睦親

人之至親, 莫過於父子兄弟. 而父子兄弟, 有不和者. 父子或因於責善, 兄弟或因於爭財. 有不因責善爭財而不和者. 世人見其不和, 或就其中分別是非, 而莫明其由. 蓋人之性, 或寬緩, 或褊急, 或剛強, 或柔懦, 或喜閒靜, 或喜紛拏, 或所見者小, 或所見者大, 所稟自是不同. 父必欲子之性合於己, 子之性未必然. 兄必欲弟之性合於己, 弟之性未必然. 其性不可得而合, 則其言行亦不可得而合. 此父子兄弟不合之根源也. 況臨事之際, 一以為是, 一以為非. 一以為當先, 一以為當後. 一以為宜急, 一以為宜緩. 其不齊如此. 若互欲同於己, 必致於爭論. 爭論不勝, 至於再三, 至於十數. 則不合之情, 自茲而啟. 或至於終身失歡. 若悉悟此裡, 為父兄者, 通情於子弟, 而不責子弟之同於己. 為子弟者, 仰承於父兄, 而不望父兄惟己之聽. 則處世之際, 必相和協, 無乖爭之患.

孔子曰: "是父母幾諫, 見志不從, 又敬不違, 勞而不怨." 此聖人教人和家之要術. 宜熟思之.

(袁采 {袁氏世範})


*袁采, 字君載, 宋衢州人. 進士. 初為縣令, 官至監登聞檢院. 著有袁氏世範.


錄自傳家寶典, 曾文樑選自五種遺規

Correct answer

I want a correct answer!

What?

I want a correct answer!

But...but there's no correct answer...

What?! What you mean by that? No correct answer?!

No. And what was the question?

Well...everything and anything...

Huh?

You know...

No...

I mean I want the correct answer to everything I say...

Pooo....hahahahahaha... There's no such thing! What on earth did you come up with this stupid idea?!

There's no such thing? Then how does a president know what to say to another Country's leader to maximize the advantage for their country? How does a teacher know what to say so his student's could learn? How does a boy know what to say when he was attracted to a girl? How does a person motivate himself to do something he knows he needs to do but lack the strength and courage to act it out? How do you pray to God, but not appeared to be selfish, but humble and obedient before God's eyes?

OOh... Those are loads of questions...

And you are telling me that there's no answer written somewhere?

No, I don't believe so...

That is disappointing.

But I thought you just say whatever is in your mind...

No...

Why not?

Then I won't come out right...

What's wrong with coming out wrong?

Are you kidding me?

No. Explain to me... Why are you so obsessed with being correct? How come you are so afraid of being wrong?

Well...

Yhea...

Well, being right makes me feel good.

Okay...

Being wrong embarrassed me. I hate being embarrassed... Absolutely hated it...

Ah, so you are more afraid of being embarrassed...

Yeah, I guess so...

Hehehe...

Now, now...

Oh, come on now... I am not very far from you... If you can't even stand embarrassed in front of me...

Fine...fine...


*for a long time, chilly wind swirled...

You know, for the longest time, I keep wondering about a question.

Yeah, another one?

Yes. The question is that is it necessary that in order to mature, we absolutely have to experience failures?

I would think so...for most people at least...

So let's say if I don't experience embarrassment, I won't be able to grow?

You see... I don't have the correct answer here... It is a question of 1 + 1... And even for 1 + 1, there are many people who find lots of different answers for it...

禮和大同

有一篇文章讓我矛盾. 就是禮記裡的禮運大同篇. 一般來講, 孔子非常注重禮. 但是, 在禮運大同篇裡, 孔子去似乎以次一等的態度來看待禮. 最主要的原因就是, 孔子認為最高的境界應該是大同, 次一級, 也就是小康世得用禮來支撐. 在講大同的那一段, 他沒有隻字提及禮, 卻很注重道. 這樣一來, 禮和道的層次又有所不同.

在我看, 大同世和小康世最大的不同就在於私. 在大同世裡, 無有君臣之名. 小康世卻有. 大同世那一段除了信是之後常常提到的美德之一, 其他的美德無見他提起. 小康世裡, 則幾乎所有美德都提到了. 這一切都和老子的語言有很相近的感覺. 這是一件很有趣的事情. 如果把大同世的描述放在老子或莊子裡, 或許也不會覺得特別礙眼...

