Letters in Chinese

李察通訊 Letters in Chinese
https://leecha.blogspot.hk/

9/30/2011



時光是會倒流的嗎?

時光是會倒流的嗎?
………………………………………………………李察
(問到底No.8246     2011/09/29 Thursday)    

親愛的Prosephine :

真是十分謝謝來信。因為,這封信,掀起了我長久在心裡的一個問題。我自從很小很小的時候,已經常常想到這一個問題了:甚麼是「時間」?今天再次檢視相同問題,趣味特別濃厚。

我想到,時間只不過是一種量度事情發生的工具。自然,這也是很幼稚的。例如,我想到,從學校走路回家,要多少「時間」呢?那時,我是沒有手錶的。雖然我發瘋似地渴望有一隻手錶。從學校走路回家,要看看那山上教堂的大鐘。只要指針走了兩格,就是大約十分鐘,我已經到家了。每次當我看見那巨型的指針在吃力地跳動,就想到,時間是在這針裡面的嗎?當然不是的。這針也不過是一種計算工具。這是小學生也會明白的。那時,也時常讀舊式小說的。小說中時常提到,「一柱香」那麼久的時間,或者,「一盞茶」時份,也是另外的一種測量時間的工具。甚至,眼皮也能測量時間的,「一貶眼之間」,也是時間。連「口氣」也可以是時間。學校離家這樣近,「一口氣」就到了。大約「兩口氣」之間,就可以來回。

又好像那日出日落,或者出生死亡之類,都是各有時間的。只要用一種工具,無論那是手錶也好,大鐘也好,都可以算出來。

那麼,時間是不是可以獨立計算的呢?

好像很簡單。時間當然是可以獨立計算的。一秒、兩秒、加上去就是。

但有時數字太大了,就要依賴專業人仕去計算。

又或者專業人仕們太忙了。他們發明了很多符號,去簡化計算。例如,他們找到了一個「無限大」的符號“∞”,到了無法計算的一刻,就用這符號填上去。時間到了這麼久遠,是無限了,那麼,時間會回頭嗎?

如果時間沒有跟「事情」(things)的發展脫開了,大約人們是不會這樣想的。

時間本來只是「事情」的發展,是不能獨立的。要有事情,才有時間。沒有事情,就沒有時間。現在的所謂「時間」,不過是一種數學。而這數學,是可以隨意計算,不必理會事情是怎樣發展的。

這就是說,所謂「時間」,不過是人類測量事情發展的一種外在的工具。就好像是一把尺子。這尺子,本來是要附同「事情」一起的。現在是拆了尺子出來,我們已經忘記了,宇宙間本來是沒有這把尺子的。這尺子,不過是一種人造的符號,一種人為的想像。

你當然是可以想像一下,一種「無限長」的時間,是怎樣的。更加可能想像,時間到了無限長的「境界」,會不會往回走。“∞” 會不會回來,又變為 ”1”?甚至變為“0”? 而更有趣的是,我們明明知道,所謂 “0”,也完全是一種想像,宇宙間是沒有“0”這一件東西的。

有甚麼問題呢?

問題就是,我們已經把「時間」和「事情」分割開了。

時間與事情的分割,就是現代科學的重要特徵。

當計算混亂的一刻,人們又不自然地想到,要把「事情」放回去,放回去「時間」裡面。

他們以為,「時光」倒流,「事情」也會倒流的。

我們會跟著時間一起「復活」嗎?

請注意,我不是反對「復活」的。事情會發生,會發展,會生長,那是「事情」自己的事。如果「事情」會重新發展,甚至走回頭,也並非不可能。但是,時間回頭,卻未必等於事情倒流。這是要分清楚的。

時間有兩種。一種是外在的,人為的計算。另一種,是事情本身的發展順序。時間是分為「外在時間」和「內在時間」兩種的。

一朵花開了,就是一朵花開了。如果我們嘗試測量,花仍是花。但如果你把你的數字拿走了,你讓數字自己獨立了,離開了,只是你自己的想像。就好像現在是二千零幾多年。你再加一千,兩千上去,也只是計算。至於兩千年之後,還有沒有這個地球存在,則是另外一回事。地球不是因為「日曆」而存在的。如果「日曆」回頭,地球是未必跟著一起回頭的。

時間不可以跟事情(現實)分割,因為,時間本來是內在於現實之中的。外在時間,是作不得準的。

我們時常希望知道, 「現實」是往何處去,又會回頭不會回頭?

時光倒流,現實未必倒流。花開了,未必會變回種子。花兒開過了,不會好像從未曾開過那樣。青春過去,不再回頭。回頭只是外在化的想像而已。

如果時間只不過是一種外在計算,那麼,我們就會被迫想到:

事情的內在發展,會是怎麼樣的?我走完了這一段路,下一段路又是怎樣的?

這問題是好的。因為,這問題會引人前瞻。往前看,是很快樂的。

真的希望,這一類問題,可以把我們的層次提升。


李察謹上


 
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(明天問題:

9/29/2011

Will “time” come back in the future?


Will “time” come back in the future?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8246e     2011/09/28 Wednesday)




Dear Prosephine,


Thanks for your question.

Ever since I were a little boy, I have been thinking: What is time?

Time is but a human measurement of the “things”. That is the conclusion of a little boy. Though I didn't know what is the “things”, however, that will not affect the conclusion.

We will come to “notice” something. Like sunrise and sunset, like baby and old folk. How long does it take?

Can we take away the time from the things, and count it, and make a calender?

It seems simple.

You can always count the “time”.

One second, two seconds, three seconds, like that.

Now we have some professional people to do these things. May be they are lazy. They have invented some symbols when they found the counting is difficult. When you just count 1, 2, 3, 4,…. until one day, the numbers are so big, you find it confusing, and you say, that is it, and that is infinitive“∞”. And you will say, when time is so so so long, then time is going to a very very very long long future, like “∞”, when time has gone so far, and we can not imagine such a distance, then, we will ask: will time come back?

Now we have come from the human measurement to the human imagination. At first we tried to measure things with some numbers. Now we found the measures are so big, then we invented some more symbols like “∞”. Then we studied the “∞”, and decided time could come back from “∞” to 1, and to zero! (And zero is another human invention too. There arent any zero in the universe.)

What had gone wrong?

It was all because the separation. We human beings had decided to separate the “time” from the “things, and when the counting is so confused, then we tried to put back the “things” into the “time”.

Can we come back from death together with time when the time comes back? This is one of the interesting question arising from the separation.

And please take note that, I am not against resurrection. Things can change, or growth, or develop, what happens to the things are not in the external calculations, but in the things itself.

If we go back to the inner study of “time”, we will found, time can not be separated from the “things”.

A flower is blossoming, and that means, a flower is blossoming. If we try to measure it, the flower is still the flower. But you can take the “measure” away. You think, a measure is a measure, and the measure can stand away from the things. The measure could go further away from the things. From calculation, you will know now is two thousand years something, and there will be three or four or more thousand years ahead.

And this, is the separation.

All measurements are from outside.

It seems that, things are always changing. We can not help to think, is there a rate for the change? And what will come next? And some people had “hoped” that the flowers could one day go back as seeds, and old people can become young again. Though it can not be proved or denied, yet it is but our external imagination.

If time is but the external calculation of reality, then, we will be confronted with a more important question:

What is the internal development of things?

I do hope this question can bring us to a higher level of views.


with regards,

Leechard




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9/28/2011

Will time come back?

Hi, Leechard

Most ancient cultures seems to have cyclical concept of time except for Hebrews who see time as linear. Any idea why that's the case? How does that contribute to the differences in their religions?


Thanks,
Prosephine

9/27/2011


怎樣盜取馬克吐溫的火?


怎樣盜取馬克吐溫的火?
………………………………………………………李察(問到底No.8245     2011 0927 Thursday)    

*周一人物*

普羅米修士所盜取之火,屬於天上。但其實火種已經留落人間,我們也隨時可能取用。

到底火在那裡?

