Compassion

From "Light on Life" by B.K.S. Iyengar:

Compassion for the suffering of others is more than just sympathy. The superficial sympathy we express for the woes of others, when we watch the nightly television news, for example, is often no more than a wish to feel good about ourselves, a sop to our own conscience. “I am a person sensibility and feeling,” we say. Without action, this is mere self indulgence.

It is a modern illusion to imagine that positive emotions, sympathy, pity, kindness, and a general but diffused goodwill are the equivalent of virtues. These “soft” emotions can serve as a form of narcissistic self indulgence. Often they are impotent. They make us feel good about ourselves, like when we give a coin to a beggar. They create the illusion of health and well-being. But sensitivity should be used as a diagnostic tool, not as a mirror to our own vanity. Real compassion is potent as it implies the question, “What can I do to help?”

Joy

Despite the sufferings that seem to be everywhere, there are still many things worth celebrating. Like this dahlia in full bloom. Joy rises up in me at the sight of it.

Photo: The Guardian

昨夜星光燦爛

約九點。溜狗途中，不經意抬頭居然見到星。有三顆連成一線的，是獵戶座的腰帶嗎？其中一顆最亮的，是否金星？一數，總共有九顆。在香港市區見到九顆星，真讓人高興。

今日陽光普照

感冒。 為免傳播細菌，沒有去辦公室。中午時分偶爾擡頭，驚覺外面陽光普照。即往外跑。家的不遠處有一公園，園内有樹有鳥。人不多，有修花剪草的工人，有在做掌上壓的阿叔，也有在打盹的老人。路上有一麻雀在我3尺不夠處“橫過馬路”。在樹影下走著，只覺心情愉快，世界美好。小病真是福呀！

他們會怎麼說?

這種小孩叫我聯想起傳說中的紅衛兵。

Anyway，中港兩地的飛人們每年乘搭上30、40甚至50次round-trip並不出奇。如果他們的孩子問他們類似的問題，他們會怎麼說？

One day last October I found my five-year-old daughter, Rosa, leafing through my passport, which I'd left on the kitchen table in readiness for a work trip. She was studying it with a frown and I assumed she was upset by the boggle-eyed menace of the photo-booth portrait. But she was actually closely scrutinising several pages of blood-red immigration stamps marking multiple entries to the United States of America. The ensuing conversation went something like this:

"How many times have you been on a plane to America?"

"About 40."

"And how many trees have you planted?"

"No trees."

"I'm going to tell Miss White."

From "So, how many trees have you planted, Daddy?" (The Guardian)

Green Children

Extract from "So, how many trees have you planted, Daddy?" in The Guardian

Rachel Shard, 5

"When I grow up I want there to be some of the world left for us"

"My brother Joel has a puzzle book which shows bears and wolves in the jungle. I try and tell him that bears and wolves and other animals in the jungle might die if we don't look after them. There are lots of things which threaten them. Litter's one. Litter blocks up the jungles and the animals suffer. I know that water is needed, too. We do Water Aid at our school. And sometimes we all share a bath at home.

Cato Tallis-Lock, 12

"I think my parents listen to me about the environment"

"I came up with the idea "Walk Your Dad" for the book Teach Your Granny To Text with my friend Edward. Both our dads work at home sitting at computers. We felt they needed more exercise. At school there is someone to tell you to do PE or swimming, but working at home there is less opportunity to exercise. Encouraging our dads to walk was about health and about the environment. I'm protective of the environment. I check if the lights are on and if the TV is on standby. Small things around the house make a difference, like turning off the tap when you're brushing your teeth. The big stuff is harder, though. We do go on aeroplanes, but not for short journeys. We drove to Spain last summer. I think my parents listen to me about the environment. But they do stuff anyway. If there was a child whose parent wasn't listening to them about the threat of global warming I'd say, show them a website which shows CO2 emissions.

Sunneka Deocampo, 8, Brighton

"I like growing seeds. I am growing an avocado to eat"

"I was born in a jungle. I don't remember it, but my mum has told me. I was surrounded by coconuts and flowers. I like growing seeds and I think if we grew more food and ate it that might be good for the earth. I am growing an avocado to eat. It's about the size of a satsuma now, maybe a bit bigger. You put it near the sun. You water it. It takes ages just to grow one, though. I don't know where my school dinner comes from. We need a lot of food in the school and I could never make that much. Mr O'Shea is my teacher and we talk about the environment in class. I turn off taps that are running. I pick up litter. I know cars are not good. I live near the sea and I know if oil gets in it that isn't good for the birds. My sister Taneesha is seven. We made our own recycling box and we put our paper in it. I hope it helps. Mr O'Shea says it helps. My mum says it will help.

少飯

在美X快餐吃午飯。點餐時說明要少飯，單子上亦如此說了（錯別字：“小飯”），可是出來那盤飯跟平常沒大分別。我想我可能說得不清楚。我心目中的少飯跟客人A、 B、 C的可能不同，廚房裏的人很難知道誰要多少。下次我要說明白一點：半碗飯就好。