Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 80 ) - July 18, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 80 ) - Poor Press Performance - July 18, 2011

It is generally common ground that a free press is a bastion of democracy and the conscience of society. An independent press operated on the freedom of speech will keep the government in line and ensure that public opinion is unambiguously voiced in a loud and clear way for all to hear. This is the ideal position but the best situation does not always materialize as anticipated.

Despite all the high ideals supposedly upheld by a free press all news papers and broadcasting organizations are nevertheless run on commercial principles. With the exception of a precious few government or publicly funded media corporations most of them are motivated by profit especially from the management's point of view. In all fairness any news paper or broadcaster must justify their own existence by a reasonable return on shareholders' investment. It is the greedy executives who are usually the perpetrators of evil and illegal schemes to fatten their own bonus packages. Mind you the CEOs and the like are mostly journalists or students of journalism who have moved up the ranks in these media corporations. This being the case one would expect some basic moral or ethical behaviour from them. Unfortunately, human nature being what it is many black sheep of the press are very often blinded by greed to undertake illegal ventures to increase their readership hence the corporation's profit accordingly.

Apart from gravely harming the reputation of the press such illegal and immoral schemes also jeopardize people's confidence in a free press. These detestable black sheep with their poor performance have grossly abused the trust placed upon them by society. They are under the mistaken impression that they are the uncrowned kings and queens of society to whom some kind of legal immunity has been granted. The law of cause and effect inevitably catches up with them and they are doomed. Tragically, they also killed the public's confidence in the press in the ensuing debacle. To avoid further mischief from these black sheep it is high time that the evil wings of the darkness in the media, namely, monopolies of capitalistic control over the whole cross section of the industry, be clipped. Most importantly, cross holdings of news papers, radio and TV stations should be outlawed to avoid monopoly in the media. Finally, effective and independent ethical committees with legal powers should be set up for the media sector to monitor and hear complaints on ethical issues before they turn into full blown crisis like the present News of the World tabloid scandal unfolding in the United Kingdom.

JKHC.

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 79 ) - July 16, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 79 ) - The Illusion of Power - July 16, 2011

People in power are invariably intoxicated with their own apparent invincibility. They are very often under the false impression that they are super humans who can command the fate of their fellow citizens who have given them the mandate to run society on behalf of all the citizens in the first place. As a matter of fact, these power mongers are just as ordinary if not worse than other human beings who are all subject to the laws of nature and the inescapable human woes of birth, aging, sickness and death.

In the short term, power mongers might have their way with the help of their evil lieutenants and hideous bullies. Unfortunately, anyone who is behaving badly and against natural justice are doomed to failure because of the invariant law of cause and effect. History has proven time and again that perpetrators of repressive regimes will dig their own graves by their heinous acts of cruelty and injustice inflicted upon fellow citizens. Power mongers will either overdo their repression and force citizens to revolt such as in the French Revolution or the more cunning ones may use economic inducements to fool other citizens into accepting them for a while but at the end they will inevitably be overthrown too because improved living standards will breed aspirations for freedom.

Let us take heed of wise counsel such as that given by great statesmen like President Abraham Lincoln, the slave liberator who famously said that :- " No man is good enough to rule another without that other's consent ." I would respectfully add that " no man is good enough to rule forever. " All power mongers be warned stop hiding behind the illusion of power and submit to the mandate of the people. You are fooling no one but your stupid selves regarding your purported invincibility. The date of reckoning is nearer than you think. Repent from your evil ways and you may yet receive some clemency from the people. Or else, only the fire of hell will await you at your inescapable destiny of destruction.

JKHC.

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 78 ) - June 27, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 78 ) - Policing the Politicians - June 27, 2011

Politicians are the most cunning of all professions. They make their living by double talks and doing lip service to society. They also bend with the wind or the popular opinion regardless of whether or not it is right or wrong morally to stay in power. The most tragic thing is that we still need them to run our government despite all their shortcomings. To reduce the impact of their mischief which could be both real and potential the smart citizen must be on guard against their political tricks. In short, politicians need policing by the public.

For example, most candidates in elections will by and large promise tax reductions and more financial benefits to voters. What sounds too good to be true is usually just what it is - too good to be true ! Even if their election promises actually materialize the extra funding needed for the extra benefits will come from other hidden taxes or costs to society usually from the underprivileged because of their lack of bargaining power. In some cases, many politicians simply go back on their words and blame it on unforeseen circumstances which are, in fact, foreseeable. If they are in luck and meet their budgetary targets they will expect everyone to worship them as saviors of society. While ordinary citizens are expected to do a good job to earn their wages politicians expect both fame and fortune for fufilling their required duties. In countries under autocratic regimes the ruling dictatorship will demand total submission from the citizens as a price for the dictator's service or disservice to the country. In time, autocrats will treat the country as their private properties to be inherited by their children ultimately forming an evil dynasty.