火就在許多有火的先行者心裡。只要略花心力,就能夠取得。

最近李察看了一本馬克吐溫(Mark Twain)的早期自傳。此書是他死後才出版的。他不是一生下來就是文學家的。他生下來的時候,是一個鄉下青年。那是密西西比河畔的一個靜靜的小鎮。街上行人稀少。僅有的幾個人,都在門前閒坐,打瞌睡。

但是,只要河上的蒸氣船一來,整條村的人,就都醒來了。那時的英雄,是船上的駕駛者。馬克吐溫十分羨慕,很想也當一個駕駛蒸汽船的水手。

此書大半就講他怎樣努力,學會了駕船。

而火就在他的努力之中。

原來在河上駕船,是非常不容易的。要記熟全部的河上地形。各種河曲的彎曲形狀,還有各處深淺,沒有地圖,全部都要熟記在心。一不小心,就會翻船。他就好像要把這整條河都吞了。那是一條他夢中睡中都不會忘記的河。

心火略少的人,一早就放棄了。

而我們後來後世的讀書人,最重要的,就是沾上這火。至於怎樣在沒有地圖的情況下學會密密西比河的各處險惡形勢,還是次要的。或者此書的吸引力,不會比他其他作品那樣大。讀者亦未必喜歡那長長的河上旅程。但其實,火在其中。取得到的人,有福了。






 
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(明天問題:


How did Mark Twain learn to drive a steamboat?


How did Mark Twain learn to drive a steamboat?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8245e     2011 0927 Tuesday)

Whenever I am reading a book, I always tried to find out “something” from the book. It has been a habit of me. And I had a very simple objective: to find out some thing to write about. However, it was only recently that I had the feeling to get “something” more then “something” from the books. It was the energy within the books. Alternatively, you may call them “fire”. Is there any inner energy in the books?

It was like fire.

Reading is like Prometheus stealing the fire. The fire is so attractive, that you will pay anything to get it.

Is there anything so special in the autobiography of Mark Twain?

In his early days, he had been a steamboat pilot.

How did he manage to do that?

It turned out that to drive a steamboat, is to know the Mississippi completely. That means, he had to learn it by heart all the particulars of the river, the bends, the chutes, the various dangers…..And he was in the four hour working shift. He could only write down his notes within four hours. And his notebook will become blank when he was asleep….

He had been working extremely hard.

It is an interesting book. It seems you are in the same boat, driving the boat together with him. When you finished reading, you probably have a question:

If I were in his position, will I be working as hard as he will?




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9/25/2011

星期天籟, 一首不可錯過的圓舞曲

何謂「生長」?

Quest 8244 2011/09/25 Saturday



你可以種一棵樹,但你未必可能種一間屋。

種是內在的。

總有一天,我們找到方法,以內在的方法,建設文化。

把文化也好,經濟也好,種植出來。



.................


What is “growth”?


What is “growth”?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8244e     2011/09/20 Tuesday)



You can build a house, but you can not grow a house.

Can we grow our culture?

Can we grow our economy?


see what is growth



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9/24/2011

切開一隻橙,能夠找到內在嗎?

………………………………………………………李察
(問到底 No.8243     2011/09/23 Friday)    




......

如果你切開一隻橙、橙汁四濺,但那仍是外在。

橙的內在在你的心裡。不在橙的表皮裡。

同樣,地球的內在,也在你的心裡。

氣侯的內在,也在你的心裡。

下次的台風路徑,也在你的心裡。

明天的股市表現,也在你的心裡。

如果你們曾經溝通的話。



...

Can I find the internal by cutting open an orange?

…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8243e     2011/09/23 Friday)



If I cut open an orange, the juice may spill, but it is external.

The internal is in your mind, not in the orange skin.

The internal of the earth, is in your mind.

The internal of the weather, is in your mind.

The internal of the market, is in your mind.

When you can communicate with them.



...

9/23/2011


何謂「內在的生長」?

何謂「內在的生長」?
………………………………………………………李察(問到底No.8242     2011 0922 Thursday)    

此處是兩個很陌生的意念。一個是「內在」,另外的一個是「生長」。

何謂「內在」?

在拙著「莊子原著與莊子原理」書中,曾經寫過。但這意念十分重要。我期待,這會是未來世界的一個重要討論課題。多討論是必要的。

而我將會盡量不去定義何謂「內在」。因為那是幾乎不可定義的。何謂「內在」,這是心靈溝通的範疇,而不是言語界定的範疇。

而在討論的時候,我比較喜歡用「溝通」一詞,去代替所謂的「認知」。當人類第一次來到世界,他們是盡量去溝通世界上的所有事物,而不僅僅只是去認知。我們是與萬物溝通,而不是僅僅探索、閱讀、測量,或使用各種認知技術去研究。我們是在彼此溝通。

溝通是與認知不同的。

認知是外在的。而溝通是內在、外在、甚至是多向度的。

怎樣去認識一個人?

我們是用心去和這人溝通的。我們使用內在的方法,多於外在的方法。外在的方法,例如偵測、調查,是有用的,但也是有限的。你愈是去調查,你就愈是無法溝通。
這樣,你就是把自己放逐於知識之外。在你和你的對象之間,無論那是一塊石頭,一本書,一件事,或者你的配偶,都是不能用外在調查的方法去互相認識的。你只是互相拒絕。

溝通是以內在為主的,外在為輔的。

那麼,何謂「內在」?

「內在」是與溝通並存的。如果想知道「內在」,就必定是有兩方面的。「外在」也是一樣。如果沒有了另外的一方面,所謂「外在」,是沒有意義的。

而最奇妙的是,這些方面,都是互相聯結的。所謂方面,並非方面。他們只是一。他們都是屬於同一個整體的。
在同一個整體之內,是可能互相溝通的。這就是莊子原理。我們都是同一。我們完全是可能從內在方面,互相了解的。

明白了這一點,你就可能跟世界上的任何人溝通。一個你喜歡的女孩子,一個你喜歡的男孩子。一個你尊敬的學者,一塊石頭,都是不陌生的。

我怎樣和一塊石頭溝通?

我可以給你最少兩個例子。

一個是卞和。他和一塊石頭溝通,發現了其中的美玉。他用了自己的生命,把這塊美玉,加進了中國文化之中。這是一個長長的故事,此處無法敘述。

另一個例子是寫作《紅樓夢》亦即《石頭記》的隱名作家。他跟一塊石頭溝通,石頭背後的整個宇宙,就都對他開放了。

還有更有趣的。

怎樣和地球溝通?我們會知道下次地震何時的。怎樣和經濟溝通?我們會知道下次低潮的。

項目是有無限之多。如果都能在內在角度溝通了,我們會快樂些。

下次課題:何謂「生長」?



*(我寧願使用「意念」一詞,總比「概念」好。因為,概念是屬於左腦,而意念則屬於不清楚的一類,那是很難定義的。)



 
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(明天問題:


What is “internal growth”?

What is “internal growth”?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8242e     2011 0920 Tuesday)

Actually these are two very unfamiliar ideas here. One is “ internal”, and the other is “growth”.*

What is “internal”?

I have explained “internal” and “external” in my book: “Zhuang Zi Original and Zhuang Zi Theory”, but this is an idea so important that I expect it will be the most popular subject in the near future, that more discussions are always needed.

And I shall refrain from defining “internal”, as it is not in the definable field. What is “internal”? We need to use the mind to communicate with this term.

And I would use the term “communicate” instead of “cognition”. When human beings are born into the world, we communicate with every thing around us. When we tried to understand something, we are communicating with them, not only “searching”, “reading”, “measuring” or using any kind of “cognitive skill” to approach. We communicate.

Communicate is very different from cognition.

Cognition is mainly external. And Communication is external plus internal plus multi-dimensional.

How do we come to know someone?

We use our mind to communicate with the one. We use internal method more than external method. The external method, like espionage or investigation, is useful but limited. The more you investigate, the less you communicate. And you will be excluded from knowing. You and your object, no matter that is a rock, a book, an issue or your spouse, do not know each other via external investigation. You are excluded from each other.

To communicate is to communicate internally more than externally.

What is “internal” then?

“ Internal” is something coming together with “communication”. There must be two or more parties if you really wanted to find out what “internal” is. And the same applied to “external”. You will see, if there is no other party present, then the so called “external’ is meaningless.

And the wonderful point is here: the parties are connected. The parties are actually not parties.
They are one. So, they can communicate with each other. And this is the principle of Zhuang Zi. We are all one, then we could find out the internal interests of every thing.

