Happiness

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less” — Socrates, lived in 450 BC.

Value of Life

"There are those who think that life is valueless because it comes to an end. They fail to see that the opposite argument might also be proposed: that if there were no end to life, life would have no value; that it is, in part, the ever-present danger of losing it which helps to bring home to us the value of life" - Sir Karl Popper

Life

"We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; in feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart throbs. He most lives who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best." - Aristotle

哪一条跑道?

“...设想一个跑道上，有人正在跑五千米，有人在拼百米冲刺，也有人在做清晨的散步。那跑五千米的人，看见那跑百米的人全身紧张、满面通红，心里会“颤抖”吗？不会的，因为他知道自己是跑五千米的。那清晨散步遛狗的人，看见那跑五千米的人气呼呼地追过来了，他会因而恐惧，觉得自己要被“淘汰”了吗？不会的，因为他知道自己是来散步的。

你真的“平庸”吗？其实要看你让自己站在哪一条跑道上。如果你决定做那清晨散步的人，怎么会有“平庸”的问题呢？会不会你的气定神闲，你的温和内敛，你的沉静谦逊，反而就是你最“杰出”的人格特质呢？...”

- 龙应台 “亲爱的安德烈”

平庸

"...我不记得了，也许那晚葡萄酒也喝多了。但是，我可以现在告诉你，如果你“平庸”，我是否“失望”。

　　对我最重要的，安德烈，不是你有否成就，而是你是否快乐。而在现代的生活架构里，什么样的工作比较可能给你快乐？第一，它给你意义；第二，它给你时间。你的工作是你觉得有意义的，你的工作不绑架你使你成为工作的俘虏，容许你去充分体验生活，你就比较可能是快乐的。至于金钱和名声，哪里是快乐的核心元素呢？假定说，横在你眼前的选择是到华尔街做银行经理或者到动物园做照顾狮子河马的管理员，而你是一个喜欢动物研究的人，我就完全不认为银行经理比较有成就，或者狮子河马的管理员“平庸”。每天为钱的数字起伏而紧张而斗争，很可能不如每天给大象洗澡，给河马刷牙。

　　当你的工作在你心目中有意义，你就有成就感。当你的工作给你时间，不剥夺你的生活，你就有尊严。成就感和尊严，给你快乐。

　　我怕你变成画长颈鹿的提摩，不是因为他没钱没名，而是因为他找不到意义。我也要求你读书用功，不是因为我要你跟别人比成就，而是因为，我希望你将来会拥有选择的权利，选择有意义、有时间的工作，而不是被迫谋生。

　　如果我们不是在跟别人比名比利，而只是在为自己找心灵安适之所在，那么连“平庸”这个词都不太有意义了。“平庸”是跟别人比，心灵的安适是跟自己比。我们最终极的负责对象，安德烈，千山万水走到最后，还是“自己”二字。因此，你当然更没有理由去跟你的上一代比，或者为了符合上一代对你的想象而活。..."

- 龙应台 “

亲爱的安德烈”

Life is about...

我們曾如此期盼外界的認可，到最後才知道：世界是自己的，與他人毫無關係。

你也許不認識她。

她，就是著名的作家、翻譯家、外國文學研究家，文學大家錢鐘書先生的妻子——楊絳。

年前，她發表了一篇名位《一百歲感言》的文章。她，把在人間活了百年的感覺，簡單的用數百字呈現出來。楊絳說：「人生最曼妙的風景，竟是內心的淡定與從容……我們曾如此期盼外界的認可，到最後才知道：世界是自己的，與他人毫無關係。」

我們大部份人都在活在步伐急速的都市裡，每天都被大量外來的人和事所包圍，很容易便迷失方向，甚至失去了自己。 請不要等到一百歲時才審視自己的一生。由這一刻開始，請勇敢的走自己的路。

(全文来自网络)

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〔文章轉載〕楊絳《一百歲感言》（2011）

我今年一百歲，已經走到了人生的邊緣，我無法確知自己還能走多遠，壽命是不由自主的，但我很清楚我快「回家」了。

我得洗凈這一百年沾染的污穢回家。 我沒有「登泰山而小天下」之感，只在自己的小天地裏過平靜的生活。細想至此，我心靜如水，我該平和地迎接每一天，準備回家。

在這物欲橫流的人世間，人生一世實在是夠苦。你存心做一個與世無爭的老實人吧，人家就利用你欺侮你。你稍有才德品貌，人家就嫉妒你排擠你。 你大度退讓，人家就侵犯你損害你。你要不與人爭，就得與世無求，同時還要維持實力準備鬥爭。你要和別人和平共處，就先得和他們週旋，還得準備隨時吃虧。

少年貪玩，青年迷戀愛情，壯年汲汲於成名成家，暮年自安於自欺欺人。 人壽幾何，頑鐵能煉成的精金，能有多少？但不同程度的鍛鍊，必有不同程度的成績；不同程度的縱欲放肆，必積下不同程度的頑劣。

上蒼不會讓所有幸福集中到某個人身上，得到愛情未必擁有金錢；擁有金錢未必得到快樂；得到快樂未必擁有健康；擁有健康未必一切都會如願以償。 保持知足常樂的心態才是淬煉心智，凈化心靈的最佳途徑。一切快樂的享受都屬於精神，這種快樂把忍受變為享受，是精神對於物質的勝利，這便是人生哲學。

一個人經過不同程度的鍛鍊，就獲得不同程度的修養、不同程度的效益。好比香料，搗得愈碎，磨得愈細，香得愈濃烈。

我們曾如此渴望命運的波瀾，到最後才發現：人生最曼妙的風景，竟是內心的淡定與從容……我們曾如此期盼外界的認可，到最後才知道：世界是自己的，與他人毫無關係。

Twists and turns...