Are we too harsh on politicians then ? In my humble opinion, we are absolutely not being unreasonable in treating them like potential criminals when some of them actually turn out to be such elements. Furthermore, politics is the only profession I can think of which bestow the followers with power, good pay as well as a chance to attain immortality in getting their names in history if they do their jobs properly as they should. Hence, I would say categorically that it is justified to police politicians as I have suggested and that no praise need be showered on them when they complete their official assignments. This is not a lopsided treatment because politicians are given the extra chance which other professionals do not have which is the chance to gain immortality in history. Moreover, it is a rare honour and privilege to serve your fellow citizens and there are plenty of capable people to do it besides the incumbent government.

In order to police politicians effectively, every citizen must use his or her vote wisely by getting oneself acquainted with the basic knowledge of how a good government should work and becoming basically well informed on current social and political issues through open debate and dialogue with other citizens. This is not only a citizen's right but also a sacred duty to do so in order to put politicians in their proper place.


JKHC.

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 77 ) - June 21, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 77 ) - Put the Pudding in Perspective ( 把布丁放在正確位置 ) - June 21, 2011

Putting things in their proper perspective is most important. It can give one a proper sense of balance and proportion. It also implies that one is well acquainted with what is happening in one's environment. Most important of all, it means that we know our place and purpose in the grand design of the universe. This is the necessary condition leading to a meaningful life ( meaningful to oneself that is ). Ultimately, this path will give one peace of mind which everyone should have when it is time to go.

Notwithstanding the unfathomable tone the above proposition implies it has, in fact, a very down to earth and everyday application. Furthermore, it can be easy to follow. Being in perspective boils down to following basic principles and generally accepted human values as set out in my previous blog entry ( TYYT - ( 76 ) - Going Back to Basics - http://jkhcforum.blogspot.com/2011/06/thoughts-to-you-from-yours-truly-76.html ). If you are a father do as a father should do. Take proper care of your family and keep them out of harm's way. If you are a mother use your naturally endowed quality of motherly love and tenderness to bring happiness to your family. If you are a growing child put your studies first with a view to learning to become a useful citizen and behave yourself within reasonable limits. What is the common thread running through all these suggestions ? It is the sense of responsibility relating to your position in this world. Being a responsible person inevitably requires one to be unselfish and be willing to make reasonable sacrifices to do what one should do. That is how the whole human race moves forward to a brighter future. It is the preservation of the common good based on reasonable sacrifices made by the responsible individual. When we fight for our rights it serves the cause of natural justice to reflect on our obligations as well - the obligation to ourselves ( which is to lead a meaningful and happy life subject to the laws of nature as well as all just human laws ), the obligation to society ( which is set out in Rousseau's " Social Contract " based on people's power and sovereignty in a summary form ) and our obligation to nature and our environment ( which is to keep it in a reasonably healthy state for the good of our future generations ).

Seemingly high sounding concepts are not necessarily complicated if we go back to the basics upon which they are built. This again takes us right back to the theme of this blog which is putting the pudding in perspective by looking at things from a wider and more balanced point of view. Hopefully, adopting this fair and balanced attitude will bring happiness to this world and in turn to ourselves.


JKHC.

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 76 ) - June 14, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 76 ) - Going Back to Basics - June 14, 2011

In this complicated world of money and politics it is so easy to become confused. For those who are still human enough to ask what is right and what is wrong some simple guidelines are badly needed. As the golden rule is that there is no golden rule the nearest golden rule of thumb I highly recommend to you is " going back to basics ". Every time we are confronted with a controversial issue the popular tendency seems to be that we always rely on the so-called expert advice. Since we all agree that there is no golden rule as there is no magic wand whom should we trust as the experts ?

In my humble opinion, the short and relevant answer to this difficult question is trust yourself by going back to basics. It is not as simple as it sounds because this solution begs another valid question of what are the most important and universal basics that we can rely upon to make up our own mind ? Well, a few outstanding candidates readily come to my mind. I think they are : compassion, equity, justice, truth and consistency between words and deed. These basics are not listed in any particular order of importance. Each one is applicable to different circumstances with different weight.

To be more specific, I always apply the above basic considerations in my effort to assess the trust worthiness of any statement made by other people especially politicians. When confronted with a controversial issue I highly recommend applying the above basics to avoid being taken for a ride by statements made on that particular issue by all parties concerned to win you over to their way of thinking. In other words, we should always consider whether a statement is fair and equitable ( not one sided ) ; whether it is compassionate in taking into the situation and particular circumstances of all relevant parties ( not just based on a single view point ) ; whether it is borne out by known facts ( not ignoring vital facts or not telling the whole truth ) ; whether it is justified under the principle of natural justice ( not violating basic human rights or hurts the environment ) and last but not least, whether the deeds of the person making the statement are consistent with his or her words ( not saying one thing but doing another ). Having set out the basic considerations I cannot overemphasize too strongly the need to find out all the relevant facts about the issue at hand and to which a particular statement under consideration is related ( not to be ignorant of the relevant facts ). Only by so doing can we be smart thinkers.