我記得韓愈寫過原道, 他認為老子所謂的道與孔子所說的是兩回事. 韓愈認為老子所說的道是出於一己之私, 而從這一點而言, 韓愈認為老子所見者, 小矣. 可是這大同篇的第一段, 到底是顯露了啥呢?

mature

how do you know if a person is mature?
well, a mature person is a fire most of the time.
but if needed, that person can become a wall,
which you could bounce off it.

我和老麵的經歷

我們大概是今年季夏時買了 Joanne Chang 的麵類食譜, flour. 那時候, 媽媽剛看到世界週刊上, 唐嘉麗阿姨介紹 Joanne Chang 的文章. 他一看就覺得好欣賞這個人. 天天都在想要去 Joanne Chang 的麵包店 (flour)試試看. 有一天, 鎮上正在準備開張的 Stop'n Shop 發出了傳單, 傳單上說, 新市場發市第一天到第三天, 每天早上五點半來排隊的前卅名, 這三天都可以拿十塊錢的禮物卡. 媽媽一看就決定要去排隊. 然後, 他把傳單翻過來看, 竟然看到市場開到第三天, Joanne Chang 會來辦一場簽名會. 這下他更樂了!

前兩天, 我都在五點半前被媽媽拖下床. 第一天沒想好, 我們只拿了一張禮物卡. 因為發卡的人把我和媽媽算成一個人. 第二天, 我們排在不同的位置, 我們拿到了兩張禮物卡. 第三天故技重施, 又拿到了兩張禮物卡. 最後一天是星期天, 媽媽在中午的時候要去聚會, 他有點擔心會碰不到 Joanne Chang. 他叫我先去看看. 我又怎麼會講話呢... 但是, 我去了, 市場裡不是很多人, 我們總是猜這個鎮的人不會很喜歡 Stop'n Shop... 因為, 他比租用同一地點已經四十幾年的 Market Basket 貴. Joanne Chang 搭了一個桌子在大門口, 只有一兩個人在那兒和他說話. 他看起來是一個很可愛的女孩. No no, 那我是絕對不敢和他說話的... 於是, 我就坐在市場的門口等. 媽媽聚會完, 很快就趕來了. 我心中想, 唉, 不知道他為啥那麼喜歡 Joanne Chang? 然後我就和他進去. 之後, 媽媽和 Joanne Chang 打了招呼, 說了些我好喜歡你... 之後也不知道要說啥了... Joanne Chang 總是臉上笑容無限的樣子, 盡量親切的打著招呼. 但是, 看樣子, 他鐵定也不知道要怎麼應付. 媽媽看到桌上擺了 Joanne Chang 的書, 他趕緊藉著機會說, 我也很想買你的書. Joanne Chang 忙著接下去說, 啊, 今天你買的話, 有打折喔. 媽媽很高興的拿了書請他簽名. 簽完名後, 我們就和他說再見. 媽媽滿興奮的, 我呢, 則感覺有點不好意思... 唉, 實在很想說啥, 實在沒啥好說的... 到了付錢的時候, 發現要付廿九元! 哇... 媽媽和我都有點傻眼了. 收錢的服務員趕緊說, 如果你有禮物卡, 也可以用的. 我們一聽, 才鬆了一口氣. 趕緊拿出這三天來, 辛苦排隊拿到的共值五十元的禮物卡. 付錢了賬, 然後揚長而去. 媽媽一路走, 一路說, 你看, 我們排隊拿的卡很有用吧...

其實媽媽早就想要這食譜了. 但是我早前說過, 其實圖書館就可以借到了. 才打消他買書的念頭. 如今花了 "禮物卡" 買來的書, 卻使他下定決心要來好好利用這個食譜了. 他回家後天天早上起來就是看食譜. 他看的是津津有味. 常常要念出其中的段落給我聽. 或者是叫我自己讀讀他喜歡的段落. Joanne Chang 想必是很用心的製作這個食譜, 他在每個食譜前面都有一段序言, 介紹這個食譜的來歷和趣事. 媽媽終究是媽媽, 他開始貼小標籤, 畫線, 作註釋, 仔細的查出每個他看不懂的字. 幾天後, 他從食譜上決定了第一個他要做的食物, 香蕉蛋糕(Banana Bread). 媽媽是家裡的腦袋和心, 我是骨頭和肌肉... 我們到市場裡用了剩下的禮物卡, 買了相關的東西, 遵循著 Joanne Chang 的步驟, 經然很成功的作出了香蕉蛋糕! 這個食譜的確是好極了! 蛋糕做出來, 鬆軟黏密, 濕潤可口, 甜度恰到好處. 幾天後, 我妹妹嚐過之後說, 咦, 你以前作香蕉蛋糕的時候, 香蕉都還看得見, 這一次居然沒有! 媽媽那個高興的勁喲.

