淡泊明志，宁静致远
“淡泊明志，宁静致远”是诸葛亮54岁时写给他8岁儿子诸葛瞻的《诫子书》。
诸葛亮的《诫子书》中也有这样两句话：
“夫君子之行，静以修身，俭以养德。非淡泊无以明志，非宁静无以致远。夫学须静也，才须学也，非学无以广才，非志无以成学。淫慢则不能励精，险躁则不能治性。年与时驰，意与日去，遂成枯落，多不接世，悲守穷庐，将复何及！”
译文：有道德修养的人，是这样进行修养锻炼的，他们以静思反省来使自己尽善尽美，以俭朴节约财物来培养自己高尚的品德。不清心寡欲就不能使自己的志向明确坚定，不安定清静就不能实现远大理想而长期刻苦学习。要学得真知必须使身心在宁静中研究探讨，人们的才能是从不断的学习中积累起来的；如果不下苦工学习就 不能增长与发扬自己的才干；如果没有坚定不移的意志就不能使学业成功。纵欲放荡、消极怠慢就不能勉励心志使精神振作；冒险草率、急燥不安就不能陶治性情使节操高尚。如果年华与岁月虚度，志愿时日消磨，最终就会像枯枝落叶般一天天衰老下去。这样的人不会为社会所用而有益于社会，只有悲伤地困守在自己的穷家破舍里，到那时再悔也来不及了。
“非淡泊无以明志，非宁静无以致远。”这既是诸葛亮一生经历的总结，更是对他儿子的要求。在这里诸葛亮用的是“双重否定”的句式，以强烈而委婉的语气表现了他对儿子的教诲与无限的期望。用现代话来说：“不把眼前的名利看得轻淡就不会有明确的志向，不能平静安详全神贯注的学习，就不能实现远大的目标”。通过上述分析，我们可以看出诸葛亮运用了《逻辑学》中的“否定之否定规律”来强调他要表达的“淡泊以明志，宁静而志远”。这是一句富含哲理的话。这同“要想取之，必先与之”，“欲达目的，需先迂回曲折”的道理一样，现在的“淡泊”、“宁静”求清净，不想有什么作为，而是要通过学习“明志”，树立远大的志向，待时机成熟就可以“致远”，轰轰烈烈干一番事业。“淡泊”是一种古老的道家思想，《老子》就曾说“恬淡为上，胜而不美”。后世一直继承赞赏这种“心神恬适”的意境，如白居易在《问秋光》一诗中，“身心转恬泰，烟景弥淡泊”。他反映了作者心无杂念，凝神安适，不限于眼前得失的那种长远而宽阔的境界。
其实，“淡泊明志，宁静致远”，这句话的最早出处是西汉初年刘安的《淮南子?主术训》。其中语云：“是故非澹薄无以明志，非宁静无以致远，非宽大无以兼覆，非慈厚无以怀众，非平正无以制断。”刘安(约公元前179—公元前122年)是汉高祖刘邦之孙。《淮南子》是由刘安与其门客共同撰写的一部规模宏大、内容丰富的哲学和政治学巨著，全书的哲学、政治思想，最近乎老、庄，同时也融进了孔子、墨子、韩非子的思想。
比刘安晚出生300多年的诸葛亮，躬耕苦读，兼收并蓄，摄取了包括《淮南子》在内的历代各个学派的营养。“非淡泊无以明志，非宁静无以致远”，就是诸葛亮汲取了《淮南子?主术训》中的精粹，并在此基础上将其充实、拓展、完善，直至他临终前，作为《诫子书》写给了他的儿子诸葛瞻，以警醒诸葛氏后人。
通读《诫子书》，我们可以发现，诸葛亮是对《淮南子?主术训》中精华的借鉴、传承与弘扬，而不是简单地摘录与复制。这本身就启示我们，当我们今天解读、运用。“淡泊明志，宁静致远”的时候，既要尊重它的历史原意，也要结合时代特征，赋予它新的内涵。
诸葛亮的一生，可以分为前后两个27年。前27年，是他博览群书、修身养性、静观天下、立志用世的准备阶段；而后27年，是他身体力行、完善自我、鞠躬尽瘁、死而后已的奉献阶段。我们也可以说，前27年是他的“淡泊”“宁静”阶段，后27年则是他的“明志”“致远”阶段。诸葛亮一生中借鉴前人的思想很多，但他为何对“淡泊明志，宁静致远”情有独钟呢？在诸葛亮短暂的一生中，出山之后，日理万机，所以著述不多。《三国志》本传中载有《诸葛氏集目录》，共24篇，104112 字，而“淡泊明志，宁静致远”作为引用语，却贯穿了他的一生，最后作为遗训，划上了他人生的圆满句号。
“淡泊明志，宁静致远”，虽只寥寥八字，却被诸葛亮钟爱一生，而且作为他的精神的集中体现，其影响力远远超过其原创《淮南子》。“淡泊明志，宁静致远”所体现的思想是博大精深的，它的精髓至少能从哲理性、真理性和进取性诸方面凸现出来。
哲理性。“淡泊明志，宁静致远”是一句富含哲理的话。孔子曾说：“士志于道，而耻恶衣恶食者，未足与议也。”老子也明示：“五色令人目盲，五音令人耳聋……”它同欲取之必先予之、欲达目的需先迂回曲折的道理一样。现在的“淡泊”“宁静”，不是不想有什么作为，而是要通过学习“明志”，树立远大的志向，待时机成熟就可以“致远”，轰轰烈烈地干一番事业。这就是老子《道德经》中所倡导的，“无为”的结果是“无不为”，他言“宁静”实则“制动”，他甘“居后”实则“占先”。有人认为“淡泊明志，宁静致远”说的似乎只是“文化界”和“读书人”的事，其实不然。哲理的境界是最高境界，它所阐述的道理是带有普遍性的。