JKHC.

Poem - National Sorrow - Poetry & Prose - ( 10 ) - June 4, 2011

Poem ( 詞 ) - Poetry & Prose - ( 10 ) - National Sorrow - ( 國殤之六四有感 ) - June 4, 2011


天安血淚，已久。
Since the Tiananmen Massacre a long time has passed.

城門依舊，傷愁。
The city walls are still the same and so is the sorrow.

茉莉再起，未見秀。
Jasmine Revolution has arisen but is not quite successful.

嘆蒼天，不憫留，降罪魔頭。
Why does heaven not show pity on lost souls and punish the culprits ?


妄背歷史，罪咎。
Turning one's back on history is a crime.

天怒人怨，苦透。
Heaven is angry and people go on suffering.

專橫腐化，不義寇。
Autocratic and corrupted state is just like an evil thief.

天誅滅，地不留，痛心疾首。
Heaven forbids such evil to exist and so do the tormented people.


天網恢恢，不漏。
No one can escape justice. It is all embracing.

罪孽惡果，自求。
Crime and evil are of one's own choosing.

審判時刻，必會有。
Judgment day will surely come and it is now at hand.

忘公義，絕人倫，必受追究。
The evil system ignores justice and human rights and so it must be condemned.

願雨過，天更睛，張正義，亂黨平，國泰安寧。
Hopefully, there will be sunny sky when the rain is gone and the country will revert to peace once again.


JKHC ( 鄭冠合 )

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 75 ) - June 1, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 75 ) - Means and Ends - June 1, 2011

Human beings are mostly goal oriented. I suppose this is all very well having regard to the fact that we all need motivations to get ahead in life. Goals are actually choices in life we must make in view of the unlimited ends ( or desires ) in both materialistic and emotional terms and the always limited means ( or resources ) to meet those ends. The latter argument actually summarizes the whole rationale of economics.

For the materialists the ends are so important that they argue the case for adopting any means to achieve their self-centered ends. This is exactly the same mercenary and immoral stance taken by all autocratic regimes. That is to achieve their selfish and evil political ends by hook or by crook even at the expense of basic human rights and natural justice. Even if we ignore the moral and religious implications which some people may consider to be idealistic and unpractical there is still plenty of indisputable and objective scientific evidence from quantum mechanics that the means ( process ) are vital and can actually determine the end ( result ). Furthermore, quantum mechanics has also conclusively proven the importance of our consciousness ( or choice ) in shaping our own future and, hence, the existence of free will. For those interested to know more here is the link to my own brief notes on quantum mechanics:- https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=166929050031700


As any sane human being will agree that we cannot work against the laws of nature without suffering the dire consequences all anti-nature crimes must be avoided at all costs. Just to name a few obvious examples, actions and reactions are equal and opposite. Therefore, never oppress our citizens. Cause and effect are inevitably linked. So, wrong doers take notice that your time of reckoning is at hand. The higher you go the harder you fall as dictated by the law of gravity which shapes the physical universe. All autocrats will fall to pieces from their illegitimate pinnacle of power to which they have criminally attained by all evil means. Stop bull shitting about the end justifying the means because the means are part and parcel of the end. Any end, however holy, achieved by evil means can be nothing else but evil.


JKHC.

Poem - Earnest Hope - Poetry & Prose - ( 9 ) - May 28, 2011

Poem ( 詞 ) - Poetry & Prose - ( 9 ) - Earnest Hope ( 厚望 ) - May 28, 2011

年少氣昂，不憂。
In my youth I had high confidence and never feared.

萬般壯志， 未酬。
I was full of ideals but very few did materialize.

瞬即越甲，心自疚。
Now that I'm past sixty I feel some remorse.

難回首，賞清煙，道當年苦愁。
It is hard to face my memories and youthful sorrows.



試看小艾，望厚。
Let us pin our earnest hope on the young to succeed.

坐擁蠻勁，奮鬥。
Hope they possess the zeal to take up the challenge.

可有能耐，革新猷。
See if they have got what it takes to revolutionize society.

願天賜，才八斗，創萬世千秋。
May heaven endow them with talents to build a better world !


JKHC ( 鄭冠合 )

( Note : This is my encouragement to a friend who has become a youth adviser
賀友人榮任青年顧問之喜 )

Poem - Do Yourself Proud - Poetry & Prose ( 8 ) - May 28, 2011

Poem - Poetry & Prose - ( 8 ) - Do Yourself Proud ( 傲風霜 ) - May 28, 2011

浮生亂世易迷途，
In this chaotic and transient world it is so easy to lose our way

慌亂無助愧為奴，
A sense of fear and helplessness will ultimately enslave you

唯憑忠義來相對，
Only through unwavering justice and perseverance can you prevail over chaos

不枉此生風霜傲。
So do yourself proud and your life will be a personal victory.