隔了幾天, 他看到食譜最後面是麵包的做法, 第一個食譜的序寫了好大一串. 大意是說, 麵包要做的好, 麵種很重要! 所以第一個食譜就是怎麼作麵種! 媽媽看了就直嚷著說要做麵種. 於是我們又開始培養麵種, Joanne Chang 的麵種其實滿容易的, 只要一天就可以了. 於是我們就用他的麵種作了他第二個麵包食譜, Country bread. 成品也是非常成功. 媽媽當然也是非常高興. 在之後, 我們又做了幾次同樣的食譜, 效果都很好. 最後, 媽媽卻把注意力帶向了饅頭. 因為長久以來, 我一直都很想做饅頭. 但是, 除了第一次以外, 失敗遠超過成功的次數. Joanne Chang的麵種做法說不定可以拿來做饅頭. 為此, 我特地花了很多時間在網上看看怎麼用老麵作饅頭.

最後, 我終於找到一個孟老師的網站. 他似乎是一個很有名的人. 他在他的網誌上, 描述了他和饅頭的歷史. 原來他們家是來遷台的山東老兵之後. 然後他很詳盡的介紹了老麵的做法, 接著老麵要加多少麵粉, 多少水, 有各種不同的比例, 這些比例可以做出各種不同質感的饅頭. 我們一看就很興奮. 遵照著孟老師的食譜, 開始製作老麵. 饅頭也開始一個一個揉了出來! 我們第一次用 Joanne Chang 的麵種作饅頭時就滿成功的. 之後, 開始用孟老師的比例, 饅頭也取得一定的成功度. 冰箱裡就開始從放著老麵, 並且在媽媽的堅持下, 每隔一天一定餵養一次. 在餵養的時候, 也一定拿出三分之一的老麵, 作為饅頭的麵種.

我對老麵做法的調查, 卻並未停止. 我仍然繼續往下查找各種不同的老麵做法. 中國人的老麵做法是乎都差不多. 但是, 歐美人士在食譜上的做法卻分的更為細膩. 大致上有乾濕兩種. 其中, 據我所查到的是, 濕麵種屬於工業革命的之前的普遍做法. 乾麵種屬於工業革命後, 人類發明酵母粉之後的做法. 但是, 這種分法也又似乎有爭議. 另外還有所謂的 sourdough. Sourdough 的做法屬於濕麵種. 他主要是用 全麥, 或 Rye, 一種類似小麥的植物磨成粉來釀造. 我用釀造兩個字, 因為 Sourdough 的麵種製作過程要超過廿一天. 而期間, 大部分的麵粉都是浸漬在水和廿一天中, 麵種自產的汁液裡. 所有的麵種應該都會冒出酒香, 尤其是 Sourdough.

老麵基本上可以靠著空氣中的酵菌. Sourdough 應該是完全靠空氣中的酵母菌. 其他乾濕麵種, 大部分都會加點人工的酵母粉. 老麵最好的的溫度該是華氏七十二度到八十五度左右. 可以密封放到冰箱冷藏, 甚至可以放到冰庫. 但是, 我沒有是過放到冰庫... 老麵對我而言最大的好處是, 加了麵種的麵團一定發. 因為以前, 我的麵團不一定發的起來, 或者是家裡空氣太冷, 要等很久很久才發一點點; 或者是, 酵母粉擺太久, 已經失效了... 另外, 我以前也會希望把饅頭做好, 不要太軟像麵包一樣, 因而故意少加一點麵粉. 結果, 成品過硬. 自從用了老麵, 確定麵團一定會發, 我比較安心的作饅頭. 即便作出的成品不太像饅頭, 因為可能洞太多, 太軟, 麵團在蒸過之後會塌下去...等等. 我至少知道, 出來的成品, 不會硬到嚼得下巴痛.

quotes from cyrano

1950 film:

Vicomte de Valvert: Monsieur, your nose... your nose is rather large.
Cyrano de Bergerac: Rather?
Vicomte de Valvert: Oh, well...
Cyrano de Bergerac: Is that all?
Vicomte de Valvert: Well of course...
Cyrano de Bergerac: Oh, no, young sir. You are too simple. Why, you might have said a great many things. Why waste your opportunity? For example, thus: AGGRESSIVE: I, sir, if that nose were mine, I'd have it amputated on the spot. PRACTICAL: How do you drink with such a nose? You must have had a cup made especially. DESCRIPTIVE: 'Tis a rock, a crag, a cape! A cape? Say rather, a peninsula! INQUISITIVE: What is that receptacle? A razor case or a portfolio? KINDLY: Ah, do you love the little birds so much that when they come to see you, you give them this to perch on. CAUTIOUS: Take care! A weight like that might make you top-heavy. ELOQUENT: When it blows, the typhoon howls, and the clouds darken! DRAMATIC: When it bleeds, the Red Sea. SIMPLE: When do they unveil the monument? MILITARY: Beware, a secret weapon. ENTERPRISING: What a sign for some perfumer! RESPECTFUL: Sir, I recognize in you a man of parts. A man of... prominence! Or, LITERARY: Was this the nose that launched a thousand ships? These, my dear sir, are things you might have said, had you some tinge of letters or of wit to color your discourse. But wit? Not so, you never had an atom. And of letters, you need but three to write you down: A, S, S. Ass!
Vicomte de Valvert: Insolent puppy, dolt, bunpkin, fool!
Cyrano de Bergerac: How do you do? And I, Cyrano Savinien Hercule de Bergerac.
Antoine Comte de Guiche: Vicomte, come.
Vicomte de Valvert: Such arrogance, this scarecrow. Look at him! No ribbons, no lace, not even gloves!
Cyrano de Bergerac: True! I carry my adornments only on my soul, decked with deeds instead of ribbons. Manful in my good name, and crowned with the white plume of freedom.
Vicomte de Valvert: But...
Cyrano de Bergerac: But, I have no gloves. A pity too. I had one - the last of an old pair - and lost that. Very careless of me. A gentleman offered me an impertinence. I left it - in his face.
Vicomte de Valvert: [Drawing his rapier] So be it!
Cyrano de Bergerac: You shall die exquisitely!
Vicomte de Valvert: Oh, a poet?
Cyrano de Bergerac: Oh, yes, a poet. So, while we fight, I'll improvise a ballade for you, and as I end the refrain, thrust home.
Vicomte de Valvert: Will you?
Cyrano de Bergerac: I will. Ballade of the duel at the Theatre of the Burgoyne, between de Bergerac and... a barbarian.
Vicomte de Valvert: What do you mean by that?
Cyrano de Bergerac: Oh, that? The title.


cyrano de bergerac by Edmond Rostand(might be...and I don't know who translated into english :p)

And what would you have me do?
Seek for the patronage of some great man,
And like a creeping vine on a tall tree
Crawl upward, where I cannot stand alone?
No thank you! Dedicate, as others do,
Poems to pawnbrokers? Be a buffoon
In the vile hope of teasing out a smile
On some cold face? No thank you! Eat a toad
For breakfast every morning? Make my knees
callous, and cultivate a supple spine,-
Wear out my belly grovelling in the dust?
No thank you! Scratch the back of any swine
That roots up gold for me? Tickle the horns
of Mammon with my left hand, while my right
Too proud to know his partner’s business
Takes in the fee? No thank you! Use the fire
God gave me to burn incense all day long
Under the nose of wood and stone? No thank you!
Shall I go leaping into ladies laps
And licking fingers?-or-to change form-
Navigating with madrigals for oars,
My sails full of the sighs of dowagers?
No thank you! Publish verses at my own
Expense? No thank you! Be the patron saint
Of a small group of leterary souls
Who dine together every Tuesday? No
I thank you! Shall I labor night and day
To build a reputation on one song,
And never write another? Shall I find
True genius only among Geniuses,
Palpitate over little paragraphs,
And struggle to insinuate my name
In the columns of the Mercury?
No thank you! Calculate, scheme, be afraid,
Love more to make a visit than a poem,
Seek introductions, favors, influences?-
No thank you! No, I thank you! And again
I thank you!- But…