Bearing this in mind, you can communicate with any one on earth. A girl you like, a boy you appreciate, a scholar you admire, or even a rock, is no strange to you.

How do I communicate with a rock?

At least, I can give you two examples in communicating with a rock.

One is Bian Huo(卞和) He had communicated with a rock , and found the most beautiful jade inside, and used his life to add the jade and its spirit into the Chinese culture. And I can not make a long story short here.

The other is the unknown writer of the book: “The dream of the red chamber” (The story of a stone).
The writer had communicated with the rock, and to the complete universe behind the rock.


And more important issues are coming

How do we communicate with the earth? Then we would know when is the next earthquake? How do we communicate with the economy? Then we would know when is the next depression?

It’s simply too many issues here. If we can communicate with the issues internally, we will be happier.

(*I would use “idea” instead of “concept”, as concept is coming from our left brain and is easier to define and idea is always not clear and can hardly be defined. )




Next time: What is “growth”




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What is “internal” then?

..................................................................


“ Internal” is something coming together with “communication”. ....

(See me tomorrow)





one click here and you can communicate with me....


......

9/22/2011

What is internal growth?

I am working on the problem of "internal growth"....

there is no other issue more important in the modern economy......


...

9/20/2011


夏目漱石的困難何在?

夏目漱石的困難何在?
………………………………………………………李察
(問到底No.8241     2011/09/20 Tuesday)    


當我正在看夏目漱石的一篇演說稿時,忽然感覺一陣震蕩。他怎能有這樣的智慧,一百年前就已經如此清楚地看見了一切?

他說,文化發展就好像開花那樣,是「生長」出來的。日本人在明治維新之後的發展,是外在的。不像西方文化那樣,是自然地發展出來的,

他說,西方文化的發展,是內在的發展。就像開花那樣,一步一步那樣走出來,雖然是慢些,但卻是有生命力的。西方用了一百年光陰,日本卻只用了十年就追上去了。

日本的情況,就不是「生長」。而這樣的發展,是外在的。

夏目漱石是極少數能夠分辨內外的人。

但他提出的問題,到今天仍未能解決。

發展需要一百年時間,但你卻只有十年。你是被迫加速的。你被迫使用各種外在的方法去幹。如果你不跑著幹,就會被毀滅。無論是你、或者我、或者我們,能否找到好方法,安全的方法,只用十年就跑畢這一百年的長途?

夏目漱石說,所以,結局是必定悲慘的。而他是對的。今日的日本情況,就是他的見証。他有眼見嗎?當然他是有眼見的。今日,他的頭像是印在日本一千元鈔票上的。從1984到2004 發行的鈔票,都印上了。他就每天都親眼看到了今日日本經濟的情況。事實上,他是真正看見了,日本的人為經濟,並不是內在發展出來的。只是一種匆忙的、人為的、操縱出來的政策。


他是在1911 年講這話的,今天已經是2011年。一百年來,他的意見都是被忽略的。雖然日本人仍然十分尊重他,否則不會印他的頭像在鈔票上。

如此受尊重的人物,為何意見仍會被忽略?

這是另一個有趣問題。而我相信,解決了這問題,現代經濟的大難題,也會有眉目了。

(參考:《世界著名作家演說精粹》,百花洲文藝出版社,中國、南昌,1996。 頁150, 夏目漱石:「現代日本的開化」)


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(明天問題:


What is the problem of Natsume Soseki?


What is the problem of Natsume Soseki?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8241e     2011/09/19 Monday)


I was reading Chinese version or Natsume Soseki's speech. Suddenly I was shocked. How could he see things so clearly one hundred years before?

He said, culture development is just like flowers growing. The Japanese development after the Meiji Period was external!!!!!! And it is not like the Western culture, which was developing in a very natural way. He said, the Western growth was an internal growth, just like flowers, step by step, they grow slowly but with a life! The West has used 100 years to grow, now Japan was using 10 years only to catch up.

And that is not growth. And this kind of development was external.

Natsume Soseki was one of the few who can distinguish between internal and external.

But his problem remains unsolved until today.

The development needed 100 years to grow. But you have only 10 years. You are forced to run, to use any kind of external methods. If you don’t run, you will die. How can you or me or us to find a way to develop safely and quickly, using only 10 years to run the 100-year highway?

And that could be ended up in a very tragic way, Natsume Soseki said. And he was right. To day’s situation in Japan is his witness. Will he had an eye to see it? Yes of course he had. His portrait appeared on the front of the Japanese 1000 yen note between 1984 and 2004. He faces Japanese economy every day. Actually he IS seeing the decline of a man-made economy, which is not coming from internal growth, but a hurried artificially manipulating policies.

His speech was delivered in 1911, and now we are in 2011. Natsume Soseki had been neglected for one hundred years exactly, though the Japanese were still honoring him, or else they will not put his portrait on the 1000 yen note.

And why the Japanese neglected him?

It is another interesting problem. And I believe, by solving this problem, the clue to modern economy could be found.



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What is the problem of Natsume Soseki?

I was reading a Chinese version of Natsume Soseki's speech.
Suddenly I was shocked. How could he see things so clearly
one hundred years before?..................

9/18/2011


中秋節的內在意義何在?


中秋節的內在意義何在?
………………………………………………………李察
(問到底No.8239     2011/ 09/17 Saturday)    


中秋節有兩種內在意義,都是需要略加解釋的。

第一種是遠古傳下來的意義。這意義代表了中國人的奮鬥精神。

一, 你可奮鬥。
二, 你是在地上。你或者會錯。
三, 你們應該彼此相愛。
四, 你可以是快樂的。


第二種是經過儒家解釋的意義。那是自從周朝就已經開始的岐路。

一, 我們是在一個圓內生活的。
二, 我們在圓內,以仁相待。
三, 外國的圓,不會比我們的圓更圓。

那麼,中秋節與奮鬥何干?月亮是何等平和,怎樣奮鬥?

中秋節的故事,是這樣的:

很久很久以前,天上有十個太陽。天神后羿發覺,這是不可忍受的。百姓的苦,已經受夠了。十個太陽,不斷煎熬老百姓。后羿決心要改變這種情況。他就用自己的弓,去射落太陽。他射落了九個太陽。

中國人的原始奮鬥精神,是跟孔子服從天命的思想,很不相同的。

這就是故事的第一重內在意義:你可奮鬥。人類是天賦有奮鬥權利的。連天上的太陽,也是可能射落的。

而不幸的是:這九個太陽是天帝的兒子。天帝見后羿射殺自己的兒子,十分憤怒。就把后羿貶為凡人。從此,后羿唯有流落人間,變成了一個人。

后羿向西王母求援。西王母給了他不死之藥。吃了這藥,就可以重返天庭,永生不死。

后羿十分快樂。他回家,藏好了藥。他想等到一個合適的時候,就回返天庭。

但是,有一天,他卻發覺失去了藥。有人偷了他的藥。是他自己的妻子,把藥偷了。

…………………………………

或者,這原因是永遠不可知的。為甚麼他的妻子,要把藥偷了?還要吃了?

後世所有說故事的人,說到這裡,總是要添加一點情節。或者,她是害怕了?怕被遺棄在人間?又或者,另有甚麼重大的因由?

而唯一可能的象徵意義是:在超自然的力量底下,人為力量仍是有的。雖然,人的行為,往往不可逆料。人為力量,可能是對、亦可能是錯。又或者是不對不錯的模糊境界。我們也很難斷定,結果應該怎樣。

只是,我們可能猜想得到,故事中的內在意義。

內在意義就是:我們是人,而人的作為,是可能有錯的。
這一點其實十分重要。因為,只有承認了,人為力量是可能錯的,則才有可能終於走上正路。這一種想法,跟西方的罪的觀念也很相似。雖然,犯錯和犯罪仍是不相同的。

還有的是,所謂「命運」,是可能因為人自己的作為導致的,不一定是上天註定的。故事說,藥是被另外的「人」偷去的。未必是上天的旨意。
.

