不在人事

　　今早在林安娜的博客《安娜私房话》读到这篇笑话（参阅《没有人可以扼杀你的快乐！》），抄录于此，与网友共享会心一笑的时刻：

好友英英在人事单位服务，日前调到楼下的总务单位。

这天，他的朋友打电话找他，「英英在吗？」朋友问。

「他已经不在人事了喔！」英英的同事回答。

「啊！怎么会，他什么时候过去的？」朋友惊讶地说。

「上个礼拜。」英英的同事答。

「我都不知道，没有送他一程。」朋友懊悔地说。

「没关系啦，你下去找他就好了。」英英的同事答。

无所谓

　　9月26日，在至圣先师孔子2559周年圣诞及南洋孔教会成立94周年庆典晚宴上，秋香殷切地介绍一首歌给我，那是杨坤的《无所谓》。

　　秋香说她无意中在972最爱频道听到这首歌，觉得很好听，想把这首歌及其歌词电邮给我，不过一直没找到。

　　我上网搜索，找到了这首《无所谓》的MTV，旋律还算优美：
http://you.video.sina.com.cn/b/4589878-1247048562.html

　　这里附上《无所谓》的歌词，总觉得歌词中透出一丝丝的无奈，真的“无所谓”吗？还是“无可奈何”呢？

　　歌曲：《无所谓》
　　歌手：杨坤
　　作词：杨坤
　　作曲：杨坤

　　歌词：

　　无所谓
　　谁会爱上谁
　　无所谓
　　谁让谁憔悴
　　有过的幸福
　　是短暂的美
　　幸福过后
　　再回来受罪

　　错与对
　　再不说的那么绝对
　　是与非
　　再不说我不后悔
　　破碎就破碎
　　要什么完美
　　放过了自己
　　我才能高飞

　　无所谓 无所谓
　　原谅这世间
　　所有的不对
　　无所谓
　　我无所谓
　　何必让自己
　　痛苦的轮回
　　我无所谓

　　错与对
　　再不说的那么绝对
　　是与非
　　再不说我的后悔
　　破碎就破碎
　　要什么完美
　　放过了自己
　　我才能高飞

　　无所谓 无所谓
　　原谅这世间
　　所有的不对
　　无所谓
　　我无所谓
　　何必让自己
　　痛苦的轮回

　　无所谓 无所谓
　　原谅这世间
　　所有的不对
　　无所谓
　　我无所谓
　　何必让自己
　　痛苦的轮回
　　我无所谓

　　我无所谓……

从中美文化得到启发

　　上个月收到国才一封电邮，电邮中转述了8月28日《联合早报》在“早报中国”版的一则“漏网之语”：

我从中美两个世界取得精华

　　在中国文化中，让我受益的是从长远角度看问题，强调温和，强调人的内在和谐，这是让我受益的。美国方面，好的文化成分包括讲究活力，追求优秀，并且重视新鲜事物。我想这是双方文化的长处，因此可以说我是从两个世界取得了其中的精华，让我受益匪浅。

——正在中国访问的美国劳工部长赵小兰，近日接受中国媒体采访时，针对中美文化的异同发表见解。

　　诚然，每个国家民族的文化都是人的产物，都有产生该文化的历史因素，我们应当以开放的心灵，去了解各文化的发展过程，兼收并蓄各文化的精华长处，进而转化成为自己的人生价值观。

　　当然，我们不能简单地把各文化摆在同一个平面，总是要从中分出价值的高低、意义的深浅。分辨价值高低、意义深浅，除了客观的务实理解之外，免不了主观的价值判断和取舍，这就取决于自己的内涵和智慧了。

　　有一点要谨记的，就是价值判断和取舍有一定的主观性，会随着自己的成长而有所更改的，所谓“年五十而有四十九年非”（《淮南子•原道训》）。因此，我们应当坚信自己当下所认同的价值观，但同时也要保持一颗开放的心灵，去接收新事物，发掘更深层的道理。如果我们只是一味认定自己的价值观是最佳的、是唯一的，进而轻视或排斥其他文化的价值，那其实也是一种封闭啊！

又见宁静之祷

　　每个星期六，靖邦和靖恒都到第一乐章音乐学校（Opus One Music School）学习弹钢琴。

　　上个星期六，我带靖邦和靖恒去学琴，在音乐学校看到这件摆设，上面刻着的正是“宁静之祷”。（关于宁静之祷，可参阅《宁静之祷》和《再谈宁静之祷》两篇博文）


　　从年初到现在，我所属的商业单位的生意还是很不理想，最近部门又发生了不愉快的事，我发现自己显得急躁，比较容易发脾气。

　　又见宁静之祷，是在提醒我，要以宁静的心去接受已成的事实。一念及此，我的心情平和下来，准备重新上路。

克明小学

　　克明小学是我两个儿子所就读的学校，靖邦今年读三年级，靖恒一年级。

　　6月28日，第三学期的第一个星期六，是克明小学的开放日兼家庭日，节目有各种文娱表演、游戏摊位等，让公众对学校多一点认识，用意当然是在招生，同时也让家长与学生欢聚一堂，对孩子在学校的活动多一点了解。

　　克明小学相当重视让学生接触各种体育与艺术项目，比如游泳、羽球、武术、跳绳、舞蹈、小提琴、吉他、电子琴、华乐等。开放日的其中一项表演是分别由二年级与三年级的学生们拉小提琴与弹吉他，靖邦是其中一位弹吉他的学生，我们全家人当然去捧场。

靖邦坐在第二排椅子中间

　　在学校的柱子上，我看到一幅对联：

　　克勤向学通今古
　　明理致知辨是非

　　这是一幅嵌头联，对联句子头一个字组成的就是克明小学的校名。上联勉励学生勤于学习各门知识以通今古，说的是知识教育、学习精神；下联勉励学生明白道理以辨是非，说的是道德教育、思辨精神；知与德、学与思，正是学校培育学生所应关注的两方面。

商人与渔夫

　　9月15日，《我报》有一篇文章“Between lanterns and a galaxy of stars”，作者Geoff Tan讲述了一个富豪带儿子去看穷人如何生活的故事：

The head of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to a country with a less-than-noble purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return, the father asked his son: “How was the trip?”

“It was great, Dad,” the son replied.

“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.

“Tell me, what did you learn from the trip?”

The son answered: “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have a whole galaxy of stars at night.

“Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

“We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”

The boy’s father was speechless.

Then, his son added: “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are.”

　　这个故事让我想起曾经听过一个关于商人与渔夫的故事，于是我上网搜索，找到了以下这篇文章：

Businessman and the Fisherman
by Mark Albion

A young businessman was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Seeing several large yellowfin tuna inside the small boat, the businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of the fish and asked how long it took to catch them. "Only a little while", the fisherman replied.

A little surprised, the young business man asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" The content fisherman said, "This is enough to support my family's immediate needs. I don't need any more." "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" asked the confused young man. "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a walk with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my buddies; I have a full and busy life."

The lad scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The fisherman asked, "How long will this all take?" to which the young man replied, "15-20 years." "But what then?" The business man laughed and said "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions, sir? Then what?"

"Then you would retire, move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a walk with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your buddies."

　　我在网上也找到这个故事的影片，片长大约3分钟：

"The Good Life" Parable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7JlI959slY



　　两个故事有一个共同点，都是在探讨：什么是富有？什么是贫穷？富有或贫穷取决于人的心态。常言道：知足常乐，真正的富有不是物质上的拥有，而是精神上的丰足。