To sing, to laugh, to dream,
To walk in my own way and be alone,
Free, with an eye to see things as they are,
A voice that means manhood- to cock my hat
Where I choose- At a word, a Yes, a No,
To fight- or write. To travel any road
Under the sun, under the stars, nor doubt
If fame or fortune lie beyond the bourne-
ever to make a line I have not heard
In my own heart; yet, with all modesty
To say: “My soul, be satisfied with flowers,
With fruit, with weeds even; but gather them
In the one garden you may call your own.”
So, when I win some triumph, by some chance,
Render no share to Caesar- in a word,
I am too proud to be a parasite,
And if my nature wants the germ that grows
Towering to heaven like the mountain pine,
Or like the oak, sheltering multitudes-
I stand, not high it may be- But alone!


----------------------

"My nose is Gargantuan! You little Pig-snout, you tiny Monkey-Nostrils, you virtually invisible Pekinese-Puss, don't you realize that a nose like mine is both scepter and orb, a monument to me superiority? A great nose is the banner of a great man, a generous heart, a towering spirit, an expansive soul--such as I unmistakably am, and such as you dare not to dream of being, with your bilious weasel's eyes and no nose to keep them apart! With your face as lacking in all distinction--as lacking, I say, in interest, as lacking in pride, in imagination, in honesty, in lyricism--in a word, as lacking in nose as that other offensively bland expanse at the opposite end of your cringing spine--which I now remove from my sight by stringent application of my boot!"
- Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Act 1


-----------------------


"And what is a kiss, specifically? A pledge properly sealed, a promise seasoned to taste, a vow stamped with the immediacy of a lip, a rosy circle drawn around the verb 'to love.' A kiss is a message too intimate for the ear, infinity captured in the bee's brief visit to a flower, secular communication with an aftertaste of heaven, the pulse rising from the heart to utter its name on a lover's lip: 'Forever.'"
- Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Act 3


----------------------



"God's whiskers! Your face is hideous as the demon's in my storybook!"
- Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Act 3

----------------------

古代和現代的口號

如果說古代和現代的世界有任何的不同, 我覺得最大的不同處就是現世所提倡的口號和古代大不相同. 自由平等民主, 大概只要是現代人都聽到耳朵流出油來的口號. 但是, 在古代, 我似乎很少看到同樣的名詞. 注意我這裡說的很少看到同樣的名詞. 因為, 我知道雖然相同意思的名詞似乎沒有, 但是相同意思的句子則是有的. 這似乎是一個很小的差別, 但是, 實際上是一個很有趣, 也很有意義的現象. 反觀古老中國, 那時的口號喊的最響的似乎是禮義廉恥, 仁義道德.

從近一百年來的中國歷史來看, 中國人無法真正跳出一個圈圈. 這個圈圈就是中國本身. 這是啥意思呢? 也就是說, 當我們提到自由平等民主的時候, 就會有人說這不是中國的. 也就是說, 好像實行了自由平等民主, 中國就不是再是中國了. 說這話的人可以分成幾種. 一種是政客, 一種是尋找中國意識的人, 另一種是對西方含有敵視的人, 還可以再分下去. 但是, 我不打算做這事情... 我也是其中一種. 我會把我自己歸於那種希望找到中國意識的人.

啥是學找中國意識的人呢? 這是啥意思? 我的解釋是, 希望可以把古代中國的口號和現代的口號銜接上. 我覺得現在最大的問題就在於說, 現代中國人的意識裡, 所有古中國的口號通通都是為了個人修身的道德. 這也就是, 梁啟超說的, 中國人只注重私德, 忽略了公德. 我個人覺得, 這是一種不完全的講法. 但是, 不容易反駁的想法. 不容易反駁的想法, 是因為, 在語法上, 禮義廉恥, 仁義道德, 的確有個人修身的意像. 不完全的講法, 是因為, 當我們回去看古中國口號的來源時, 每一個字又都可以有另外的意義. 這些字就像多變的精靈, 在語法上, 和文法上, 甚至在前後文的對照下, 變化似乎無窮盡.

