前言

这个世界，究竟是什么样的呢？这是一个看似很简单的问题，不过必须注意的是：看似。

What is the world really like? This seems like a simple question, but it must be noted: it only seems simple.

多年前我曾经收到过一张生日卡，上面写的那句话很动人：最精彩的，其实就是世界本身。

Many years ago, I received a birthday card that had a very moving phrase written on it: The most wonderful thing is actually the world itself.

也就是看到这句话不久，我希望在有生之年能够环游世界，因为总觉得有必要认识下自己生活的这个星球。也就是有了这个愿望后不久，我想到了刚刚提到的问题：这个世界究竟是怎样的。

Not long after seeing this phrase, I hoped that in my lifetime I could travel around the world, because I felt it was necessary to understand the planet I live on. Shortly after I had this desire, I thought of the question I just mentioned: What is this world really like?

在好奇心驱使下，我通过各种各样的渠道和方式，花了很多时间和精力去寻找答案。

Driven by curiosity, I spent a lot of time and energy seeking answers through various channels and means.

但是我发现，谁也说不清这个世界到底是怎样的。

However, I found that no one can clearly explain what this world is really like.

就在我为此困惑的时候，某次听一个精神科医生的朋友说起了一些病例。

Just when I was puzzled by this, I heard a friend who is a psychiatrist talk about some cases.

然后好像明白了一些：明白为什么没人能说清这个世界到底是怎样的了。

Then it seemed I understood a little: I understood why no one can clearly explain what this world is really like.

道说：这里是人间；佛说：这里是六道之一；上帝说：这里是天堂和地狱之间的战场；哲学说：这里是无穷的辩证迷雾；物理说：这里是基本粒子堆砌出来的聚合体；人文说：这里是存在；历史说：这里是时间的累积。

The Dao says: this is the human realm; Buddhism says: this is one of the six paths; God says: this is a battlefield between heaven and hell; philosophy says: this is an endless dialectical fog; physics says: this is a conglomerate made up of basic particles; humanities say: this is existence; history says: this is the accumulation of time.

所有的解释都在这里。

All explanations are here.

看来，这个世界是有无数面的不规则体。

It seems that this world is an irregular body with countless facets.

于是我开始饶有兴趣地问身边那些熟悉的人：在你看来，世界到底是怎样的？

So I began to interestingly ask those familiar people around me: What do you think the world is really like?

不过，并没得到态度认真的回答。

However, I did not receive serious responses.

为什么呢？大概因为很少有人想过这个问题，也很少有人真的愿意面对这个问题，因为大家都在忙着挣钱，找老婆，升职……

Why? Perhaps because very few people have thought about this question, and very few are really willing to face it, as everyone is busy making money, finding a spouse, getting promoted…

很少有人在乎这个世界到底是怎样的。

Very few people care about what this world is really like.

更多的人对于我这种不忙着挣钱，不忙着找老婆，不忙着升职的行为表示不解，同时还半真半假地表示关注：你疯了吗？

More people express confusion at my behavior of not being busy making money, not busy looking for a spouse, and not busy getting promoted, while half-seriously showing concern: Are you crazy?

那么好吧，我决定去问另一个人群——精神病患者们，或者说，我们眼中的精神病人。

Well, I decided to ask another group of people—the psychiatric patients, or what we consider mental patients.

我带着复杂的心态，开始接触这个特殊的群体，想知道他们是怎么看待这个世界的。

With a complex mindset, I started to connect with this special group, wanting to know how they view the world.

我曾经接触的那些精神病人和心理障碍者，有相当数量的人逻辑极为清晰（必须承认这也是我筛选后的结果），当然前提是在他们自己的世界观里。

Among the psychiatric patients and those with mental disorders I encountered, a considerable number had extremely clear logic (I must admit this is also a result of my own selection), as long as it is within their own worldview.

而且大多也没那么危险（狂躁症除外）。

Moreover, most are not that dangerous (bipolar disorder excluded).

总体说来，只要做好心理和生理准备就没太大问题。

Generally speaking, as long as I made adequate psychological and physical preparations, there wasn’t much of a problem.

精神病人也有迥异的性格和行为方式：有喜欢滔滔不绝的，有没事找事的，有沉默的，有拐弯抹角的，跟大街上的众生相没什么区别。

Psychiatric patients also have distinct personalities and behaviors: some are fond of talking endlessly, some like to create trouble, some are silent, some are circuitous, which is not much different from the beings on the streets.

但是他们会做些我们不能理解的事情，会有我们从没想过的观点。

However, they would do things we cannot understand, and they have perspectives we have never considered.

他们的世界观令人匪夷所思，他们以我们从未想到的角度观察着这个世界。

Their worldview is astonishing; they observe this world from angles we have never thought of.

这也许就是为什么很多人认为精神病人是难以沟通的。

This may be why many people think that psychiatric patients are difficult to communicate with.

我想，一些行为只看结果不见得能看明白，要是了解了成因就会好得多。

I think some behaviors can’t be fully understood just by looking at the results; if one understands the causes, it would be much clearer.

于是，从那天开始，我之后四年的业余时间，都在做这一件事情，和精神病人接触。

Thus, from that day onwards, I spent the next four years of my spare time doing just this: engaging with psychiatric patients.

某天中午，我突然决定结束了。

One day at noon, I suddenly decided to end this endeavor.

一年之后，我决定把我积累的那些写出来。

A year later, I decided to write down what I had accumulated.

于是也就有了你现在看到的这本书。

Thus, this book you are seeing now came to be.

我希望读者能拨开文字和表象的迷雾，更开阔地接近这奇妙的世界。

I hope readers can pierce through the fog of words and appearances, and approach this marvelous world more broadly.

我更希望，看完这本书后，你能有自己的想法和思考（邪门歪道、违法乱纪、钻牛角尖的不算）。

I also hope that after reading this book, you can have your own thoughts and reflections (excluding bizarre, illegal, or stubborn nonsense).

这个比什么都重要。

This is more important than anything.

我只希望这本书是一扇窗，能让你看到更多更多的世界，他们眼中的世界。

I just hope that this book is a window, allowing you to see more and more of the world, their world.

我也希望有一天你能够很坦然地说：让我来告诉你，在我眼中，这是一个怎样的世界。

I also hope that one day you can calmly say: Let me tell you, in my eyes, what this world is like.