独善其身1

我也想。

可以安安逸逸地过生活，不理人间烟火。只要守着自己的一亩天地，不管世间如何，只要自己的范围里的一切都过得去，就行了。

然而，纵使不理会人间烟火，远处的烟火升起时，还是会吹过我的藩篱越入我的天地。不管我愿意与否。即使是过着自供自足、就算过着低碳的生活，其他人肆无忌惮地射放二氧化碳，加速全球温度上升时，地球上的所有生物，包括我自己，也同样会遭殃。

特别是现今的国界变得越来越模糊。国与国之间、人与人之间的关系越来越紧密，虽然不见得愈来愈平和，却让人之间的影响力扩大；别人无心的一个喷嚏，都有可能会影响到我。也不管我愿意与否。

现实如此。真的，我是真的希望能不理世事，过着自己的生活就好。

我家外面有人遇劫，那是他人的事。恕不受理。可惜的事，人的一举一动，不再限于自己，而是会波及他人，或是更多的其他人，甚至是整个地球。我不想理会窃贼，可是窃贼不一定就会不理会我。我不干预恶霸，不表示恶霸就不会欺诈我。事实是，即使逃离人群，因集体人类的活动导致全球毁灭时，我也难逃劫数。遗憾的是，我始终无法摆脱人类集体活动后的结果。

才发现，想拥有一片属于自己的安乐天地，其实是必须走出自己的安乐窝去争取的，为自己，也为别人。某种程度上，很可能是必须先为别人争取。有一位培植出优良农作物的农夫曾言，要培植出优良品种的唯一密绝便是与附近的同行分享好的种子。只有当周围的农作物达到同样的品质时，自己的农作物在授粉时才能产出优质的品种。自己的安乐天地，在某个程度而言，仰赖的也是自己天地以外的安乐。

原来，想拥有属于自己的安乐天地的悖论是先为别人。

这竟然不是伟大与否的问题，而是务实的处理。

等

 

小食店里，食客零零落落。空置着的桌上杯盘狼藉。只剩角落一张二人座位的桌面已收拾干净。

一名中学生端着托盘走来，瞧见了一隅的位子以及周遭桌面的狼狈不堪。脚步对着角落的位子踌躇不定，对着满桌的垃圾也不甚喜欢。

于是，她来回地踱了很多……很多次，仿佛期待奇迹的出现。想坐其他座位，却不要采取主动争取解决当前的窘况；有了选择却不愿为自己的选择而付出必要的行动。宁愿端着托盘继续不知所措。后来，她母亲来了；也重演了女儿的犹豫不决。可惜，奇迹并没有眷顾母女两人。

还好，只是座位而已。

最终，两人都退而求其次，选择了干净的座位。

A small eatery with few patrons. But empty tables were cluttered with used cups and plates, leaving a two-seats-table at a corner free of any litter.

Came a secondary school girl with a tray. Shot an uninterested glance at that corner table and a disapproving look at the clutter on the rest of the available tables.

She paced up and down the aisle undecidedly for many, many times, probably in hope of a miracle. She was at a loss of the next step to take. Wanted to take other seats but at the same time, refused to initiate the necessary actions to resolve the imminent problem of the mess on the tables. She made her choice but was reluctant to walk the extra inch. She'd rather persist her dilemma than taking up any actions. Some time later, her mother came and joined in her daughter's dilemma. No miracle dawned on them.

Fortunately, it was only a seat.

And they both compromised and chose the corner seat after all.

A Singaporean reporter sharing her new-found pride of being a Singaporean

A visit to Spain for an event and a witness to protests, high unemployment rate, inefficiency and even fluctuating weather gave rise to her pride of being a Singaporean.{Here} Because of the inconveniences that she encountered over the few days of weeks, Jeanette Tan decided that she could barter her education debt, our issues on housing, foreign influx and inflation in exchange for the conveniences that she value…..To each his own.    

However, intriguingly, her revelation begets two debatable questions:   (1) The constitution of her pride and (2) the need to play down others to boost her national identity  

(1) A glance through her listed sources of national pride. Orderliness, high employment rate, efficiency and consistent weather, in her own interpretation, constitute a Singaporean. And suffice to make a proud one too.

To side track a little—imagine my eldest sister visited a friend's house to come back telling me how beautiful her friend's sofa was and the abundance of food that they had at their place; my second sister visited that same friend came back telling me how cosy her friend's house was and how good her friend's brother was at computer games. Both my sisters chose a different perspective to judge their friend's house but it was my second sister who was able to see beyond the materials.

But the reporter could not. Weather aside, her pride circled largely around materialistic traits. And thinking a little beyond, these traits buoy down to the results of “good governance”, little or no credits were given to the citizens of our country. Not to mention that “good governance” is highly disputable in our case, if we think along the line of the huge maintenance cost of our Cabinet and compared that to the cost of the Spanish Cabinet for a country of such scale and size. We cannot forget the fact that the first 30 highly paid politicians in this universe all came from Singapore {Here} . We must therefore remind ourselves for the premium that we are made to pay. In such light, “good governance” is not a blessing or a gift from the providence, but AN EXPECTATION. It still remains to be calculated economically, psychologically, socially and politically, whether such maintenance costs are met with proportionate returns.

One interesting thing to note amongst the reasons of the reporter's pride, is the severe lacking of any country-specific characteristics, ie. what constitutes Singapore and a Singaporean? Surely beyond high-employment rate, efficiency and social peace? What about our outwardly less civil but inwardly warm-hearted traits and the simplicity of our people or our ethnic vibrancy? Can sole governance be an absolute representation of a country?