此刻 ,后羿就被正式遺棄在人間了。他是一個人。

而后羿的美麗妻子,是嫦娥。

嫦娥吃了藥,發覺身體竟然輕了。她走路輕快,當她踏在梯上的時候,發覺有一股力量在托著自己。她從未曾經試過這種感覺。

又過了不久,她發覺自己會飛。她一飛就飛到月亮。從此,她就永遠留在月亮裡面了。

她一定是很寂寞的。

而故事的內在意義就是:你們應該彼此相愛。或者,他們就是因為沒有彼此相愛,才分開了的。

寂寞來自愛的欠缺。她多麼渴望有人相愛。

她是寂寞的。而他後來,也遭遇到更多的不幸。

愛的另一面就是妒。后羿就是被妒忌心所殺的。他的學生,謀殺了他。

他的學生,妒忌他的箭術。以為,后羿雖然是箭術天下第一。但是,只要后羿一死,他自己就是天下第一。而這一位愚蠢的學生永遠沒有想到,就算是后羿死了,他仍是一個二流的弓箭手。更永遠不可能進入那內在的、美的境界。雖然,他或者已經得到了世界冠軍的名銜。

這學生趁后羿沒有留意,就用一根桃木棒子,從後面擊碎了后羿的腦袋。從此,這位學生,就被永遠開除了。他永遠也不可能進入美的天國。

沒有愛的地方,妒就出現。所以,你們一定要彼此相愛。

這件事也提醒了我們:后羿一定是沒有愛嫦娥的。人是會錯的。否則不會導致這樣的分離。

也是要到了此刻,我們才漸漸明白了。知道了故事中的空白位置,裡面有甚麼。當后羿被逐來到地上的時候,他遇到了一位女郎。他們一定有過一段濃濃的情。到了後來,他卻要走了。留下這位可憐的女子。他要獨自享受天庭的生活。任何人都可能想像,甚麼事情會發生。

而故事的明確意義,也是到了這裡才出現的。

在中國人的心中,團圓是極度重要的。每一次抬頭看見月亮,這一種內在的迫切感覺,就會出現。

渴望團聚,本來就是一種正常的感覺。

但是,儒學卻走多了一步。他們斷定,愛是在這圓圈裡面的。因為,愛是有差等的,愛是有範圍的。而離開了人際之間的階梯,愛就應該減少。而在範圍之內,長輩應該享受更多的愛,擁有更大的威權。

月是圓的。這圓圓的月,就形成了中國文化的象徵圖像。
中國人的月亮是圓的。外國人的月亮,會不會更加圓些?當然是不會的。雖然這是個笑話,但是,卻反映了中國文化的一個側面。他們是極端重視這一個「圓」的。他們以為,一切都是在這個圓的內裡發生的。他們的心態是內射的,是不會向外的。

愛只是一種階梯裡的遊戲。可以愛愛圈外的人嗎?當然是可以的。但潛在的告誡卻是,愛是有差等的。而且,應該尊敬長輩。長輩才是真正的權威。

知識來自經典,而權威的意見,是決定性的。

從此,中國人就喪失了思想的自由。

………………………………

最後,還要談談一個所謂「內在」的問題。

有三種觀察角度。內向的、外向的,還有多向的。

中國文化是右腦傾向的。他們比較喜歡從內在角度觀察。這是否孔子的影響呢?還是只是中國文化的自然發展傾向?這是有待研究的。

至於西方文化,則是比較外向的。除了若干心理學的研究之外,一般來說,西方科學都是否定內在觀察的。這是很大的題目,這裡只能說一點皮毛。初步的印象是,中國人喜歡內在觀察,在外在觀察方面卻有困難。而西方則相反。西方文化常常有這種印象,以為內在觀察是不可能的。甚麼直覺之類,也是作不得準的。拙作「莊子原著與莊子原理」裡,有一章是專門講述內外的。或者可供參考。此書目前只有網上版本。

遊筆至此,大約已經講完。而中國人的悲哀故事,也說完了。






 
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(明天問題:


What is the inner meaning of mid-autumn festival?

What is the inner meaning of mid-autumn festival?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8239e     2011/09/17 Saturday)



There are two different inner meanings of the mid-autumn festival, both need some elaboration.

The first one is the ancient meaning, it represents the original Chinese fighting spirit.

1. You can fight.
2. You are living on earth, You might have errors.
3. You should love each other.
4. You can be happy.

And the second one is the modification of Confucius doctrine, which was developed after the Chou Dynasty :

1. We are living in a round circle.
2. We are kind to each other within the circle.
3. The foreign circle is no better than our circle.
.

What is the fighting spirit to do with the mid-autumn festival? The moon is so peaceful; it seems impossible to associate with fighting.

The story goes on like this:

A long long time ago, there were ten suns running on the sky. One of the Gods Houyi found it unbearable. He did not want to see people suffer. The ten suns were burning them every day. Houyi determined to do something. He used his bow to shoot them. He shot down nine suns.

This spirit to fight for a better living, is the original Chinese philosophy which is very not the same as the Confucius thought to obey the heavenly orders.

The first inner meaning here is: You can fight. Human beings are entitled to have a choice to fight.

However, the suns were in fact sons of the God King. The God King was angry. He punished Houyi, for Houyi had killed his sons. Houyi was banished from the heavens and sent to Earth. He was demoted to become a man.

Houyi begged the Western Queen Mother to help him. The Western Queen mother gave him the everlasting medicine. If he eats the medicine, he could have eternal life, and can go back to the heavens again.

Houyi was happy, he got home and stored the medicine at home. He was waiting a good time to go back to the heavens.

But when he got home, he found his medicine disappeared. Some one had stolen it. His own wife had stolen it.
……………………………………

We might never know why. Why his wife had stolen the medicine and ate it herself?

Storytellers like to add stories to make up a reason. May be she was afraid that she would be left behind, or may be there were some other reasons.

The only possible symbolic meaning is that, under the powers of the supernatural forces, human efforts are possible, though human behavior can never be predicted. The efforts could be right, or wrong or something go between right or wrong, we can not judge which one is better.

From the story we can guess the inner meaning: That we are human, and we could have errors. This is important. Only those who can admit he could be wrong, could find the right path next time. This concept is very much like the western concept of sin, though they are not the same.

And fate itself could be the result of human effort, not the designation of the Gods. The story illustrates that the medicine was stolen by another human being, and not taken by the designated Houyi.

Now Houyi must stay behind. He is a man.

The beautiful wife of Houyi was Chang’e.

Chang’e had taken the medicine, and found her body lighter. She can walk faster and when she tried to step on the stairs, she found that a force lifted her. She had never had such feelings before.

Now she can fly. She flew all the way to the moon. She stayed there ever since.

She must be lonely.

The inner meaning: You should love one another. It might be that they have not loved one another, that separated them.

It is love itself that had aroused such lonely feelings. She longed to be loved.

She was lonely and he had more misfortunes later. The other side of love is jealousy. He was killed by his own student. His student was jealous about his archery success, thinking Houyi was the best and if he was killed then the student himself will be the best. And the stupid student could never understand that even if Houyi was dead, he would still be a second class archer, and could never enter into the inner beauty of the sport, though he might be the champion then. The student used a piece of wooden club to strike Houyi in the head behind him. And this action excluded the student himself from the heavens of beauty forever.



Jealousy emerges where love diminishes. Therefore, you must love one another.

And this also reminds us:

Houyi must had made a terrible mistake. Human is to err. He had not loved Chang’e. Or else, they will not be separated.

Now, we are able to make up the story gap. When Houyi was banished to Earth, he met a girl. They must had a very hot affair. Now, he is going to leave. Leaving behind the poor girl. He will enjoy his heavenly life alone. Any one could have imagined, what will happen.


And now, we had come to the more important part of the story. There is always an unbearable urge in the minds of the Chinese people: People wanted to be reunited. Whenever people see the moon, the urge is there.

A wish to get together is a normal feeling.

However, the Confucius doctrine had gone one step more. They determined that love is something happening within the family circle, as human relations are under a fixed ladder hierarchy. The superiors should be respected more in the circle.

The moon is a circle, and that becomes an icon of the Chinese culture. And the circle had such important meaning that they thought the “foreign circle” is not “rounder” then the Chinese circle, though it is more or less a joke. And it shows us, the Chinese is taking the circle very seriously. In Confucius culture, every thing happens within the circle, they are always searching inward, not outward.