最明顯的例子, 實際上是禮. 這是自清末一來就飽受評議的字. 禮經在經過孔子之後的幾千年裡, 成為三經. 這三經實際上, 大部分和個人修身無關係. 周禮又叫周官, 紀錄了周朝時的官制和其內容. 儀禮又稱禮經, 紀錄了周朝平日生活送往迎來的禮儀. 禮記, 又分大載禮記和小載禮記, 紀錄一些生活上更瑣碎的禮儀, 還有更重要的是孔子之後的一些學術思想. 裡面有任何個人修身的部分, 禮記佔了大多數. 其他如周官, 實際上是一個提供研究政治制度的來源. 儀禮和禮記則提供了古代人類社會學的資料. 在所有古中國的口號裡, 最能和現代口號銜接的, 應該是禮. 因為如果要把禮直接翻譯成現代的名詞, 制度, 或許是最貼切的譯法. 可是, 這是困難的. 因為在語法上, 禮已經是和法徹底分家了. 一般人提到禮, 最先想到的是禮貌. 而不是憲法之類的東西. 但是, 對於禮教和律法的從新認識對於銜接古中國和現代世界卻非常重要. 幾乎是刻不容緩. 因為, 只有從新認識, 才能夠不再盲目的推崇或仇視.

這裡也有一個需要說明的現象. 也就是說, 現代絕大部分倡導自由的學說或學者, 都有一個最基本的共識. 那就是, 自由, 並不是絕對的自由. 這個自由, 必須是在一個前提之下, 才能真正存在. 這個前提, 實際上就某種限制. 而大家對平等的認識, 也絕不是以為天下人都是一樣的材質, 有相同的環境. 而現代民主理論把行政司法立法分出來之後, 民主, 這一名詞實際上也走向了禮的命運. 也就是說, 民主這一詞在語境裡也變成了多變的精靈. 所以提民主不如一當時的需要, 把行政司法和立法提出來, 才能夠比較正確的表述意思. 而也就在這些大前提之下, 禮和自由平等民主也才能夠銜接. 一旦銜接上, 我們要問的是, 如何可以有一個自由平等和民主的禮教和律法?

division of pc games

I just had a feeling that there are not much middle class in pc games... I mean either you need a high end pc to play most of the new games on the market, or you could just play it with a tablet spec pc... There're not many pc games coming out for middle ground... lol

胡思亂想

自誠明，謂之性。自明誠，謂之教。誠則明矣，明則誠矣。

唯天下至誠，為能盡其性；能盡其性，則能盡人之性；能盡人之性，則能盡物之性；能盡物之性，則可以贊天地之化育；可以贊天地之化育，則可以與天地參矣。

其次致曲。曲能有誠，誠則形，形則著，著則明，明則動，動則變，變則化。唯天下至誠為能化。



看不懂致曲. 我今天突然想到會不會是屈? 大部分的解釋都把曲解作偏. 我想到的屈, 是說受到擠壓的意思. 因為無法自誠明, 但是可以由受到考驗而誠. 一般人都要在失去的時候, 才珍惜. 但是, 有少部分的人, 不需要如此, 就懂得珍惜. 這個失去, 就是我所謂的屈.

胡思亂想, 胡思亂想...

in the ring

There are many different kinds of martial arts. Most of them could be classified as either wrestling related, or striking related. As each branch developed, different rules were also developed along each side. Most of the rules eliminate some aspects of fighting, like greco roman wrestling prohibits striking and holds below the waist, boxing prohibits kicking...etc.

It is true that these rules are in some way impair the students of these martial arts, in terms of dealing a real fight outside of the ring. But as long as the rules indeed help the students of these martial arts to grasp the concept of the arts they are studying. I think it is still a good way to learn.

I think by understanding how these rules let students learn by limiting their resources, we could learn how to design our education system in general better.

I met a Eurasier

I am working as a UPS helper again this year. I was delivering packages to a house one day. The garden in front of the house was half lawn, half pebbles and stones. While I was waiting for someone to come and sign my packages, I admired the scenery. A graceful frail old lady came to open the door, then I was scrambling to scan the packages. I forgot to scan the packages while looking at the garden. As the mess assumed, a dog stepped outside. The dog looked like a chow chow. My hands kept on playing my diad as I asked the frail lady about the dog. She said: oh, don't worry, the dog was mild. he won't bite...

It's probably because she saw me trying turn my behind away from the dog. Yeah, dogs always like to try to smell the behind... It's an experience learned from this line of work.

I asked, is this a chow chow?

No, the lady said, it's a Eurasier.

She must see the confusion on my face. She then explained further, it is a breed from spitz, chow chow, and samoyed.