JKHC ( 鄭冠合 )

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 74 ) - May 22, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 74 ) - What is life ? - May 22, 2011

There are many definitions of life depending on one's perspective. Generally, there are three different perspectives on life - the scientific angle, the spiritual angle and the personal angle. Rather than defining life which is a very complicated phenomenon it may sometimes be sensible to identify the characteristics associated with life to highlight its special qualities.

Scientifically, life may be defined as an autonomous bio-system which can carry out biological functions such as respiration, nutrition, self repairs and reproduction to pass on its genes. The last function of passing on its genes is perhaps the most defining as it separates one specie from another. The genes give a particular specie its own character so to speak.

From the spiritual angle which at present is only applicable to intelligent beings like humans the defining characteristic is one's own consciousness. Unfortunately, consciousness is itself an illusive concept meaning different things to different people depending on their cultural and religious background. With the advance in technology such as brain scanning equipment scientists hope to pin down the nature of the human consciousness. Meanwhile, our consciousness can only be detected in our behaviour and personal character traits. That is the reason why there is a third angle on life called the personal angle.

Notwithstanding all the complications in defining or identifying the characteristics of life there are a few most cherished and generally revered characteristics of life. High on the list of such noble qualities is empathy closely followed by sacrifice, perseverance and resilience against adversities. When we reflect on our heroes and heroins in history we inevitably find one or more of these noble characteristics manifested in their heroic deeds. While empathy makes us human sacrifice makes us saints. On the other hand, perseverance and resilience make us formidable fighters in life. Despite all our human weaknesses we must all aspire for the noble qualities that define us as respectable human beings who can claim to have lived a meaningful life.

JKHC.

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 73 ) - May 19, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 73 ) - A Self Defeating Strategy - May 19, 2011

Some autocratic governments use the economic card to justify their monopoly on power. By increasing a country's gross domestic product and amassing huge trade surpluses it justifies its hold on the governing mechanism through emphasis on stability above everything else by the ruthless silencing of any form of dissent. So much so that mere verbal challenges to any government policy are treated as criminal sedition against the state.

By rogue enforcement of the so called legal system that applies different standards to different classes of citizens favouring party members and those related to the ruling bureaucracy and mistreating common citizens and persecuting those who dare to speak against any corrupt officials in search for social justice such autocratic regime stays in power. This is a pathetic and lamentable situation. In notoriously classic " Animal Farm " style as George Orwell foretold such an autocratic government continues to exploit the proletariat whom its hypocritical political ideology professes to defend. The autocrats shamelessly hold on to their illegitimate gains through corruption or under the guise of policies carried out in the " public interest " and sharing the loot among members of the party and their hangmen.

However, to their own detriment, the autocrats have failed or have purposely ignored the inherent seeds of destruction spawned by this self contradictory strategy of " stability above everything else ". This is because with the improvements on the material level citizens especially the intellectuals and idealistic younger generation will inevitably aspire for social justice and more equality. Therefore, such self defeating economic and political strategy is unsustainable in the long run. This is the inevitability of the Marxist view of class struggle between the " Haves " ( the privileged party members and the bureaucrats ) and " Have Nots " ( the common citizens ). In time, the autocrats will definitely swallow the bitter medicine of their own follies. Autocrats and your hangmen be warned on the pain of death from the vengeful hands of natural justice resulting from the invariant law of cause and effect !


JKHC.

Poem - Ode to Chinese May Fourth New Culture Movement 1919 - Poetry & Prose - ( 7 ) - May 4, 2011

Poem - Ode to Chinese May Fourth New Culture Movement 1919 - ( 五四盼頌 ) - Poetry & Prose - ( 7 ) - May 4, 2011


五四轉瞬又九二,
May Fourth Movement turns ninety-second anniversary sadly as a wimp.


中華精英起義遲，
The Chinese intellectual elites are still striving hard for social reform.


寄望青出於藍日,
Let's pin our hope on the brighter and more dedicated youths of today.



風起雲湧報國時。
It's time for them to serve their beloved people and country with zeal !


JKHC ( 鄭冠合 )

( 後感 : 願公理，正義，理性，精誠， 博愛，與同情心，永遠長存！)
( After thought : May justice, righteousness, reason, zeal, fraternity and compassion endure for all eternity ! )

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 72 ) - May 2, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 72 ) - The Art of Convincing Others - May 2, 2011

Throughout our lives we must effectively communicate with other people before we can achieve any degree of success in life. This is particularly true today in this mostly market oriented world. One way or another we are promoting our ideas, products or services. Therefore, the art of convincing others is of paramount importance. Even Jesus Christ has been praised by non-believers as the greatest salesman in human history because of his ability to spread the word of God during his short life on earth and later through the teaching of his gospels by his apostles and their successors. So much so that over one-fifth of the world population are now Christians. On the more mercenary level, there are also other great commercial salesmen of goods and services who mainly conduct their trades by smooth and waxing talk.

