要殺個你死我活才過癮。結果不是付出生命，就是剩下半條命。

於是，在不得不把命交還之前，才開始自問：「我到底招誰惹誰了？」冷靜下來，又追問：「我來這一遭究竟為了什麼？」

 

真相是，我們往往直到最後一刻仍未覺悟。問題的根源始終搞不清楚，手指永遠指向別人，仇敵依舊是仇敵，而自己的分量依然大到容不下周遭的世界。

直到靈魂出竅，才赫然想起投胎的初衷：想起自己是為了修寬恕而來，是為了修補罪惡而來，是為了奉獻與服務而來。

一旦定位清楚，人際間便不會積累那麼多恩怨，生活與工作也不至於深陷情緒泥淖，健康更不會那麼年輕就亮起紅燈。

你會想起股東會上與股東的激烈爭吵，想起妻子受不了自己暴怒習氣而一次次出走，想起對著延誤出貨的廠商代表破口大罵的場景。到最後，才終於看清自己失去健康的軌跡。

很想問問那位不可一世的自己：「你是誰呀？」、「你在大聲什麼呀？」。

 

當人身消逝，神識恢復，才明白：人無貧富貴賤之分。我們因他人而存在，我們因有機會服務他人而讓生命顯得有意義。

當身旁有那麼一位與你朝夕相處的人，是他（或她），讓你的生命有了意義；是他（或她），讓你的存在映照出價值。

 

（別讓自己忙著謀生，卻忽略了享受人生。）

Because of You, I Found the Meaning of My Existence

When The Fifth Discipline was first published, I was in a period of voracious reading. At the time, I did not truly grasp the essence of the book, yet I followed the trend and attended Peter Senge’s lecture in Taiwan.
To be honest, even after hearing the author’s interpretation, I remained confused. The only thing clear to me was this: without personal practice and verification, “systems thinking” and “shared vision” would remain nothing more than empty theories. And yet, I was deeply fascinated by them.

The so-called “learning organization” appeared in my mind as the ideal blueprint for a future enterprise: bringing together people who were willing to learn, collectively sustaining a culture and values, and ultimately achieving a shared goal that benefited both labor and management.
I once attributed the failure of collaborations to the lack of a “shared vision.” When partners did not align in their goals, outcomes and expectations diverged, and conflicts naturally followed. Later, I realized there was something even more fundamental than vision—intention. If the motives and purposes of those involved do not rest on the same level, their visions can never intersect on the same plane.

This truth applies even in the smallest scale of two people relating to each other. If the relationship exists only for utilitarian reasons, sooner or later each will return to their own world. Like two people meeting in a café—one knows exactly what they want to discuss, yet whether the conversation is pleasant still depends on both parties’ ability to respect each other’s standpoint.

What I really want to talk about is relationships—whether in private affections, work responsibilities, or negotiations of cooperation.
One party may be the client, the other the contractor; one may be the buyer, the other the seller; or it may be two people drawn to each other, regardless of gender.
Whatever the matter, if both regard the other as important and maintain mutual respect, the outcome will tend toward harmony. Conversely, if the conversation turns into self-congratulation—one side constantly reminding the other of favors granted while resenting their lack of gratitude, both tallying up debts of obligation—the end is bound to be bitter.

You must have seen ceremonies of “rewarding merit.” Some rejoice while others leave dissatisfied. The crux is rarely the fairness of distributing credit, but rather the selfishness and greed of human nature.
In environments where performance is the only measure, voices of discontent and insatiable desire will inevitably abound. Until one day, everyone grows weary of the deceit and rivalry, and then comes the great reshuffling: the scenery remains, but the people are all replaced.

From organizations to individuals, from vision to human nature—you might not expect these threads to eventually converge with the topic of health. Yet they do. Disputes and emotional struggles that seem unrelated slowly erode those who dwell in them, until one by one they fall ill.
It could be as simple as entering a workplace unsuited to you. It could be marrying someone who never once tried to stand in your shoes. Before your life collapses outwardly, your body may have already collapsed within.
Yes, life is filled with what we never anticipated. The cruelest blow is this: while the dream of a “fulfilled life” still feels distant, the body declares sternly, “Stop deluding yourself. I won’t play along anymore.”

Life often seems structured this way: you must fight to be counted as a winner, you must battle until exhaustion to feel alive. The result? Either life is spent entirely, or only half remains.
So, only when life itself is nearly forfeit do we begin to ask: What did I do to deserve this? And when calm returns: Why did I come here at all?

The truth is, most of us never awaken until the very last moment. The root cause always remains obscure; fingers keep pointing outward; enemies remain enemies; and the ego remains so inflated that the world around cannot fit inside it.
Not until the soul steps out of the body do we recall our original intention for being born: to learn forgiveness, to mend wrongdoing, to give and to serve.

Once that orientation becomes clear, grievances do not accumulate so heavily in human affairs; work and life no longer sink so deeply into emotional quicksand; and health is less likely to sound alarms so early.
You will remember the furious quarrels with shareholders, the times your wife left unable to bear your temper, the scenes of shouting at suppliers over delayed shipments. Only then do you see clearly the path along which you lost your health.
And you will want to ask that arrogant self of the past: Who were you? What were you shouting about?

When the body dissolves and consciousness is restored, only then do we understand: there is no division of rich and poor, noble and lowly.
We exist because of others. Life gains its meaning because we are given the chance to serve them.
And when there is someone beside you day and night, it is that person—he or she—who gives your life significance, who reflects back the value of your very existence.