That was very interesting, I thought. And the dog was very gentle and friendly indeed. He smelled my hands, I petted him on the head, and his body snuggled against my legs. Wow, it really looked like a chow chow. I got signature from the lady then I walked back to the truck through that long drive way. As I looked back, the lady already got inside, but she let the dog out. The dog found a spot in front of the door and sat down calmly with four legs on the ground. I really liked the dog.

Two days later, when I went to the same house again, I did not see the dog. I wanted to see the dog very much. But the package did not need to be signed this time. I could not just go and knock on the door. As I was trying to reach my truck at the end of the street, which was a cul de sac. My eyes suddenly shone upon the dog! He was walking in a leisure kind of way toward me from the other side of street. I was so happy to see him, I bend my knees and lowered my head to welcome him. It was incredible that the dog's eyes seemed to spark and ran to me! I petted him, who also snuggled back. The time was so short though, for I need to go to the next street quickly. I moved on to the truck, as I looked back he moved on the lawn and looked back right at me.

The driver, Nick, was calm. He started the engine and began to drove away. Then he said, for a moment I was scared. I thought the dog was going to attack. Don't pet the dog next time... Dogs are still unpredictable.

when i sing

when i sing, my cat ran away
when i sing, i was always alone
when i sing, there's only a listener
when i sing...

四維的解釋

管子:
牧民:
國有四維，一維絕則傾，二維絕則危，三維絕則覆，四維絕則滅。傾可正也，危可安也，覆可起也，滅不可復錯也。何謂四維？一曰禮、二曰義、三曰廉、四曰恥。禮不踰節，義不自進。廉不蔽惡，恥不從枉。故不踰節，則上位安；不自進，則民無巧軸；不蔽惡，則行自全；不從枉，則邪事不生。


四維論

柳宗元

《管子》以禮義廉恥為四維，吾疑非管子之言也。
彼所謂廉者，曰『不蔽惡』也；世人之命廉者，曰不茍得也。彼所謂恥者，曰『不從枉』也；世人之命恥者，曰羞為非也。然則二者果義歟，非歟？吾見其有 二維，未見其所以為四也。夫不蔽惡者，豈不以蔽惡為不義而去之乎？夫不茍得者，豈不以茍得為不義而不為乎？雖不從枉與羞為非皆然。然則廉與恥，義之小節 也，不得與義抗而為維。聖人之所以立天下，曰仁義。仁主恩，義主斷。恩者親之，斷者宜之，而理道畢矣。蹈之斯為道，得之斯為德，履之斯為禮，誠之斯為信， 皆由其所之而異名。今管氏所以為維者，殆非聖人之所立乎？又曰：『一維絕則傾，二維絕則危，三維絕則覆，四維絕則滅。』若義之絕，則廉與恥其果存乎？廉與 恥，則義果絕乎？人既蔽惡矣，茍得矣，從枉矣，為非而無羞矣，則義果存乎？
使管子庸人也，則為此言；管子而少知理道，則四維者非管子之言也。


我覺得這實在是極有意思的討論．　　我覺得這裡同樣是義，　所包含的範圍不一樣．　　事實上，　管子的文字裡，　已經自訂意思了．　　而柳宗元的義實在是孟子之後，　把義的意思擴大之後的看法．　　於是乎，　柳宗元認為義實際上已經包括廉恥在內．　　

歐陽修的新五代史裡面馮道傳前面的卷五十四的序裡有：

《傳》 曰：「禮義廉恥，國之四維；四維不張，國乃滅亡。」善乎，管生之能言也！禮義，治人之大法；廉恥，立人之大節。蓋不廉，則無所不取；不恥，則無所不為。人 而如此，則禍亂敗亡，亦無所不至，況為大臣而無所不取，無所不為，則天下其有不亂，國家其有不亡者乎！予讀馮道《長樂老敘》，見其自述以為榮，其可謂無廉 恥者矣，則天下國家可從而知也。

則歐陽修這裡對於廉恥的用法和柳宗元類似.  這裡很有趣的地方也在於說, 每一個字的用法在某篇文章裡可以自己定義, 但是, 在語法上也有他一定的意思.  再拿忠義這兩個字來說.  不知道, 義氣和柳宗元得仁義, 這兩個義有無程度上, 方向上的不同.  忠呢, 忠恕而已矣, 忠君愛國, 這兩忠在程度上, 方向上有無不同?