There are mainly two effective ways of convincing others. The first way is by skillful speech as most merchants do but more effectively the second way is by personal example as most great personalities and leaders would prefer. The secret of success in commercial salesmanship is to work on human weaknesses of greed and vanity as well as to manipulate the gray areas of the law and only speak of the favourable facts about one's products and services. Therefore, most dubious commercial skills for convincing others are morally questionable. However successful such commercial skills are they can nevertheless only work in the short run. Sooner or later smart consumers can tell the difference between good and bad products or services. It is only by steadfast propagation of morally defensible principles and through personal examples of putting them into practice that will effectively and irretrievably convince others of the viability of your ideas. Thus, as the cliche goes :- " Honesty is always the best policy " especially when supported by personal example to give them credibility.

JKHC

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 71 ) - May 1, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 71 ) - Why is Asking Why Important ? - May 1, 2011

One of the greatest philosophers of all times, Socrates famously said that :- " The unexamined life is not worth living. " ( one of my own favourite quotations ). After examining life perhaps one will get the truth or at least one's own version of the truth and then the truth will set you free ! Then again, perhaps not in every case as even the great Socrates himself was executed by the state for propagating the truth and accused of misleading the younger generation. Despite the tragic fate of Socrates his protege Plato as well as Plato's student Aristotle all faithfully followed his love for the truth. Aristotle was recorded as having said this about his teacher, Plato :- " Plato is dear to me, but dearer still is truth. " The logic seems to be that by asking WHY ( examining one's life ) it leads to the TRUTH and knowing the truth ( or true purpose in life ) will lead to PEACE of mind. That is why the truth will set you free !

While I totally subscribe to the " why-truth-peace " logic yours truly is a bit more greedy in life. In my humble opinion, knowing your purpose in life is just the " necessary " condition for gaining peace of mind. The " sufficient " condition is to do your utmost to achieve that purpose which is destined for you. Regardless of success or failure in fulfilling that purpose it seems fair to say that trying one's utmost in achieving one's purpose in life is the hallmark of a successful life. Thus, it is abundantly clear to me that everyone can be successful in life if one has tried his or her best to achieve one's own goal in life. Coming back to the subject of this blog, namely, the importance of asking why, I will just say this. Without asking why there can be no success in life and no peace of mind when we pass on. It is as simple as that.

JKHC

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 70 ) - April 25, 2011

Thoughts to You From Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 70 ) - Web is Wonderful Worker But Bad Boss ( 互聯網是好僕人但壞老闆 ) - April, 25, 2011

There is a profoundly inspiring song composed and sung by the great Joni Mitchell that is my undisputed favourite. It is called " Both Sides Now " which beautifully portraits the enigmatic and ever changing nature of love and life. More specifically, it metaphors love and life as the clouds viewed from different perspectives and appearing in countless shapes and forms. So, it is the same with all phenomena in nature and our life.
我十分喜歡一首由Joni Mitchell（茱妮米雪爾）所作的名曲，名字叫Both Sides Now ! (或翻譯作 " 兩面觀吧! " )。歌詞十分美麗和深刻地描寫了人生的變幻無常，以及愛情的神秘和高深莫測。歌詞以雲霧無盡的不同形態，莫測高深的性質， 來比喻愛情和人生，可以用不同角度觀察，便能夠領悟到不同的味道和啟示。大自然和我們生命中的變遷，就有如雲霧般變化無窮，多采多姿，悲歡離合，有得有失。


Imagine a time before the 1970s when the World Wide Web is just an academic term and magical concept which we cannot do without nowadays. The web has increased our daily convenience by leaps and bounds and has revolutionized the instant exchange of information thus improving all vital services such as health, finance, commerce and even social interaction. Lately, it is also instrumental in bringing about the overthrow of autocratic governments and serving the cause of democracy. The web is an undoubtedly wonderful worker for human kind.
讓我們追想1970 前沒有互聯網的年代，當年internet只是一個學術名詞，至今沒它不成了。它令我們日常生活的方便，倍增了不知有多少，也實現了 即時資訊傳遞，改進了所有重要服務，如醫療，金融，商業，以及社交溝通等。近日，它更加有效地幫助推翻一些極權政府，推動了不少民主制度的改革。從這角度 去看，互聯網的確是人類的一個好僕人。


Notwithstanding all the above merits the web is by no means immune from abuses and thus also inevitably subject to the BOTH SIDES NOW syndrome. Starting from the individual level the misuse of the web can lead to crimes of all abominations. Then, over indulgence in web surfing can deprive the individual especially teenagers of the opportunity in acquiring inter-personal communication skills which is vital to success in society later on in their lives. Thirdly, due to the advent of unhealthy video games which propagate violence and ambition ( such as kung fu fighting, war games and world domination ) human values like respect for life, property and other people are grossly degraded. The web is just like every other phenomena in this world. There must be a good and a bad side to things. Therefore, we must reduce the web to a wonderful worker and never let it become a bad boss !
話雖然這般說，但它也是經常被濫用的，所以它亦是無可避免地，成為" BOTH SIDES NOW ! " " 兩面觀吧！" 現象的一部分。在個人的層面，它的濫用可以導致醜惡的罪行。單是沉迷上網，便會令人喪失人與人之間的社交溝通技巧，這對年輕人將來在社會謀生的能力，大打 折扣。第三方面，由於有很多不良電子遊戲的出現 （ 如功夫打鬥，世界爭霸戰，各式各樣的戰爭遊戲 ），都表揚了暴力和強權的邪惡傾向，以及低扁人性和生命價值，對他人生命和財產的輕視，極端不健康。由此可見，互聯網真是一個壞老闆，就有如其他大自然和人類社會的一切現象，都是有好有壞，必須以兩面而觀之。因此，我們一定要把它打壓成為好僕人，不能讓它變成我們的壞老闆，切記，切記！