Love is a hierarchic game. Should people love someone outside the circle? Though the answer is positive, but people are always reminded that love comes in the form of a ladder, and they should respect the elders more, loving them first and their judgements are final.

Knowledge is from Confucius doctrines, and only authorities could judge them.

In this way, the Chinese had lost their freedom to think under the Confucius rule.

Finally, more about the so called “Inner” meaning.

There may be three kinds of observations, internal, external and perhaps multi-dimentional observation. The Chinese culture are right-brain inclined. They are more inclined to see things from within. Is this the result of Confucius doctrine? Or is this the natural Chinese way of observation? It is not clear yet.

And Western culture is more external inclined. Except in some studies of psychology, most of the time, western science denies internal observation. This is a very large topic and we can only touch it form a very beginning starting point. And all we can say is that the Chinese may have some difficulties to see things from an outside angle, while the west found it almost impossible to observe from the inside. More about in and out observation can be found in my book: “Zhuang Zi Theory and the original Zhuang Zi” which is written in Chinese and published on the web.


And this ends my observation and the sad story about mid-autumn festival.




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9/17/2011

what is the inner meaning of the mid-autumn festival?

it is so important, and it is
coming soon.....

(今晚的美國英雄新聞,真的很震奮。違抗命令去救人,竟也能夠得到獎?西方文化的精華,全在此處。)

(想想我們的岳飛!!!!)

(讓我們一起發誓: 誓不做岳飛!!!!)



............

9/16/2011


我的中秋之夢在何方?


我的中秋之夢在何方?
………………………………………………………李察(問到底No.8240     2011 0916 Friday)    

中秋夜的早上五時醒來,忽然想到一點中秋的道理。
寫了三天寫不出。想法明明都在,但臨到寫時,卻又像沒有靈感。一連拖了三天。

或者明天吧。這中秋的道理,必定要寫出來的。








 
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(明天問題:


Where is my mid-autumn night's dream?


Where is my mid-autumn night's dream?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8240e     2011 0916 Friday)

In the night of the mid-autumn, I woke up in a very bad dream. The time was five in the morning. Actually, I always welcome such dreams. It provides endless inspiration for me. I cherished the moments.

It was in that moment, I had come up with some thoughts about the mid-autumn festival. I wish to write them down.

The first day, though I had thoughts in my mind, I could not write a word. The second day, I could only write a few lines. The third day, I had found new ideas, and needed some more time to prepare it......





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9/13/2011


傑仔岩士唐的將來怎樣?

傑仔岩士唐的將來怎樣?
………………………………………………………李察
(問到底No.8238     2011 0912 Monday)    


*周一人物*

傑仔岩士唐(Kit Armstrong)是一個很特別的孩子。現年十九歲,他是很有天份的鋼琴家和作曲家,又是數學家。他在代數幾何學和拓撲學的研究,已經超過了博士生。

他可能是個雙天才。五歲的時候,他已經完成了高中的數學課程。三歲的時候,他的母親買了一個鋼琴給他,他就每天彈奏,他的母親餵食,他也不肯停手。

天才都是使人迷惑的。常人做不到的,他們卻輕而易舉。

最高贊譽來自鋼琴家布倫特爾(Alfred Brendel)。他退休之後,就特別專門收了傑仔做學生,奉獻全部的時間給他。布倫特爾說,天才有十倍的學習速度。有一部記錄片值得找來看看:「Set The Piano Stool on Fire」(Mark Kidel 導演)

倫敦音樂學院的鋼琴老師 Benjamin Kaplan說,十一歲時的傑仔能在四十五分鐘之內,背識了八頁長的德布西音樂,期間手指碰都沒有碰過琴鍵。(參看“Kit Armstrong, Playing by numbers”, Independent.co.uk, 20 February 2011 )

世上曾經出現了不少神童。Menuhim, Kissin, Barenboim, Anne-Sophie Muttter等等都是十三歲就震驚世界。而其中也有人是很快枯萎的。小提琴家 Michael Rabin 十幾歲技驚四座,二十幾歲墮落,三十五歲死亡。(See “At three he was reading the Wall Street Journal” by Stephen Moss, The Guardian, 10 November 2005)
 
  而問題是:有幾位天才神童是後來有用的,而又有幾位是浪廢了的。

  而李察對天才的期望,或者會更高一點。李察期望他們能夠為人類帶來希望和將來。
 
  自從莫扎特離去之後,就再沒有人填補真空了。沒有一位天才,有莫扎特那樣大的貢獻。.
 
  天才連成長都有困難,更不要說推動人類,走向未來。
 
  每次有新名字出現,都有很多的期望。期望就是壓力,如果天才們真的渴望得到賞識的話。
 
  所以,人們常說要「保護」天才。天才們實在是太脆弱了。
 
但問題其實不在於「保護」。
 
  問題是為何種子不能成長。
 
  有了種子,問題就在於土壤了。撒種人是隨意撒種的。有的種子落在荒野,有的落在沙漠,有的落在城市的垃圾堆。他們是必定不能成長的。只有落在好土壤裡的種子,能夠長成。如果我們根本沒有土壤,所有的種子,都會荒廢。
 
  土壤是重要的。那即是說,文化是重要的。
 
  我們需要的是耕耘自己。作好了自己的一份,土壤才會成型,種子才會生長,未來才是有希望的。莫扎特是千年文化的蘊釀。而我們的文化,已經毀滅了這許久。
或者我們都會知道,應該怎樣做的。
 
(還要多說一句:天才是有腳的種子。如果你發現,腳下跟本沒有土壤,那就要快走了。不要被一時的光芒,遮蓋了眼睛。)
 
 
 
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(明天問題:


What is the future for Kit Armstrong?


What is the future for Kit Armstrong?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8238e     2011 0912 Monday)


Kit Armstrong is a very special child. Now he is 19, a brilliant piano player and composer, and a mathematician, his research in algebraic geometry and topology has taken him way past PhD level.

He might be a double genius. At the age of 5, he had completed his studies on higher secondary math. And at the age of 3, when his mother first brought him a piano keyboard, he could sit there playing all day without stopping. His mother needed to feed him by the side of the piano.

Talents are always a puzzle for us. How can they do things we can never do?

And the biggest compliment came from the renowned pianist Alfred Brendel. He had retired from performance, but taken Kit as a student. Brendel said talents have a ten-fold learning speed. A documentary film by Mark Kidel under the title “Set The Piano Stool on Fire” recorded their interesting encounter.

Banjamin Kaplan was piano teacher for Kit in Royal Academy of Music when he was 11 years old. Banjamin sain, he can learn a formidable eight-page Debussy piece by heart in 45 minutes, without touching the piano. (Indepent.co.uk, 20 February 2011, “Kit Armstrong, Playing by numbers”.)

There were quite a few podigies around the world. Menuhim, Kissin, Barenboim, Anne-Sophie Muttter, were all superstars by the age of 13. And some of them get lost quite easily. The American violinist Michael Rabin, feted as a teenager, in emotional free-fall in his 20s, dead at 35. (See “At three he was reading the Wall Street Journal” by Stephen Moss, The Guardian, 10 November 2005)

And the problem is, how many of the talents will finally become useful, and how many wasted.

I have a higher expectation for talents. I expect they can bring us human beings hope and future. However, ever after Mozart was gone, no one could fill up the gap in music. None of the talents have such impact as Mozart had done to human being.

Talents have difficulties even growing up, not to say that they can help us the human race to walk on to future.

Whenever there are new names appear, there will be much expectation again. And people are giving them much pressure, if they wish to stand up and gain approvals.
 
People are talking how to “protect” genius now. Talents are fragile and easily broken.

But the point is not protection.

The point is why some seeds are never able to grow up.

If you have a good seed, then the next issue is the soil. If seeds were felt upon rocks, or deserts, or rubbish heaps, they will surely die. Good seeds will come up once for a while, but if we have no soil at all, then all the seeds are wasted.

The important thing is to have a good soil. And that means a better culture. We can have a better culture by cultivating ourselves. And every one can do that. We must prepare ourselves first, and cherish every seed we have, then the future is for us. Mozart was a seed grown on an old culture of more then one thousand years. Now our culture had been ruined for so long a time. We might know what to do first.