Seemingly, on a bold assumption, any place on earth that could provide high employment, calm weather and efficiency will be equally worthy of the reporter's pride?

I am not saying that I dislike high employment, efficiency and social peace. Nobody does. But certainly, these would not be the things that would MAKE ME PROUD of my nationality. Rather these are the materials which I will enjoy, desire and APPRECIATE. I am materialistic too, like many of us.  

(2) As for the latter, the constant need of self-glorification through playing down others is really uncalled for. In fact, it’s a manifestation of low esteem.

Imagine again, my eldest sister visited her friend’s place came back only to say, “How wonderful my house/family is! I am so proud of ourselves! We have abundance of good food, nicer-coloured walls and cleaner toilet bowls.” What kind of person would you make out of my eldest sister? To denounce her friend's house/home to glorify herself, my eldest sister is uncivil, shallow, self-centred and pitiful. Such mindset will never allow her to appreciate the goodness of others. Moreover, she overlooked the fact that good and bad are both sides of the same coin. Additionally, such act of comparison is also simplistic.

We have a bad habit of consistently comparing other nations with ourselves to convince our "success". And not realizing that the gesture of comparison as in most cases are only selective to different extent where the differences of history, languages, demography, geography, climate, social, economic and political systems of the nations involved are disregarded and therefore the gesture of comparison itself is simplistic and limited in scope. Because no two countries in this world are alike. Yet, our Southeast Asia neighbours are still our faithful negative examples to re-affirm our “successful story”, where we are totally oblivious to each country’s unique historical and cultural circumstances. Such gesture only serves to flaunt our shallowness and naivety.

Not forgetting that any country of this planet has a far longer and richer history and development, therefore more complicated than ours. It is therefore narrow-minded to denounce any nation based on a few factors or brief encounters. And it is even bad taste to sing praises of ourselves whilst turning noses at others! It is appalling, how one can condemn Spain in absolute after a brief stay and a few incidents?

The spirit of a nation goes beyond the façade of infrastructure and administrative system that distinct itself from any other place on earth. And this would be the trait that I choose to be proud of. Again, to each his own.

软硬兼具

习惯性地把先进的定义锁定在视觉角度。于是，肉眼只会搜寻亮丽的建筑外观、交通系统的现代化、整洁的街道……

直到第一次踏入闻名于世的伦敦地下铁，迎面而来的便是列车、地下铁站的破旧和设计的苍白；英式古典建筑外的“现代”楼房都仿佛停滞在七十年代的氛围里，才推翻原有对先进的观念。

是否就能仅以外观便把英国的先进判死刑？

新旧程度、体积、设计的新鲜度、科技的多寡，往往是先进度的指标。的确，我们对此迷信不已。

于是，体积巨大的购物商场不厌其烦地涌现、设计推陈出新、旧建筑让位、新科技的堆积……让空中花园、高耸入云端的建筑、开放式的厕所、崭新的交通来相继标贴我们的先进。

砸钱买先进。既方便，又能立竿见影。

因此，富裕的杜拜挤满了高楼，也打造了以棕榈和世界为图形的群岛，阿拉伯联合酋长国却始终与先进沾不上边；神州大地拼命地以高速的动车追先进，动车意外却证明了仅靠硬件上的先进是肤浅的。

外观虽然有限，可是英国社会包容无限。残疾人士、有特别需要的一群、同性恋者、单亲妈妈、妇女、长者、贫困儿童、殉职军人等不同群体的人士得以光明正大地存在着。媒体能够发表不同群体的声音，也能兼容不同政治理念的声音。在政治权势当前，市民不必卑躬屈膝。那也是一种先进的体现，是一种比硬件上的先进更坚固的文明。

我贪图硬件的华丽，却也觉得只重硬件而轻软件的表面先进越来越让人吃不消。

你怕吗？

拥挤的地铁列车上，一名老妇上了车。一位女搭客偶然抬头，发现了不远处的老妇站着，便立即让座。站在这名女搭客前的一名阿姨见状，便以迅雷不及掩耳的速度，一屁股坐到位子上，并沾沾自喜一番。那名女搭客发现，没说什么，就一直站到下车为止。原本的一番好意，变成了让自己和老妇站到下车。女搭客由始至终都选择了缄默以对，不为自己或老妇把位子争取回来。

搭客中有人看懂了这一幕，窃窃私语。可是我们也一样，最终都选择了置身事外。是的，不过是一个座位而已。死不了人的。反正也不关我们的事。

某日，听到身后有人清喉咙的声音。转头一看，那人理所当然地把口中的痰吐到地上。让我看傻了眼。这个年代里，吐痰的竟是一名年轻小伙子。优雅社会还未达成，那一口痰就让社会倒退了三十年。也不过是一口痰，死不了人的。更不关我的事。

是吗？

纳粹份子来抓共产份子时，我不是共产份子，不关我的事，所以我选择缄默；来抓犹太人时，更不关我事，所以我还是选择沉默；他们来抓我时，已经没其他的有人可以站出来为我说话了。

到了死了人，关乎到自己身上时，才算关我的事时，往往为时已晚。

站出来劝阻那名吐痰者确实让我胆战心惊。可是，我更害怕的是见证自己的社会慢慢地走向沉沦。我们的价值观、我们的市容、我们的治安，除了自己之外，没有人会为我们捍卫的。

难道你不怕吗？