Life is always full of twists and turns, as often one door closed might open up another wider door, whereas a seemingly less desirable event could possibly lead to something interesting especially if one keeps searching and adjusts one’s perspective in order to make the best out of the new circumstance.

I arrived in Ljubljana on Friday evening with no plan nor expectation, hoping to just spend a relax weekends strolling in the city and get myself lost in small alleys and perhaps surprised by simple but unique things that the locals have to offer. In the hotel lobby I picked up a few brochures and noticed there are few interesting places which could be visited with a half day tour, one of them is Lake Bled. Unfortunately after several attempts to book a local tour at last minutes, I was told all tour groups were fully booked for the next day and apparently the only option was a private tour which cost 5-6 times of the standard price. When I was about to give up, a visit to the local tourism office reviewed that it is in fact possible to visit Lake Bled with local bus which cost less than half of the standard tour price.

When I was at the local bus station, the ticket officer convinced me to buy a combo package which includes return tickets, an entrance ticket to a castle which I have no clue how it looks like and where it actually located, and few other benefits. Only when I arrived at the lake side I was “shocked” by the height of the castle which is located on top of a hill. I was walking along the lakeside, occasionally thinking how silly I was without doing some simple research before purchase the combo ticket and now going to waste the money because I was in no appetite to walk up the hill just for a castle which I have already seen just too many. After couple of hours when I was about to catch the next bus returning to Ljubljana, I walked pass the entrance of the walking path lead to the castle and in split second I decided to give it a try anyhow. The walk up to the hill was not as tough as I have expected, within about 20-30 minutes I was already on the top and the view was simply splendid. The visit to the castle turns out to be the highlight of my short trip to Lake Bled, which I most probably would have never done if I didn’t have already purchased the ticket in Ljubljana bus station.

So that’s life, full of twists and turns and you never know what’s waiting for your at the next corner, so just keeps an open mind and get ready to be surprised…

My life, your life, his/her life…

My trip from Linz to Ljubljana (capital city of Slovenia) by train on last Friday afternoon had a small hiccup but nevertheless an interesting experience worth mentioning. When the train was near Austria border we were told part of the railway track got technical problem so all passengers have to get off the train on Villach city (Austria) train station, take a bus to cross the Austria - Slovenia border and then board a local Slovenian train in Jesenice (Slovenia) town train station to Ljubljana. The lady train conductor knew I don't speak a word of German nor Slovenian hence asked me to just follow a few Slovenian guys inside my wagon. The “transits” went smoothly, in fact one old Slovenian man occasionally check and nod at me to make sure I am “still around” and not lost in Austria - Ljubljana border...

Due to this unexpected episode, I got a chance to have a quick “free city tour” in Villach, and enjoyed slightly different scenery along the bus route. Inside the bus sitting next to me was a young and friendly Serbian engineer. When we were about to enter the Karawanks tunnel crossing the Alpine Karawanks mountain, he explained to me that the tunnel is 8km long and on the other side is Slovenia’s territory. After that we started to chat a bit, and he told me he is working in silicon industry and was on a business trip in Austria and now on his way to Ljubljana airport in order to catch a flight back to Belgrade (capital city of Serbia). I started to ask him about life in Serbia, and he joked about Yugoslavia (both Slovenia and Serbia were part of Yugoslavia before the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia collapsed in 1992, one year after Soviet Union collapsed in 1991), the civil war when he was a kid, the current standard of living and etc. He was very humble about Belgrade / Serbia and explained to me in term of development Belgrade / Serbia is perhaps only 40-50% of what Slovenia (the richest ex- Yugoslavia nation) is today, moreover Serbia is not even part of European Union…

Once we reached Jesenice town train station, one can easily noticed the significant drop in infrastructure standard in comparison to Western Europe. The fact is Europe is such a huge and diverse area consists of nearly 50 nations, although most of them are on the same continent sharing border but standard of living could be significantly different especially toward the eastern region. Countries like Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia are on the rapid development track since early 1990s, whereas countries like Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo are perhaps trying hard to catch up. To some extend it is quite similar to North Asia / South East Asia, whereas you have first world nations like Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and the rising stars such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippine, Thailand, Vietnam, and country like Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar which are still trying hard to catch up….

I have visited quite many Western Europe countries in the past 15 years and was always amazed by their rich history, beautify scenery, extremely well protected environment, near perfect infrastructure, advance economy and social system, but there is always a sense of detachment as one cannot really comprehend how all those modern nations have miraclely reached such high level of modernization. However once I have learnt more and more about the economy and society of other Eastern European nations which are perhaps equally rich in culture and history many centuries ago, but due to various historical reasons and they are now still at various different developing stages…only then I can truly appreciate the diligent and determination that set some European nations apart from the rest…This really remind us there’s no free lunch in the World and one must not take things for granted….

Ultimately human beings regardless of race and culture all share the same challenges and dream in life.

Somewhere in this World,

my life, your life, his/her life…

30 April 2016

思维定式

看透的人, 处处是生机; 看不透的人, 处处是困境.
拿得起的人, 处处是担当; 拿不起的人, 处处是疏忽.
放得下的人, 处处是大道; 放不下的人, 处处是迷途.
想得开的人, 处处是春天; 想不开的人, 处处是凋枯.
做什么样的人, 决定权在自己; 有什么样的生活, 决定权也在自己.

春夏秋冬...

"春有百花秋有月，夏有凉风冬有雪，若无闲事挂心头，便是人间好时节。" 

~ 宋·无门和尚《颂》