在生活的寒冬里，我们是一群试图抱团取暖的豪猪

作为社会性动物，人类有彼此靠近的天性，但造物主似乎不小心遗留下一个致命「bug」：我们同时还有彼此伤害的天性。因此，人们只好一边痛诉着人生种种不可言说的孤单，一边数落着身边人种种不可容忍的缺陷。这种无从选择的境况被哲学家叔本华提炼为「豪猪困境」。这种困境也正像他的另一句名言所讲：The world offers no choice beyond solitude on one side and vulgarity on the other.（这世界只给出两个选项：一边是空虚寂寞，另一边是庸俗不堪。）

叔本华的「豪猪困境」

A number of porcupines huddled together for warmth on a cold day in winter; but, as they began to prick one another with their quills, they were obliged to disperse. 

在一个寒冷的冬日，一群豪猪彼此拥抱着相互取暖，但它们马上被各自身上的尖刺刺痛，被迫四散分开。

However the cold drove them together again, when just the same thing happened. At last, after many turns of huddling and dispersing, they discovered that they would be best off by remaining at a little distance from one another. 

但寒冷迫使它们再度靠近，而后再次被尖刺分开。最后，在反复数次拥抱和分离后，它们发觉到，最好的解决办法就是彼此之间保持一段距离。

In the same way the need of society drives the human porcupines together, only to be mutually repelled by the many prickly and disagreeable qualities of their nature. 

同样的，对社交的需求促使「人类豪猪」们紧紧依偎，又旋即因各自身上不胜枚举的尖刺和令人厌恶的天性而彼此疏远。

The moderate distance which they at last discover to be the only tolerable condition of intercourse, is the code of politeness and fine manners; and those who transgress it are roughly told—in the English phrase—to keep their distance.

最终大家发现，让所有人得以共同生活且保持彼此尚可容忍之适中距离的秘诀是：温文尔雅，相敬如宾。任何打破这种距离的人会被粗暴地告知——用英语来讲就是——“keep distance（保持距离）”。

By this arrangement the mutual need of warmth is only very moderately satisfied; but then people do not get pricked.

这样一来，人们取暖的需求仅被部分满足，但至少，他们不会被彼此刺伤。

A man who has some heat in himself prefers to remain outside, where he will neither prick other people nor get pricked himself.

自身热量充足的人会对社交敬而远之，这样既不会刺痛他人，亦不会被他人刺痛。