June 29, 2009

Michael Jackson and "2 different moral standards"

It is a coincidence that Michael just passed away at the time I have been thinking about this 2 different moral standards thing.
Yes, by social moral standard, sleeping in the same bed with children is not "morally" right for an adult. But what if really nothing sexual happened? What if Michael really just loved those children as friends, because he was not mentally grown up? And what is so wrong about sleeping with kids in same bed (without any sexual behaviors involve)?
I personally believe nothing is wrong with that. I only have one moral standard myself: do not hurt others for my own good.

June 28, 2009

Michael Jackson, a genius that lives forever! ----“people“ killed him!

May 25, 2009, Michael Jackson passed away suddenly, shocked the world. As one of his fans and unconditional admirers, I am not only shocked, but also sad and angry.
I am in deep grief for his leaving; I am also in tremendous anger for the cruelty that the society had been put on such a genius. It seems that Michael Jackson's life, started right after he was born, was a victim of ignorance and greed. First from his abusive father, later from the society. People, under the banner of morality, had been violently attacked his personal life without mercy.
If we look at the history, there were plenty of extraordinary human beings had been put on trials by “people”. Intelligence and talent have been always judged and condemned by mediocrity and ignorance. I have acknowledged that “people”, in many cases, stands for “ignorance”, because whenever they found something out of their understanding, they tend to accuse them and try to deprive the right of their existence. They believe that “difference” means sin; “abnormal” means harmful. What “People” can never, ever learn is "tolerance".
Greedy, selfish, endless rumors and accusations continuously devastated such a prodigy, a soul that could never grow up due to his miserable childhood. Now he is gone, without saying goodbye, as a lonely soul and a traumatized “child” who never stopped explaining his innocence to “people". But look what he left to the “people”? A huge and the most precious contribution to our human creation! And also, of course, an unexplainable emotional shock and confusion to those “people”, who hurt him consciously or unconsciously. . .
Heal the world, let’s make a better place for Genius!


To Michael Jackson

With a style that destroys mediocrity
You blazed through the mankind –
Talent strikes, normality fades
Flaming dance emblazes the passion,
over a stage that is beyond the touch of human
Michael, may your soul rest in a better place
Your vitality continue to shine on this earth…

June 24, 2009

Incest in Bible

I am always wondering how Bible can self justify about incest. Why we human had to start from one single couple and inevitably produced offspring by family incest? And then later on (thousands years later) God suddenly forbidden any incest relationship without any explanation? If someone say, we started from incest because God want us to be sinful from the begining. Why? Why can God make us in a better way? If he is so powerful and kind?

June 20, 2009

A brief about Buddhism

China is not a very religious country by the strict view of monotheism. Buddhism might be the most "religious" religion in China. And even this religion is not domestic, it was imported from India longtime ago (around the first century). The original Buddhism was very much of "Indian style" which was ascetic and abstinent. Later, especially at Tang dynasty, Buddhism had adapted some Taoist concepts and became more "Chinese style", which was more "down to the earth", much less formidable.
Generally speaking , in China anything can be divided into northern and southern, same as ideologies. Buddhism, just like art or life styles, also divided in to this 2 different styles: Northern sect focused more on stringent practice and southern sect enjoyed more on suddern enlightment. Zen, as an huge influencial Buddhist sect, was famous on its' artistic "practices" --- reach the truth by following natural path of life itself. Zen went to Japan after Tang dynasty and later came to western world in earlier of last century, through the efforts made by artists, philosophers and psychologists.
I dont' think Buddhism to Chinese people has same impact as Christianity to western world. Especially during culture revolution, Buddhism was limited in a very small community. Now, as more Chinese people started to pick up some ancient religions to fit their spiritual needs, Buddhism seems more popular than decades ago, but still within very limited population.

June 16, 2009

Know and needs to know

This passage of GRE reading practice enlightened my day. I have same thought about knowledge of mankind, but never put into such lucid description:

For me (anonymous author), scientific knowledge is divided into mathematical sciences, natural sciences or sciences dealing with the natural world (physical and biological sciences), and sciences dealing with mankind (psychology, sociology, all the sciences of cultureal achievements, every kind of historical knowledge). Apart from these sciences is philosophy, about which we will talk shortly. In the first place, all this is pure or theoretical knowledge, sought only for the purpose of understanding, in order to fulfill the need to understand that is intrinsic and consubstantial to man. What distinguishes man from animal is that he knows and needs to know. If man did not know that the world existed, and that the world was of a certain kind, that he was in the world and that he himself was of a certain kind, he wouldn't be man. The technical aspects of applications of knowledge are equally necessary for man and are of the greatest importance, because they also contribute to defining him as man and permit him to pursue a life increasingly more truly human.
But even while enjoying the results of technical progress, he must defend the primacy and autonomy of pure knowledge. Knowledge sought directly from its practical applications will have immediate and foreseeable success, but not the kind of important result whose revolutionary scope is in large part unforeseen, except by the imagination of the Utopians. Let me recall a well-known example. If the Greek mathematicians had not applied themselves to the investigation of conic sections, zealously and without the least suspicion that it might someday be useful, it would not have been possible centruries later to navigate far from shore. The first men to study the nature of electricity could not imagine that their experiements, carried on because of mere intellectural technology, would eventually lead to modern electrical technology, without which we can scarcely conceive of contemporary life. Pure knowledge is valuable for its own sake, because of the human spirit cannot resign itself to ignorance. But, in addition, it is the foundation for practical results that would not have been reached if this knowledge had not been sought disinterestedly.

June 2, 2009

Religions and tolerance, do they really go together?

People are always talking about religions* and tolerance, as if they always go together. I just don't get it!
Look at any religions' doctrine, which one would tell you that other Gods are also Gods, deserve your repect? Which one would NOT tell you that their Gods are the "only one God"? In other words, other religions are all Lies, other Gods are all forged, or even worse, are Devils. So base on this logic, how could those believers who hold "only one true belief" also respect others' "wrong beliefs"? How could people who follow one certain religion would not feel like they are "superior" than others?
I truly believe, the real tolerance only go with none-religious minds.
Please prove that I am wrong if you can.

June 1, 2009

Ellen Degeneres's Tulane Speech

This is a "must watch" Ellen's speech by my opinion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYbMY13THH0&feature=related
It is one of her best, maybe the best ever! I can watch again and again. She briefly mentioned about her up and down life experience and made wonderful points out of it. And her sense of humor was absolutely at its best!
Not only the role model for lesbians and gays, but for all human beings!
Ellen, you are amazing!