JKHC ( 鄭冠合 )

Poem - Sadly Inspired by the Stars - Poetry & Prose - ( 6 ) - April, 15, 2011

Poem - Sadly Inspired by the Stars ( 觀星之神傷 - 弔天災人禍的死難者 ) - Poetry & Prose - ( 6 ) - April 15, 2011


千億銀河天外天,
Millions of galaxies spanning the endless universe

繁星閃爍耀目前，
With billions of stars twinkling before our eyes


借問辰宿命何貴，
Could they tell us how precious life really is ?

天際遙遙暗愁眠。
Sadly the immense void just stands yonder in silence !


JKHC ( 鄭冠合 )

( Dedicated to all victims of natural and man made disasters )

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 )

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 68 ) - April 6, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 68 ) - Government Failing the People ( 政府辜負了老百姓 ) - April 6, 2011

As can be seen time and time again it is always the government that fails its people. The most recent natural disasters in Japan culminating in the unfolding nuclear disaster is a case in point. While the whole world marvels at the noble discipline of the Japanese people and their calmness and steadfastness in the face of tremendous adversities the Japanese government is dwarfed and put in a bad light for its feet dragging ( especially over the handling of the nuclear disaster ) and disorganized response in times of life threatening emergency. Not only are the rescue and life supporting efforts proven to be inadequate the Japanese government's less than hand on approach to the nuclear disaster may yet lead to the deepening of the crisis. According to the Japanese constitution the prime minister is supposed to set up a nuclear disaster coordinating department personally headed by him to take direct charge over the calamity. Instead, it was mostly up to the secretary of the cabinet to make sparse announcements on the ongoing crisis and the related disaster support efforts. Only once did the prime minister visit the disaster areas. This is obviously poor performance by any standard.
歷史中有着無數例子， 盡是政府辜負了老百姓。最近在日本發生的極大災難，地震，海嘯而引起核電工廠洩漏輻射事件，又再次證明，永遠都是政府辜負了老百 姓。當全世界都稱讚日本老百姓，展示了無比社會紀律和極度忍耐，卻將日本政府的混亂和缺乏應變能力比下去了。政府對核電危機的緩慢反應，優柔寡斷，都是一派低 效率的寫照。除了拯救和善後支援，都表現差勁外，對輻射洩漏的束手無策，更加使危機有惡化趨勢。日本憲法有規定，如果遇上原子能的意外事件，首相是必須成 立特別委員會，由他親自直接處理。至今，我們多看見內閣秘書，在電視前面發佈言論，首相只有到過災難現場一次吧了。這是十分差勁的工作表現，更談不上鮮明 領導了。