真理性。有人认为，“淡泊明志，宁静致远”离我们太遥远了，缺乏时代感。其原因是，他们还没有真正悟出“淡泊明志，宁静致远”当中所蕴含的真理性。中国历史上许多思想家曾有许多名言，如孔子的“学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆”，孟子的“天将降大任于斯人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤，空乏其身，行拂乱其所为，所以动心忍性，增益其所不能”，荀子的“不积跬步，无以至千里；不积小流，无以成江海”等，历经千年仍有着强大的生命力。所谓真理，是正确反映客观世界及其规律的认识。毛泽东说：“判定认识或理论之是否真理，不是依主观上觉得如何而定，而是依客观上社会实践的结果如何而定。”由此，我们考察古今中外，凡成功者，莫不遵循了这一真理法则；凡失败者，莫不违背了这一真理法则。尽管真理有“绝对真理”与“相对真理”之分，但经过千余年检验的“淡泊明志，宁静致远”，证明了它是真理。所以，它也是没有时限的。
进取性。“淡泊”不是弃世，“宁静”也不是慵懒。倘若只是一味孤高自许，却没有植根现实的理想，也不过是消极的逃避现实。倘若只是一味封闭自守，懒于交流，更是愚人的做法。“淡泊明志”，志在修身，进而济世；“宁静致远”，因达于天下而远，因泽于后世而远。“淡泊”与“宁静”并非空洞的华丽辞藻，并非书生的自命不凡，它需要真正高尚而淳朴、丰富而博爱的心灵。“淡泊”与“宁静”，是以“明志”与“致远”为终极理想目标的，是积极向上、催人奋进的。古人说过的话，是无法更改的，“淡泊明志，宁静致远”这八个字，我们今天也不能更改它，如同当年诸葛亮给“淡泊明志，宁静致远”注入了新的内涵一样。今天，我们同样可以赋予它新的时代内涵，使其具有新的活力，新的生命力。
当年，诸葛亮汲取了“淡泊明志，宁静致远”的养分，同时也把这份宝贵的遗产留给了我们。
Pigs in Distress
An article that makes you think twice about eating bah kwa this CNY.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jan/06/animal-welfare-food-bacon
It’s sad that we all still eat bacon despite reading Animal Farm and Charlotte’s Web. Aren’t they actually really adorable? I have decided to avoid hypocrisy by not eating things that I find cute when alive. I shall only eat fishes from now on. They are usually ugly. Especially Salmon. =D
Lines from ‘Myth of Sissyphus’
Before I get boring, I think eating almond biscuits and drinking earl grey in the wee hours of the morning can be so comforting…
What is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying.
Beginning to think is beginning to be undermined.
Living naturally, is never easy. You continue making the gestures commanded by existence for many reasons, the first of which is habit. Dying voluntarily implies that you have recognised, even instinctively, the ridiculous character of that habit, the absence of any profound reason for living, the insane character of that daily agitation and the uselessness of suffering.
A world that can be explained even with bad reasons is a familiar world. But, on the other hand, in a universe suddenly divested of illusions and lights, man feels [like] an alien, a stranger. His exile is without remedy since he is deprived of the memory of a lost home or the hope of a promised land.
