Merry Christmas, Marunouchi is my theme for Christmas in 2009. It is different from the previous Christmases in certain senses. First, it will be the first I spend overseas since I began working. Second, it is a themed Christmas and it goes with a purpose on top of its being Christian – secular, hedonistic or epicurean, you may name it, and focuses on a particular space. Thirdly, it will be religiously serene and devout. Well, Christmas, for namesake, should be Christian (some created the so-called substitute Season’s Greetings for the secular minds but I guess if they’re not into Christianity but only think of taking advantage of a few days holiday, at no cost, for example, spend 1 ½ hours in a church, I suggest they do a bit of other good work for the sake of humanity). Yes, I mean true good works not those that pave the way to hell.
Although the theme Merry Christmas, Marunouchi does not sound religious, it elementally consists of the fervour of religions. It will be religiously transfixing to see the best architecture in Asia, from a veneration point of view, – yes, when I say 'best', I do include in the sample those Babel towers, hanging gardens in the Middle East. I expect the architecture in Tokyo more than just Babel towers that point to the sky and a 800-metre tower does not mean anything for me. For man-made islands, alas, Japan is a pioneer (Zerotester, a Japanese animation series, showed a mobile man-made island in the early 1970's when China was still in chaos at the height of her Cultural Revolution). I do not scream at the Palm Island in Dubai but I should at the Chubu Airport in Nagoya which managed to be built at half the price of the sinking Kansai Airport (both physically and its debt) and is run efficiently by its builder, Toyota Motors Corp.
Marunouchi, the financial district of Tokyo, is still glamorous. The industrials and trading houses and banks in Japan are still global heavyweights that enable Tokyo Stock Exchange to stay as a runner-up in the league table, after a 70% fall in capitalisation from the peak in the late 1980's and despite those small-eyed Westerners' scorn and dismay. There is something to talk about and I am not religiously blind to pay tribute to the industrial champions of this nation without knowing the cruel fact that their no. one's are shrinking in size. But the overhauled Marunouchi district appears to show that Tokyo is a grand dame of Asia head and shoulder above all other cities - those of the parvenus - Shanghai or Dubai; those in lack of colour and dignity such as Hong Kong, those subtle but falling short of glamour - Taipei and Seoul to name only a few. After all those years, these established cities cannot come close to Tokyo no matter in which standard you rate them. Here lies some religious elements but I say it is not totally irrational.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Plato's Apology
'The unexamined life is not worth living.'
Time magazine chose Plato's apology to be one of the top ten of its kind. Perhaps unlike the others, which are mainly contemporary, Plato's lasts forever.
It was the 'apology' that started it all. Written around 360 B.C., Plato's famous essay (from the Greek word apologia, meaning 'defence') recounts how Socrates defended himself against charges that he was corrupting Athen's youth and blaspheming local gods with his philosophical musings. As a witness to the trial's proceedings, Plato recalls how his mentor refused to express regret for his lifestyle, even going so far as to liken himself to a 'gadfly' trying to arouse a 'lazy horse' (read: Athenian society). But while Socrates' speech would go on to shape thousands of years of Western thought, a jury of his peers remained unconvinced; at the age of 70, he was found guilty of impiety and sentenced to death by hemlock poisoning — a verdict that, according to Plato, did not surprise the sage in the least. 'The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways,' Plato quotes Socrates as saying at his sentencing. 'I to die, and you to live. Which is better God only knows.' So much for saying 'I'm sorry.'
Time magazine chose Plato's apology to be one of the top ten of its kind. Perhaps unlike the others, which are mainly contemporary, Plato's lasts forever.
It was the 'apology' that started it all. Written around 360 B.C., Plato's famous essay (from the Greek word apologia, meaning 'defence') recounts how Socrates defended himself against charges that he was corrupting Athen's youth and blaspheming local gods with his philosophical musings. As a witness to the trial's proceedings, Plato recalls how his mentor refused to express regret for his lifestyle, even going so far as to liken himself to a 'gadfly' trying to arouse a 'lazy horse' (read: Athenian society). But while Socrates' speech would go on to shape thousands of years of Western thought, a jury of his peers remained unconvinced; at the age of 70, he was found guilty of impiety and sentenced to death by hemlock poisoning — a verdict that, according to Plato, did not surprise the sage in the least. 'The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways,' Plato quotes Socrates as saying at his sentencing. 'I to die, and you to live. Which is better God only knows.' So much for saying 'I'm sorry.'