The belated request for international assistance and passive cooperation with the IAEA the UN body in charge of monitoring nuclear accidents all reflected badly on the Japanese government's less than satisfactory efficiency. Apart from the possible intention to conceal or at least delay bad news the naive tendency to avoid the so-called loss of face could be another factor. While all citizens of the world generally expect simply a decent livelihood including basic humans right from their governments all establishments ( to a greater or lesser extent ) are geared at monopoly of power and incumbency of office as long as possible. This is the eternal conflict between the government and the governed. Having regards to the fact that a government should only stay in power so long as the people's mandate is with them there is absolutely no valid reason for its continued existence. Just like the WWII Nazis, the military government of the past Japanese Empire, the Gang of Four in China, the money for votes political parties in Taiwan and even the corporations favouring tendency in some US governments they were or are all failing the people in some major or minor ways. I am not going to do them the courtesy in even mentioning some repressive regimes such as Burma, Cuba, North Korea, the Middle East and Africa. Some of these dictators and other single party governments are holding on to power under the pretext of being the father to their nation. The great physicist, Richard Feynman once said :- " It is easy to cheat people and you are the easiest person to cheat. " This is so true ! Yet we must not forget what some great statesmen ( they are definitely not politicians ) such as President Abraham Lincoln who said this :- " You can fool all the people some of the time or some of the people all the time but you can never fool all of the people all the time. " When you , one of the people, becomes part of the government machinery you must heed these two pieces of wise counsel.
日本政府延遲向外國提出援助的要求，以及其被動地和IAEA（國際原子能監管處 ）合作和協調，更顯示了其試圖隱瞞或延遲發佈壞消息，將它的低效率表現無遺。可能原因，除了是試圖報喜不報憂外，更有可能是幼稚的面子問題，希望自己可以 應付一切，直到不能處理為止。所有世界上的老百姓，都是希望擁有一般像樣的溫飽，以及基本的人權吧了，而所有政府都是以不同的程度，去試圖爭取獨自當權， 以及永遠延長統治權。這就是政府和老百姓的永恆矛盾。常理告訴我們，政府是老百姓授權的施政機構，如果沒有他們的同意，那政府實在是沒有存在的合法基礎， 應立即解散，重新經過公平和公開的選舉，再度贏得公民的合法授權，才可繼續執政。就有如二次大戰的德國納粹黨，以前日本帝國的軍事政府，中國六十年代的四 人幫，台灣黑金政治的政黨，甚至美國很多傾向支持大企業的政府，都是不同程度地辜負了老百姓。其他專制獨裁的政權，如緬甸，古巴，北韓，以及某些中東，非洲 軍事政府，更不值得一提。總而言之，一切不尊重個人基本權利的政權，都應受到強烈的指責。這些政權，往往以為老百姓謀幸福作口號，以國家救星自居。其實在這 世界上沒有無了任何人便不成這回事，全都是一派胡言吧了。偉大的物理學家，李察費應文（ Richard Feynman )說得對:「 人是十分容易被欺騙的，而你自己便是最容易被你自己欺騙的人了。」不過我們也應聽取林肯總統的名言:「你可以暫時欺騙所有人，或長期欺騙一些人，但是，你 不可能長期欺騙所有人的。」當你有機會成為政府機構的一員，請深深反省以上的智理名言。


JKHC ( 鄭冠合 )

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 67 ) - April 2, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 67 ) - Self Reference Statement ( 自我參照的句子) - April 2, 2011

Language, logic and truth are all inter-connected like most natural or inter-personal phenomena in this world. In fact, language is the product of our consciousness which is in turn the basis and tool for our understanding of reality as we know it. According to the famous British scientist and mathematical physicist, Sir Roger Penrose who wrote the huge book The Road to Reality : A Complete guide to the Laws of the Universe there are, in fact, three separate sets of realities in this world - the physical world governed by invariant laws of nature ; our private mental world controlled by our own personal creative and imaginative rules and the perfect but theoretical mathematical world operated by rules of pure logic with absolute accuracy.
語言，邏輯和真理，都是互相關聯的事物，這就正如大多數自然界和人際關係的事情一般。其實，語言是我們意識下的產品，而意識又是我們接觸現實的基礎和工 具。根據英國數學物理學家，羅渣本諾斯 （ Sir Roger Penrose ) 在他的長達一千頁的巨著，The Road to Reality : A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe ( 到現實之路）中所詳述，現實是分為三個層面的。它們就是，被永不變易定律控制着的自然世界，擁有着個人的創造性和強大幻想力的精神世界，以及完美和純邏輯的精 確數學世界三者。


Let us talk about the language we must use to communicate with other living beings to get some insight into this important communication tool. Apart from the Ex-ante and Ex-post statements ( see my blog entry here :- http://jkhcforum.blogspot.com/2011/03/thoughts-to-you-from-yours-truly-65.html ) with predictive and simply historical contents respectively there are also some special cases of logically inconsistent statements in terms of their content. These are called self reference statements as discovered by the great British philosopher, Bertrand Russell. Although this is a very special case smart thinkers should also be aware of its existence to avoid getting into an illogical fallacy.
讓我們談談有關語言這種重要的溝通工具，希望藉機獲得一些深刻見解。除了以前提及的Ex-ante ( 前瞻句）和Ex-post (事後句），分別為預測性和歷史性的句語（ 在我這裡的部落格可重溫 http://jkhcforum.blogspot.com/2011/03/thoughts-to-you-from- yours-truly-65.html ）之外，也有些特殊句子，它們裡面是存在着一些邏輯上的謬誤，稱為self reference statement （自我參照句子），是偉大的英國哲學家，羅素（Bertrand Russell )所發現的。雖然它們只是極少數例子，但是作為一個有醒目思維的人，我們也應該認識到它們的性質和存在,以免墮入它們的邏輯謬誤中。


