Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 69 ) - April 10, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 69 ) - Lesson from the French Revolution ( 法國大革命的啟示 ) - April 10, 2011

While the great French Revolution of 1789 is generally remembered as the inauguration of the democratic era in human history ( although Americans will no doubt say that 1776 is the beginning of democracy ) it is the painful lesson behind the circumstances of its birth that we must always be aware of for the good of the human race. The noble ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity are the slogans and hallmarks of democracy. These bench marks clearly set democracy far apart from other autocratic systems especially the feudalistic idea of monarchy - the naive and foolish claim of one person destined by heaven to rule his fellow citizens reinforced by military and economic oppression. While democracy is certainly not the best system of government ( I sincerely doubt if there were one given human nature for what it is - selfish and greedy ! ) it is perhaps the second best or the best compromise available. That is for this reason that I totally agree with the assessment of democracy by the famous British novelist , Edward Morgan Forster. He only gave two cheers for democracy in his book of essays of the same name. Democracy is based on the sensible idea that more heads are better than one " eternally absolute " head no matter how great the latter is supposed to be. Do not think for a moment that you are indispensable or that your head is better than everyone else's put together. It's just a naive, self-centred and greed motivated nonsense so critically denounced by " the revolution ". Such thinking is clearly an anti-revolutionary crime !
當我們紀念1789年法國大革命，尊它為民主政體的起源時 （ 某些人或許會覺得1776年美國獨立時，才是民主政體的開始 ），我們也應該記着它背面的環境細節，吸取教訓，才可以避免歷史再度重演。那些尊貴的理想，如自由，平等 和博愛等，都令到民主制度，別樹一幟，從其他政治制度獨立出來。尤其甚者，是民主政體與獨裁體制，平等和公道多了。比如君主專政，這是十分幼稚和愚蠢的信 念，以某一個人是上天安排來統治國家作基礎，更加使用武力和經濟壓力，迫害老百姓，實在不要得。雖然民主制度並不完美，但是仍可以算是一種最佳妥協方法，以平衡各 色各樣政制的不足。因此，我同意英國小說作家愛德華摩根福斯特，對民主制度給予二次歡呼，而不作三次致敬的說法。民主的理念，是建基於大多數人的智慧，必定比一個人的智慧為強，無論那一個人是多麼聰明。請不要妄想以為你自己是不能代替的，這是極度幼稚，自我中心，和貪婪的想法，而且平民革命以將這些想法切底批判了。這種思想，實在是一種反革命的罪行！

Let us forget rhetoric ( aka empty talk ) and fall back on reason which is the only sensible way to avoid human conflict and our ultimate self-destruction. Further, in order to avoid cultural and religious differences let us fall back on science and a materialistic outlook for those who don't care about spirituality anyway. Nature tells us that things and phenomena in this world are neither absolute nor eternal. Nature works in invariant cycles. So, how can any political machinery be the only absolute power that can exist for all perpetuity ( Isn't that exactly the feudalistic concept of dynasty that is supposed to have been done away with by " the revolution " ? ). There is a time for everything - a time to control and a time to let go. Even time itself is not absolute but different for people moving at different speed according to Albert Einstein. Again, in quantum mechanics each particle has its mirror image antiparticle. No entity can ever exist alone on its own. That is the invariant law of nature from which no one can be exempt. Enough is enough or else one will bring disrepute upon oneself for stepping over the line on natural justice and facing the inevitable fall from grace.
讓我們忘記政治口號（ 又叫作空談），以理性為基礎，因為只有這途徑，才能避免人與人之間的衝突，以及最終導致人類的滅亡。再者，為避免文化和信仰的差別，讓我們倚靠有客觀標準 的科學去作分析。這樣會更加物資化，以迎合不相信靈性的某些人。大自然告訴我們，這世界上沒有絕對和永恆的事物。自然界的操作，是以無休止的週期進行的。那麼怎會有一個政治機器，可以永久獨裁地統治下去呢？( 這豈不是一種封建制度，而這正是平民革命所推翻了的不法行為？ ）大自然的定律，是任何事物都有適當的時間去處理，有控制的時候，也有放鬆的時刻。甚至連 時間本身亦因人而異。愛因斯坦的相對論，已證明了在不同速度移動的人，對時間的感受是各有不同的。再者，量子力學也證明了，每一粒子都有一個如鏡中影像的 伙伴，這世界上沒有一樣東西是可以單獨存在的。這是大自然永不變易的定律，絕對沒有人可以避免受到這些定律約束的。不要太過份，適可而止吧，否則便會身敗 名裂，因為違反自然定律的人，必定會遭到天誅地滅的。

Now, comes the most important lesson to be learned from the French Revolution. Do not treat people, especially the citizens you rule, like dirt. When citizens are stripped of their basic human rights and needs they are inevitably forced to rebel. Leave people something to hope for. Let them at least air their grievances if not really address their grievances in practical terms. Nowadays, feeding people with materialistic wealth which is their own to start with is not nearly good enough even though one chooses to call this a gift from " the party ". Furthermore, such material wealth is created at such huge moral costs as social injustice, corruption and lawlessness. On top of all these curses, there are constant pains and sorrow arising from falling school buildings built by greedy businessmen and sanctioned by corrupt officials and the banning of criticism and even comments on baby deaths from sale of toxic milk. What has the world become? Is this a fair price to be paid by common citizens for economic prosperity or is it, in fact, a farcical excuse for monopoly of power ? The Big Brother and Dreaded Despot are no longer viable approaches to politics. Instead, dialogue and transparency are the order of the day in today's world of real time information exchange. Let me say it again. Forget the cunning rhetorical excuses and get back to basic human standards of compassion, fairness and equality - in short respect basic human rights which are universal as borne out by the laws of nature. May true liberty, equality and fraternity prevail over neo-despotism and political rhetoric !
現在，讓我們看看法國大革命給予我們的教訓。這就是不能將你所管治的老百姓看作爛泥，當你把他們趕到走投無路時，他們沒有其他選擇，唯有導致官迫民反，起 來革你的命了！你必須留給他們一點東西，作為生命中的希望。至少給他們發洩怨氣，不要說真正為他們解決問題了。到了現今，單給予老百姓物需要是不足夠的。 其實，國家的資源，本來便屬於老百姓，是應該供應給人民的，那管你美其名為黨的恩賜。況且，現今的經濟發展，社會已付出了沉重的道德代價，更做成很多社會 不公平現象，貪污和目無法紀。除此之外，老百姓更要受盡痛苦，奸商和貪官鉤結，違規建築物倒塌，以及毒奶粉所做成的生靈塗炭。這真是世風日下，算是什麼一 回事？這經濟發展的代價實在太大了。其實，這些事情，如經濟繁榮等，都是為永久獨裁專政鋪路的藉口。老大哥和暴君獨裁，已經成為過去了的, 以及不合時宜的封建思 想。對話和有透明度才是合潮流的做法，以適應即時傳訊的新科技紀元。讓我再次呼籲，所有政府必須返回公義，平等和自由的管治方式，這是天經地義的任務，有 大自然定律為根據，是不能推卸的責任。讓自由，平等，博愛，真理正義長存！


JKHC ( 鄭冠合 )