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Era of Transubstantiation
The use of the technical term 'Transubstantiation' in the context beyond Roman Catholicisim is perhaps historically unprecedented. I do not wish to explain such usage in a simplistic manner, for the whole idea of such usage is indeed per se complicated, let alone the technical ramification we need to encounter in the deduction in between. Let us try to decipher one paragraph:
'2. A society of peoples or of an entirely heterogeneous people, given its advanced state in contemporary standard, is bound to go anarchic. By which I mean that the advancement in science and humanity flies so swift that the development of human intelligence lags so far behind that the complexity of the society becomes Greek to most of people domiciling or as parasite in the society. If our children are addicted to the liberal, pluralistic drugs that only allow liberal, pluralistic abuse, then it would lack the perspicuity to express in a clear manner how a society can continue to advance or progress, for the liberalism and pluralism have reached the most high of humanity – for different peoples may be welt together without difficulty and for confrontations are only the result of constructive disagreements. But only the fool believes the fact is so. Only fools believe the world is filled with the just we dream of; and only fools believe such a world, despite its non-existence at this moment, will be existent sometime in future. Only fools believe the world today will progress to that of morrow, from which we point to learn as much as we see from our history, a discreet world of suspicious existence. Why do fools so succumb to the delusions of progress when as a matter of fact they have been in for a dying plight in which they see without obstruction their own death bed near at hand, and touch it without any difficulty? It is so I declare war to ignorance, thence the lack of cognition of their own plight, leading to the phenomena that they continue to live on and sneer at the possible advent of an imminent Death, will subsequently disown such prodigal species or members of such species. Can this be scientifically verifiable? Yes, but what good a scientific verification to the species if the result of it would only mean a probability of their death rather than marking a certainty of death? A probability of eradication of a species means only a probability of survival. Fools undoubtedly with their indolence in their mind can only opt for survival in an easiest manner, and for death should survival mean a slightest form of hassles to them. They are immune to despise and, in Darwinian interpretation, speak of survival of the fittest – such fitness only prevails in undesirability.'
'2. A society of peoples or of an entirely heterogeneous people, given its advanced state in contemporary standard, is bound to go anarchic. By which I mean that the advancement in science and humanity flies so swift that the development of human intelligence lags so far behind that the complexity of the society becomes Greek to most of people domiciling or as parasite in the society. If our children are addicted to the liberal, pluralistic drugs that only allow liberal, pluralistic abuse, then it would lack the perspicuity to express in a clear manner how a society can continue to advance or progress, for the liberalism and pluralism have reached the most high of humanity – for different peoples may be welt together without difficulty and for confrontations are only the result of constructive disagreements. But only the fool believes the fact is so. Only fools believe the world is filled with the just we dream of; and only fools believe such a world, despite its non-existence at this moment, will be existent sometime in future. Only fools believe the world today will progress to that of morrow, from which we point to learn as much as we see from our history, a discreet world of suspicious existence. Why do fools so succumb to the delusions of progress when as a matter of fact they have been in for a dying plight in which they see without obstruction their own death bed near at hand, and touch it without any difficulty? It is so I declare war to ignorance, thence the lack of cognition of their own plight, leading to the phenomena that they continue to live on and sneer at the possible advent of an imminent Death, will subsequently disown such prodigal species or members of such species. Can this be scientifically verifiable? Yes, but what good a scientific verification to the species if the result of it would only mean a probability of their death rather than marking a certainty of death? A probability of eradication of a species means only a probability of survival. Fools undoubtedly with their indolence in their mind can only opt for survival in an easiest manner, and for death should survival mean a slightest form of hassles to them. They are immune to despise and, in Darwinian interpretation, speak of survival of the fittest – such fitness only prevails in undesirability.'
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Epicurus (341-270 BC)
The Greek philosopher intended to show mankind that it is possible to live a life of undisturbed happiness (ataraxia), devoid of fear and worry, through right knowledge of the way the universe works: the main objects of fear, divine punishment and death, need not concern us, as the human soul does not survive death and gods do not govern events, which are ruled by natural laws. The universe and everything in it including ourselves and our souls consist of atoms whose motion is governed by natural causes; nothing composed lasts for ever as the atoms move around, and their motion, temporary conjunction and ultimate dispersal the generation and dissolution of all objects including living things. Epicurus described the gods as perfect and eternal beings who live a happy existence untrammelled by the activities or sufferings of humanity. It puzzles many others that Epicurus added the element of the gods in a philosophy which appears self-sufficient without them. Obviously there was a practical reason. I personally love Epicurus' attempt to create a philosophy that rids humans of worry and enables them to live in happiness. What I approve of the most is that happiness does not come from glory, power or wealth but it can be had from little things such as good food, the company of friends, etc, which, to some extent, is hedonistic in that we enjoy the corporeal now-ness, for there is no future of ourselves when we die. There I believe has nothing wrong to hold such a belief, for, obviously, any coming life deprives oneself of memories of the former life. Some claim knowledge of the former life but few can establish such claim with convincing evidence. But Epicurean living is quite enjoyable. It has, to me, a spiritual element that occurs when you enjoy your company of friends, the good food or simply a walk in the garden.