We get into the habit of living before acquiring the habit of thinking. In that race which daily hastens us towards death, the body maintains an irreparable lead.
Actually, to really think about it, humans really create a lot of things to give meanings to life. Chief amongst it would probably be the whole institution called Education. Imagine inventing so many words and things in the world, such that there will be an endless amount of things to learn about. You’re so busy living that you forget why is it that you are going through so much nonsense just to live…
A paraphrase: The absurdity of living requires one to escape it through hope or suicide.
Tenacity and acumen are privileged spectators of this inhuman show in which absurdity, hope and death carry on their dialogue.
Master & Magarita
In Master and Magarita, the Devil said this to Matthew Levi after he addressed him as the ‘Master of Shadow’, “Kindly consider this question, what would your good do if evil did not exist? What would earth look like if shadow disappeared from it? Shadows are cast by objects … and people. Here’s my shadow and its shadows, trees have shadows, so do living things. Do you want to tear away everything on earth, the trees and living things on it, because of your fantasy of seeing bare light? You’re a fool.”
I like M&M. I think that it is a novel/show that has a pretty rich text with many themes and symbols that make it so very interesting. Another segment which I like was how Margarita attended the Devil’s ball and had to be cordial to the worst criminals in history, it’s akin to how Jesus would love the worst felons. The parallel is subtle but captivating. And of course, the Devil has never been more charming than in this text.
Thanksgiving 2009
The day started with a farewell and birthday party for a good friend who would be going to Russia soon and ended with a mini food party that I threw for the people who have been so very special to me. I don’t know how to begin writing about it in perfect prose but I guess if I could I would really want to preserve this feeling of blessedness in my heart forever. I really lurve the people that I keep in life. I don’t keep everyone but for those whom I do, I really keep them as close as I possibly can.
In retrospect, University started out really badly with me floundering in the depths of a full-blown identity crisis, wondering whether certain fundamental values that I have in life are sustainable and desirable. It could be years of excessive emotions overload in the relationships that I have with the different people, it could be a spate of traumatic episodes in life or it could be anything. Regardless, the solemn reflection that ensued made me fearful of the company I keep and overly suspicious of everyone’s intent. Hence, it came as a surprise when in the last year of University I decided to channel more attention to people, I was able to really find some friendships that are honest, genuine and heartfelt.
As PS wrote in a little card to me, I am really grateful to how the Public Policy Challenge brought the four of us together. I feel that amongst the four of us, there’s a certain synchronised idealism about life and an eventual concern for issues which are bigger than ourselves. Although we don’t always talk about it and philosophise about it out loud, I guess we could all see how we would each attempt to work towards these shared ideals in our own ways. More memorable still is the crazy amount of fun that we’ve had in the semester that just passed. And interestingly, it all started with a silly competition that we did not even win because of a ridiculous blunder. Thinking back, PS was really prescient in saying that she really believe in blessings in disguise. If it cost a public policy championship and 250 bucks worth of beer to have this bond amongst the four of us, then I guess it’s well worth it.
Pre-Xmas Party after results release!
Waltzing on ice!
Dosvidaniya Edwinyeo!
Another very important group of people in my life would be the few friends who have stuck with me since River Valley days. It’s been at least a decade since we all first met and it’s really amazing how we’ve all grown. Individually each of their friendship to me is priceless and insurpassable by anything that I may have ever possessed.
I lurve… Horsie for how she taught me so many things about life and constantly challenged my preconceived notions about the world… Baboon for his unyielding platonic love and impossible support during the darkest period in my life… Man for her bold spirit and competitiveness which had inspired me to never be content with the status quo… Birdie for her wittiness and giving, understanding nature. She’s the one person whom I’ve never managed to give anything for she’s always so willing to go the extra mile… Lei for her perseverence in the love of our life – running (or perhaps wining nowadays), and her sweet, thoughtful ways… Wendy for her ever presence as a friend whom I do not necessarily share a deep connection with but somehow would always cherish because for some reason, we have always been friends. With her, I realise that friends need not agree, you just need to lurve the other person enough to want to always be there. And finally, Edwin for being the light of my life and opening up new dimensions of thoughts!
My precious!
Through all the good times and the bad...
I lurve the people in my life and I hope that they will always be safe, happy and close to me.
New Workspace!!
I got super excited when my dad decided to change the kitchen table. I have been eyeing it the moment it got carried into my house! Now it’s MINE!!! 
) Now I feel even more like staying home and doing ‘work’.
My new favourite corner in the house!