(One last word here: Seeds do have feet. They are human being, and human can walk. If you found there is no soil, then it is time to go. Don’t let the temporary brightness darken you eyes.)
    




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9/11/2011

長弓淡酒------請看星期天籟


沒有秘密的世界在那裡?

沒有秘密的世界在那裡?
………………………………………………………李察(問到底No.8237     2011 0910 Saturday)    

  「沒有秘密的世界?」「我們都不需要保守秘密?」「我們彼此公開?」

  曾經有這樣的一個地方,在那裡,人們都不需要穿衣服。但這故事是不完全的。因為,我們收藏的不是肉體,而是心。所謂「衣服」,不過是一種比喻法。事實上,我們的心都是封閉的。 

  如果有一天,人們都彼此開放,人們都再不用秘密,也不需要任何秘密,那麼,我們一定已經到達了理想世界。

  或者這就是我們在這醜惡世界裡的最高理想。

  以下,就是我們所發現的一點小小「秘密」。
 
一, 沒有秘密的人,是最快樂的。

二,收藏最多秘密的人,就是最有權勢的人。也可以是最快樂的。

三,小百姓的秘密,都被掌握了。

四,但權勢的人們未必知道,掌管愈多的秘密,就愈無知。

五,先進的偵察器材,都在權力階層手上。他們可以偵測任何祕密。以為掌握了秘密,就是掌握了世界。

六,祕密是跟知識不同的。人們用了極大力量去偵測祕密,但只用極少精力尋求知識。他們看了過百萬的電郵,偷聽了過千萬的電話。但結果卻是無知。最有權勢的人,通常都是盲的。

七,盲人正在領導世界。





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(明天問題:


Where is the world of no secret?

Where is the world of no secret?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8237e     2011 0910 Saturday)

“A world of no secret? We do not need to hide ourselves? We are open to each other?”

There was a place, where people need no clothes. But the story is not completed. We are hiding not our bodies, but our minds. Clothes are but some form of analogy. Actually our minds are closed.

If one day we are all open to each other, we have no secret, we do not need any secret, then we must have arrived the ideal world.

May be this is the best ideal we can imagine in this ugly world.

However, we have found some interesting “secrets” here.

1. The most open-minded people are the happiest.

2. Those who kept most secrets are most powerful, and they can be the happiest also.

3. The secrets of all the common people are in the hands of a few powerful people.

4. Powerful people never understand that the more secret they obtained, the more ignorant they are.

5. Sophisticated tools are in the hands of a few powerful people. They can obtain secrets of any kind. They thought they could control the world by controlling secrets.

6. Secrets are not knowledge. People had use so much effort to obtain secret, so less for knowledge. They had read millions of emails, hacked billions of phone calls. But the outcome is ignorance. That is why many of the powerful people are blind.

7. Blind people are leading the world now.



    




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9/10/2011


何謂「唔知醜」?

何謂「唔知醜」?
………………………………………………………李察
(問到底No.8236     2011 0909 Friday)    

    

「唔知醜」是評估一個人是否真正成功的第二種方法。

羞恥是光榮的相反。當你自覺光榮的時候,你不會知醜。你可能很窮,身穿爛衣,破鞋,但你對自己有很好的看法,你毫無不自然的感覺。
    
  自我感覺良好,是很重要的。因為你有更強的內在支持力量。你不需要鑽戒、獎牌、頭銜去告訴人家你是誰。你的內在感覺會告訴你,你就是誰。你自己知道,你是有所作為的。你是對的,你是快樂的。

  這種感覺光芒萬丈,所有其他的事情,包括你所穿在身上的爛衫,全都充滿光輝。

  貧窮並不等於成功。所有人都需要足夠的資源去生活和去工作。但有趣的是,為甚麼這許多人這樣窮,卻毫無不自然的感覺。

  因為,他們就是像德蘭修女那樣的成功人物。

  成功不等於達到了某種地位。成功是貢獻。當你作了大事,光榮的感覺會升起。這種感覺,是直接從成功來的。你知道,你已經在永恆中佔有位置,你是宇宙主宰的寵兒。而這是抹不去的。你是快樂的,你對於塵世的物資,無所留戀。你已經獲得。你是光榮的。所以,你不知醜。




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(明天問題:


What is the feeling of no shame?

What is the feeling of no shame?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8236e     2011 0909 Friday)
    
 Shame is the opposite of glory. When you feel that you are glorious, you will have no shame. Even you are poor, and wear shabby clothes, broken shoes; but you have the best judgement for yourself, you will not feel anything uneasy.

To have the best judgement of oneself, is very important. It is because you have much stronger support in your soul. You do not need diamonds, medals, and titles to show that you are something. Your inner feeling will tell you, you are something. You know you have done something great, and you are justified and happy. This sense of glory is so bright that all other things, including your shabby clothes are shining in the light.

Being poor is not success itself. We all need enough sources to live and to work. No one is aiming at being poor. But the interesting point is that why some people are poor, but they do not have the shame feeling.

It is because, they are really successful people, like Mother Teresa.

Success is not achievement. Success is contribution and dedication. When you have done something great, a sense of glory will rise. The sense is coming directly from the success itself. You know it is registered somewhere in the eternality. You know you are the son of Him. And He is the Lord of the universe. Your success cannot be ripped away. You are happy, and you are not concerned with what you will get from the earthy matters, you have gained what you want. You are glorious, and you feel no shame.
 
 



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9/09/2011


何謂「唔覺威」?

何謂「唔覺威」?
………………………………………………………李察(問到底No.8235     2011 0908 Thursday)    

    

要評估一個人是否真的成功,有兩種方法。

第一種就是「唔覺威」。亦可以是:「沒有感覺的感覺」。成功之時,只是覺得平常,而且覺得,事情是必定這樣發生的。就好像駕駛一部價值二千萬的跑車在街上走,居然毫無感覺,一絲虛榮也沒有。就像電影明星柯德利夏萍那樣,她是拒絕配載真珠寶的。傳說有一次她本來答應拍一段廣告的。但臨到現場,她才知道,需要配載一條真的名貴鑽石項鍊。她拒絕了。不是許多人有這種拒絕的勇氣的。真正成功的人,就是成功在這些地方。

這種沒有感覺的感覺是很重要的。因為,這感覺証明了你的奮鬥目標,不是虛榮,而是有真正價值的。下次,當你上台領獎的時刻,不理那是奧運金牌還是甚麼的,你只是沒有感覺,你才算是真正成功了。

至於第二種方法是「唔知醜」,下次談。

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(明天問題:


What is the feeling of no feeling?

What is the feeling of no feeling?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8235e     2011 0907 Wednesday)
    
 

There are two measures for one's success.

One is the feeling of no feeling. You did not feel glorious when you were successful. If you are driving a twenty-million racing car on the road, and every body are looking at you admirably, but you do not feel it. You have no feeling about it. And it is not even your own car. Just like the movie star Audrey Hepburn, she had mentioned somewhere once, that she never wore a real jewel. Some people are very rich, but they do not regard money or material life is important.

The feeling of no feeling has a meaning. It means your aim is not vanity. You have a real motive, and you had fought hard for it. Next time, when you are in the platform to accept the gold medal for something, you have this feeling of no feeling, you don't have that kind of vanity, then you are really successful.

As for the other measure, “feeling no shame”, I will write later.





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9/07/2011


愛因斯坦是聖人嗎?

愛因斯坦是聖人嗎?
………………………………………………………李察(問到底No.8234     2011 0906 Tuesday)    

*周一人物*

  愛因斯坦不是聖人。他是一個猶太人,很像一個猶太聖人。但他不是。

  他是西方文化的領導者。如果我再說得接近一些,他是西方文化的外在領導者。而這一個位置,比猶太教的聖人更要影響深遠。雖然他的科學理論已被修正,不再被視為完全正確,但是,他仍是西方文化最核心的重點人物。

  他對政治和道德,都充滿興趣。他又是和平主義和人權的倡議者。人們都喜歡他,他有時面對鏡頭,喜歡把舌頭伸出,他的形象,被廣泛欣賞。

  要一直到了二十一世紀,他的內在秘密才逐漸披露。他在公眾前的形象和家庭中的形象,是完全不同的。他堅持跟第一任妻子離婚。她身體和心靈完全崩潰。留下一雙兒子。十五歲的大兒子憎恨他,而六歲的小兒子患上心理病,多次接受電擊治療,後來在痛苦中死去。而他對於次任妻子,也不是誠實的。有次在他的私人遊艇中檢拾出一堆衣物,他的兩位繼妻的女兒發覺,其中有一件低胸的女裝泳衣。
 
  他是嚴重內外衝突的。而中國人的領袖毛澤東,情況和他相似。兩人都是嚴重內外衝突的。 而這就構成了我們的二十世紀。

( Details are published in a book: “The private life of Albert Einstein” by Roger Highfield and Paul Carter, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1994.)