Having said that, we do not have every reason to refuse to accept the premise that the soul survives our own death. But this does not weaken the happiness of ataraxia and his living secretly - when I think of it, I feel happy.
Having said that, we do not have every reason to refuse to accept the premise that the soul survives our own death. But this does not weaken the happiness of ataraxia and his living secretly - when I think of it, I feel happy.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown is of course no Winston Churchill. But some temperament of a prime minister of Great Britain appears the same. In the annual foreign policy speech at the Lord Mayor's banquet in London, Mr. Browns said,
'When Britain is bold, when Britain is engaged, when Britain is confident and outward-looking, we have shown time and again that Britain has a power and an energy that far exceeds the limits of our geography, our population, and our means.
'As a nation we have every reason to be optimistic about our prospects: let us be confident in our alliances, faithful to our values, determined as progressive pioneers to shape the world to come.
'I believe that Britain can inspire, challenge and change the world.
'And to do so we must have confidence in our distinctive strengths: our global values, global alliances and global actions; because with conviction in our values and confidence in our alliances, Britain can lead the way in this construction of a new global order.'
'When Britain is bold, when Britain is engaged, when Britain is confident and outward-looking, we have shown time and again that Britain has a power and an energy that far exceeds the limits of our geography, our population, and our means.
'As a nation we have every reason to be optimistic about our prospects: let us be confident in our alliances, faithful to our values, determined as progressive pioneers to shape the world to come.
'I believe that Britain can inspire, challenge and change the world.
'And to do so we must have confidence in our distinctive strengths: our global values, global alliances and global actions; because with conviction in our values and confidence in our alliances, Britain can lead the way in this construction of a new global order.'
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Epicurean Living
Epicureans showed little interest in participating in the politics of the day, since doing so leads to trouble. They instead advocated seclusion. Their garden can be compared with present-day communes. This principle is epitomised by the phrase lathe biōsas λάθε βιώσας (Plutarchus De latenter vivendo c. 1128; Flavius Philostratus Vita Apollonii 8.28.12), meaning ‘live secretly’, ‘get through life without drawing attention to yourself’, i. e. live without pursuing glory or wealth or power, but anonymously, enjoying little things like food, the company of friends, etc.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Furusato
This is a Japanese folk song. It is one of my most beloved songs. Furusato literally means your homeland. The graceful melody and the simple, direct yet meaningful lyrics trigger my nostalgia. Deep within the palpable beauty lies something that makes this song immortal in me. Why some place is your homeland is essentially destined by the fact that you were born there; that your parents live there; and that your friends have been living there with you since childhood. These attributes cannot be changed because they are elements embedded in your history which are not erasable. However, there are some more factors, more subtle ones that define furusato. The lyrics go, after talking of the parents and friends,
Some day when I have done what I set out to do,
I will return to where I used to have my home.
Lush and green are the mountains of my homeland.
Pure and clear is the water of my homeland.
This is the part where the essentiality is. And only if a place essentially bears this capacity that it can be called furusato to a certain person. If you were born there, your parents lived there and your friends worked there but you shall not return after you have completed what you are required to do, and you do not feel the mountains and water are beautiful and worth your treasure, then the place that is called your homeland is indeed deficient in the aspect that it essentially is your homeland, your furusato. I should say, perhaps it is your homeland, but it is not your furusato.
Some day when I have done what I set out to do,
I will return to where I used to have my home.
Lush and green are the mountains of my homeland.
Pure and clear is the water of my homeland.
This is the part where the essentiality is. And only if a place essentially bears this capacity that it can be called furusato to a certain person. If you were born there, your parents lived there and your friends worked there but you shall not return after you have completed what you are required to do, and you do not feel the mountains and water are beautiful and worth your treasure, then the place that is called your homeland is indeed deficient in the aspect that it essentially is your homeland, your furusato. I should say, perhaps it is your homeland, but it is not your furusato.
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