天命觀
一個世界文明史的教師在課堂上介紹中國的“天命觀”。到了期中考時，他得到的答案裏包括“天命是人死後還沒有資格進入天堂的人去的場所”。
該年輕教授在該學府就職才兩年。他和一位年長的同事談過後才開竅明瞭土著們的心態。該答案的意義方才水落石出：中國人還不夠格進入基督教的天國，因此他們去一個叫做“天命”的異教天堂。
Mandate of Heaven
A teacher of World Civilizations introduced the Chinese concept of the “Mandate of Heaven” to a class. In the midterm, he got answers like “the Mandate of Heaven is where people that are not good enough for Heaven would go after death.”
That young professor was only at that institution for 2 years. He was enlightened by a senior colleague about the mentalité of the natives. The import of the answer then became clear: The Chinese are not good enough for the Christian Heaven, so they would go to a heathen Heaven called the “Mandate of Heaven.”