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(明天問題:


Is Albert Einstein a saint?

Is Albert Einstein a saint?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8234e     2011 0906 Tuesday)    
 
Of course he is not a saint. He is a Jew and very likely thought of as a Jewish saint. But he in not.

He is the leader of Western culture. If I can put it more correctly, he is the external culture leader of the West. This position is more than a saint in the Jewish tradition. Though his scientific theories had been amended and not considered completely correct, but still, he is the center of Western culture. He is widely interested on politics and morals. He is a campaigner for pacifism and human rights. People are all happy about him. Especially when he poked out his tongue for camera, he as a funny and nice old man is widely accepted.

Its only recently people discovered that he was double faced. The behavior in front of the public and inside the family was totally different. He had insisted to divorce his wife, and she was mentally and physically collapsed, leaving behind a pair of sons. His fifteen-year-old elder son hated him and his second son was only six years old and suffered serious mental illness for the rest of his life and died in a painful condition. And he was not loyal to his second wife too. His servants packed the clothes inside his boat to laundry, and his two daughters of his second wife discovered a ladies low cut swimming suit in it.

He is heavily contradicted in and out. Yet, he is the leading figure of the West. To compare with him, Chinese leader Mao Tse Tung was more or less the same. Both are heavily contradicted figures. And that constituted our twentieth century.

Details are published in a book: “The private life of Albert Einstein” by Roger Highfield and Paul Carter, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1994.




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9/04/2011

please see "Sunday Music"

and please see "the story of Maxima" on my music blog.


何謂「新聞自由」?

何謂「新聞自由」?
………………………………………………………李察
(問到底No.8233     2011 0901 Wednesday)    

   
  新聞自由是不存在的。在世界上的大多數地方,沒有新聞自由。包括了中國、俄國、美國、和香港等等。

如果大學裡的新聞系有學者告訴你,在自由世界裡有新聞自由,在禁制世界裡沒有。那麼,他就是沒有說出全部的事實。

只有控制中的新聞自由,但沒有新聞自由。

何謂「控制」?就是說,你有一些看起來好像新聞自由的自由,其實沒有。

一隻怪獸就是一隻怪獸。如果你在怪獸的頭上插上花,怪獸看起來好看些,但他仍然是一隻怪獸。

如果你在新聞報紙上放一些奇談怪論,報紙會看起來好看些,但是,報紙仍是不自由的。這報紙仍是控制中的報紙。

如果你是在二樓,你就是在二樓。你不是在三樓。你不會看見三樓風景。

會有聰明些的朋友,能像三樓的人那樣思考?看見二樓看不見的景象?

是的。或者那朋友就是花,是怪獸頭上的花。 或者這花有一天能改變怪獸。這是不能否定的。這是叫做「希望」。

  所謂的「新聞自由」就是這樣:所有意見,都是受控的。總有大老闆在一切的背後。你是為他工作,你每月受薪。你只不過是「大氣候」的一部份。有時,不同的意見也被「容許」,但如果你過了界,就要被炒。這是許多人被炒的原因。

而所有的大新聞機構,都是有大老闆的。

誰拿走了「新聞自由」?

老闆們拿走了「新聞自由」。

但問題是:我們是否仍然有一點「個人的新聞自由」?就像此刻你在看的網頁,不是仍有許多嗎?

是的。到此為止,仍不能不承認,我們是有個人的新聞自由的。而且,每人都可以是一朵花,是怪獸頭上的花 。希望有一天,怪獸能夠有所改善。

大規模的新聞機構可以控制,但個人是很難控制的。

「潮流」,或者所謂「大氣候」就是被大機構造成的,不是被小小的個人份子造成的。個人份子,不過是羔羊。而羔羊只能在路上走。而路是被大機構舖設出來的。而且,路也只有一條。或者,總是有人能夠找到新路的。或者,開創一條新路,也是可能的。這是一種希望,而不是新聞自由。

  那麼,一個自由國家和一個禁制國家,有甚麼不同呢?

  他們都是道路的提供者。

  而且,他們都有警察(或牧人)看守羊群。
 
  有的牧人工作得好。有的不那麼好。像海明威、差利卓別靈、約翰連儂,所有這些光輝的個人,都曾經投訴,說被警察監控,騷擾。而且那些都是真的。後來出現的証據,証明了這些都是事實。但是,公眾並不太知道這些事情。

  但無論如何,在一個「自由世界」和「禁制世界」之間,仍有所區別。

  在「自由世界」中的警察,是穿便衣的。

   而在「禁制世界」中,警察是既穿制服,也穿便服的。

  這就是我昨天所知道的「新聞自由」。
 
  當我寫完了上文之後,覺得心中好像有一種聲音:
「那麼,老闆們呢?如果你有一個好老闆,如果這老闆的智慧知道了誠實的重要,那麼,事情就好了。」

  這是很對的,真是一語中的。你總是不能否定,在將來的某時,某刻,會有一個好老闆出現的。

  雖然這是不能保証的,但卻是可能的。所以,新聞自由也是可能的,雖然控制中的新聞自由肆虐,但真正的新聞自由,仍是可能的。

  思索到了此刻,問題已經不是新聞自由不自由了。

  問題是,我們作為人類一份子,有沒有機會去尋找真理。當然這是必須肯定的。因為,是我們自己的內在心思去作決定的。要不要去找出真相,權力總是在自己的手上。人是自由的。這是來自莊子的意思。也是耶穌的意思。他說過,「Seek and you shall find」。

  那心中的聲音又說:「你知道誰是好的老闆嗎?」我的個人答案是:我或者知道或者不知道,但時間會知道,歷史也會知道。
 
  之後,那聲音就不再言語了。或者我是對的。





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(明天問題:



What is press freedom?

What is press freedom?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8233e     2011 0901 Wednesday)    
   
  Press freedom is non-existed. There is no such thing as Press Freedom in most parts of the world, including China, Russia, America, and of course, Hong Kong.

If somebody in the Journalism department of the higher education institutes tells you there is press freedom in a free world, and there is no press freedom in a forbidden world, then he is not telling all the facts.

We have only controlled press freedom, but no press freedom.

What is “Controlled”? It means you have something “looks like” press freedom, but actually no freedom at all.

A monster is a monster. If you put some flowers on the head of the monster, the monster looks more beautiful, but he is still a monster.

If you put some strange ” view points” in the newspaper, the newspaper will be better looking, but it will not become free. It is the same controlled newspaper.

If you are in the second floor of some level, it means, you are in the second floor. You are NOT in the third floor.
You can not have the third floor views.

The question is, will there be a smart individual think like the third floor people? And see the things the second floor people cannot see?

Yes, then the individual is the flower. He is the flower on the monster’s head. May be the flower can change the monster someday, it can not be denied. It is something we called “hope”.

The so-called press freedom is exactly like this: All the opinions are under control. There are real bosses behind all the big news co-operations. You are working under them; you will get your paycheck every month. You simply are a part of the general “atmosphere”. You will help to create such “atmosphere”. Some times, different ideas were “allowed”, but never exceed a certain limit. If you are so brave to tell more, you will sure be fired. That is why there are so many people lost their jobs in the co-operations.

All news co-operations are but the will of a limited number of “bosses”.

Who had taken away our press freedom?

The “bosses” had taken away the press freedom.

And now the question is: Do we have individual press freedom? Like the blog you are now reading, is an individual thing. And there are millions of them in some countries.

Until this moment, I would say yes. Yes we have individual press freedom, and every one can be a flower, to grow on the monster’s head, hoping some day the monster can change.