Take this question for example :- " This statement is wrong, true or false ? " If we say " true " then it would mean that the statement is wrong. On the other hand, if we say " false " it would mean that the statement is right. Either way, we end up with an illogical answer. The reason lies with the negative meaning of the word wrong and the positive and negative meanings of the other two words " true " and " false " respectively. Since the statement itself refers to nothing outside its own construction ( or some other fact apart from itself ) it is called a self reference statement. This will result in the combined effect of the word " wrong " ( a negative ) with the word " false " ( another negative ) to make the result positive ( implying the positive and opposite meaning of " right " ) - two negatives make a positive. If the other positive word " true " is applied then the resulting meaning will be of a negative meaning " wrong " ) - a negative and a positive makes a negative. This is interesting but shows that there exist inconsistencies in our language.
拿以下的問題為例:「這句子是錯的，是或否？」如果我們說是，那句子便是錯的了。反之，如果我們說否，那句子便是對的了。這樣一來，無論我們說是或否，都會產生邏輯上的謬誤。原 因在於那個錯字，是有負面的意思，而是與否兩者，卻分別帶着正面和負面的意思。由於這句子是自我參照句，即是說它只是針對自己，沒有涉及句子以外的事物。 這樣，如果我們說否，否字和錯字都是負面的意思，於是負負得正，便得到相反的正確那意思。假如我們說是字，這則有正面的意思，而錯字卻有負面意思，這樣一 來，正負便得負，所以句子便有錯的意思，這也正是其原本字面的意思。以上的情況，十分有趣，但比較罕見，卻證明了我們日常所用的語言，當中確是存在着一些 邏輯上的謬誤，切記為上策！


JKHC ( 鄭冠合 )

Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 66 ) - April 1, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 66 ) - Specialized and Inter-Disciplinary Knowledge ( 專門和跨專業的學識 ) - April 1, 2011

Nowadays, being an expert in your own field is not enough as the modern world with its information explosion is bringing everyone and everything closer to one another. In my humble opinion, there are two main reasons for the emergence of this new trend. Firstly, human affairs are so complicated that a simple one to one relationship is no longer the rule. Interactive dialogue giving rise to multilateral exchanges culminating in feed back loops and more than a simple sum total of the inputs are now the rule rather than the exception. Secondly, the world wide web has given rise to the information technology revolution and the resultant information explosion that has allowed the instant sharing of all relevant information across various related disciplines which could be real time if so required. There is just no time to go home after work and think about a particular issue when confronted with one at the office.
在現今資訊爆炸的世界中，人與人，和事與事的距離，日益緊密，單只擁有專門學識是不足夠的。以在下的愚見，這是有兩大原因。其一是人與人之間的交往緊密 了，也比從前複雜多了。因此，形成了更多相向性的回響，一加一不只是等於二那麼簡單。其二是國際互聯網的出現，令至資訊互通，達到前所未有迅速和全面。必要時更可以即時資訊傳遞，立即令各有關方面獲得所需資料。這樣，專業人士便不能像從前一樣，等待回到家裏再慢慢地考慮問題，要當場和即時面對它們。

Under such encouraging or intimidating circumstances ( depending on how one looks at it ) every professional person or competent working individual is expected to know all the basic tenets of all other disciplines related to one's own area of responsibility. That is why for my own accountancy profession the basic requirements for becoming a professional accountant include a minimum university first degree to ensure that the candidates possess a general educational background. This was adopted over two decades ago. Similar general educational standards have been adopted by nearly all professional bodies regulating all the major professions such as medical practitioners, architect & engineers, lawyers and other financial and social professionals.
在這種令人鼓舞或令人害怕（ 視乎你從那個角度看）的情況下，每個專業人員，都得明白和認識其他有關專業的基本操作原則。正就是這原因，我的老本行，會計專業，早已在二十多年前，便要 求準會計師，必須擁有起碼的大學學士或相等的教育程度，以確保他們擁有廣泛和普及性的教育訓練，以應付作為會計師必備的專業技能和重任。類似的要求和條件，在其他主要專業，如醫生，建築師，工程師， 律師，社會專業人士和金融專業工作者等，都有同樣規定


The practical consequences of such an inter-disciplinary approach are far reaching. It enables most of the responsible members of society to adopt a wider perspective in their judgment as well as to realize their proper place in the whole structure of society. In short, such an approach allows each of us to know more clearly about where we stand in society. It prevents us from being imprisoned in the ivory tower of our own profession possibly resulting in a " holier than thou " view of all other members of society. This is definitely good for society as a whole. Smart thinkers and prospective professionals should always adopt this approach even when they are not at work. It would be even better if we could extend our general knowledge to other basic areas such as philosophy, history, politics and economics, etc. For old timers like yours truly, we have the undeniable responsibility to pass it on to our younger generations.
這些跨專業學識的規定，是有着很深遠影響的。這樣的安排，會令到每一位專業人員，擁有廣闊的視野和判斷力，以及令各人明瞭自己在社會上的正確方位。換言 之，擁有跨專業學識，使我們明白自己的社會崗位和責任。這安排會使我們，避免被鎖在各自專業的象牙塔中，而引至形成一種為我獨尊的自我態度。這趨勢對整個 社會，一定是一件好事。有醒目思維的人，以及專業工作者，有醒目思維的人，以及專業工作者，應經常採取這態度處事，不只限制在工作時應用。如果我們將跨專業學識領域，擴展到其他重要學科，如哲學，歷史，政治和經濟學上， 便更加有效力了。如在下這些老人家，更是有着不可推卸的責任，把這訊息推延到年輕的一代去。


JKHC ( 鄭冠合 )