Co-operations can be controlled. But individuals not so easy.

The “trend”, or the “atmosphere” is shaped by co-operations, not individuals. Individuals are like sheep, going where the only road leads. The road is supplied by co-operations. May be some one can find a new road, or build a new road. And that is “hope”, but not “press freedom”.

What is the difference between a “Free country” and a ”Forbidden country”?

They all have roads. Both of the countries have roads build by co-operations.

They all have police (or shepherd) to guard the sheep.

Some of the shepherds are working well, some not so well. Hemingway, Charles Chaplain, John Lennon, all this bright individuals had complained that they were under heavy secret police monitor and harassment. And they were true, proven by later discovered facts. But the general public seldom aware of it.

However, there are still differences between a “Free world” and a “Forbidden world”.

In a “Free world”, policemen wear plain clothes. In a “Forbidden world” policemen wear both uniforms and plain clothes.

And this was all I had known about “Press Freedom” yesterday.

When I finished writing the above, I felt a voice talking to me: “What about the bosses? What if you have a good boss? If the boss is wise enough to know the importance of being honest, then everything is alright.”

And that was a direct hit to the point. You can never deny that someday, somewhere, a good boss will be born.

Though there is no guarantee, but it is possible. So, press freedom is possible, though controlled press freedom prevails, the real press freedom is still possible.

And the point is not press freedom now.

The point is whether we as a human being can have a chance to seek the truth. And we must be positive about this. It is something inside us that make the decision. The power is always on our hand. We are free, as the point was from Zhuang Zi the ancient philosopher. And from Jesus also. He had said, ” Seek and you shall find.”

The voice talked to me again: Do you know who is a good boss? My answer: I may or may not know who is good, who is bad. But time will know, and history will know.

The voice never says anything again. May be I am right.



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9/02/2011


何謂「典範」?

何謂「典範」?
………………………………………………………李察(問到底No.8232     2011 0831 Wednesday)    

   
  不知有多少人知道,何謂「典範」。更不知有沒有人願意去「轉移」「典範」。

  事實上,這是很老的名詞了。最少也有二十年。李察也用過不少。有時,李察會用另一名詞去替代,李察會說,那是「思想網絡」。

  但人們仍不明白。有讀者來信嚴詞質詢,問為何不用密碼寫文章,橫豎也是存心不讓人明白的。

  或者,這些只是不太常用的名詞。所以,人們有點不習慣。

  為何不太常用呢?
 
  因為,人們不能自覺知道,一旦典範被轉移了,經濟難題也會隨之解決。知識的探索方向有了改變,新視野才能出現。

  第一個問題是:何謂「思想」?(對此問題無興趣的讀者,切勿往下閱讀。)

舊的見解認為,思想是線條形狀的。例如,最初是發明火車頭,跟著是汽車,跟著是飛機,然後是電話、無線電、留聲機,等等。新知識是一件一件接踵而來的。而我們到了線的未端,就會聰明些。

但是,典範卻不是一條線。那是一整套的概念和其他元素。人是用整套概念去思考的。我們需要的不是一個概念,而是整套的概念,意念,感覺,等等。

李察以為,典範就是 一個思想網絡。 這網絡由百千萬億的「概念」組成。相同網絡的人們,思想未必相同,但思考的習慣會比較接近。
  很多人會比較亞里士多德,牛頓,愛恩斯坦,霍金等人的概念。但觀察角度也可以是哲學的。李察相信,更大影響的人是摩西、耶穌、尼采、還有卡繆。

  在摩西時代,主要的典範是法和復仇。到了耶穌,才提出了愛。耶穌把愛帶到世上,愛就成為了普遍接受的生活方式。但後來的哲學家像尼采等人否定神,以為生命是無意義的,甚至是荒謬的。因此,就把物質主義重新喚起了。

  當人們以為,生命沒有意義,就會追求世俗快樂。
同時就放棄了靈性的安慰感受。雖然沒有人會否定愛,但會忘記愛。在角逐世俗享受的時候,典範就是轉了。人們不但忘記了愛,連知也忘記了。好奇心和求知慾被壓抑到最低點。而富蘭克林時代的人,是不會這樣的。他們不僅喜歡閱讀,更時常做科學研究和實驗。但在今時今日的亞洲和香港,你立刻就能感覺了不同的氣氛。

  典範是慢慢地轉的。

  可以從人們的行動中察覺。甚麼行動?例如,對家庭成員所採取的行動。他們愛配偶嗎?他們對於配偶和子女,有終身的承諾嗎?他們會答應子女們,他們可以同時擁有父母親嗎?

  而這些是很明顯的典範轉移。人們在不知不覺中,已經變了。人們都知道,過往的「日子」,已經不同。

比較之下,更加嚴重的典範轉移,是另外的一種。典範已經轉向於無知。(Ignorance)

人們以為,知識不再重要。甚麼問題,都可以在互聯網上找到答案。求知慾已經喪失。

世俗的快樂,聳動的小報,誘惑的廣告,性愛的影片,都能導向一種全封閉的典範。

就是這種典範鎖上了我們。我們看不到新的光線。而經濟下滑已經開始。
要再轉往另一種全新的典範,第一件事,就是開鎖。



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(明天問題:



How do paradigms shift?


How do paradigms shift?
…………………………………………Leechard
(Quest No.8232e     2011 0831 Wednesday)    
   
  I wonder, how many people know paradigm. And, how many will care to “shift” their paradigm?

Actually, this is a rather old term, may be more then 20 years. And I have been using it many times. Some times, I would use another term to replace it, I would rather say, “Thinking network” instead of “paradigms”

However, people still do not understand. May be it is not a daily use term, so people are not accustomed to it.

Why the term is not in the daily usage stock?

It is because, people are not aware that by shifting the paradigms, problems of economics will be solved. The approach towards knowledge will be changed then, and new insights will appear.

The first problem for paradigm is: What is “thinking”?

The old understanding is that, thoughts are in a line. For example, you first invented the locomotive, then a few years later, you invented the motor car, then the air plane, then the telephone, then the phonograph, etc. Items would come up one by one.
We believe we will be smarter in the line’s end.

However, the paradigm is not a line, it is a whole set of concepts and other elements. People are using whole sets of concept to think. We need not only one concept, but a whole set of concepts, ideas, feelings, etc.


I would say, a paradigm is a thinking network. The network is composed with millions of “concepts” and other elements. People in the same concept will think in more or less the same pattern. They will not have the same ideas always, but their thinking pattern will be similar.

People will like to compare the concept sets of some scientists, like Aristotle, Newton, Einstein and Stephen Hawking. But viewing angles could be philosophical. I think more influential were Moses, Jesus, Friedrich Nietzsche and Albert Camus.

In the time of Moses, major mindsets were law and retaliation. In Jesus, love. Jesus had brought in love as a general accepted way of life. But later philosophers like Nietzsche refused to believe there is God, they think life is meaningless and absurd, and they had brought materialism back to the modern world.

Once people think life is meaningless, they would seek secular pleasure instead of the comfort of the soul. No one can deny love, but they can forget love. In seeking secular pleasure, sets of concept will be changed again. In fact, people had not only forgotten love, but truth also. Curiosity, or the general desire of seeking knowledge had been reduced to the minimum. In the times of Benjamin Franklin, people are so eager to learn, they not only read, but do experiments always. But in the modern times, especially in Asia and Hong Kong, you can feel the difference immediately.

Mindsets are gradually changed in time.

It could be seen on people’s actions. For example, the actions against another family member:
Will they love their spouse? Do they have a life time commitment towards their children and spouse? Will they promise to their children, they can have their parents with them always?

And this is rather obvious paradigm shift, People had changed their minds in a certain among of time. Every body will say, it was not like that in the “old times”.

To compare with some not so obvious matters, paradigm can be shifted towards ignorance.

When people do not think knowledge is important, every thing could be found in the internet, you only need to type your question and answers will appear, and curiosity, or the desire of knowledge itself is disappeared.

Secular pleasure, tabloids, sensational ads, sex movies, all this can lead to a completely closed paradigm.

It is this approach towards knowledge locked our paradigms. We can not see things in a new light. And economics downturn is coming soon.

To shift into a new paradigm, first, we need to unlock ourselves.



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