My schedule for this weekend is packed solid. My flight touched down in Vancouver airport on late Friday evening. After resting a bit overnight, I have to wake up early to attend the full day event of my cousin’s wedding. I have attended many weddings. It is the first time I can just ring the bell and walk straight into the bride’s house in the morning. Since this time I am not the “brothers” of the groom, rather I am the “sisters” of the bride, my cousin. It is interesting to see the “get the bride” game from a different perspective. Usually, I am among the brothers group, who have to go through all the hoops to make the sisters open the door for the groom. Although I belongs to the “sisters” group, I didn’t give the “brothers” of the groom a hard time. I just watch quietly at the back all the time. I believes in the the teaching of the Golden rule, “do not unto others what you don’t want others unto you.” Actually, the “sisters” is way to easy going this time, no harsh games except the “brothers” has to wear Chinese style ladies’ underwear. Probably because the maid of honor, my other little cousin, is too gentle. The “sisters” didn’t even bargain enough for the open door red pocket. The “brothers” offered them a chance to bargain harder. Seeing things from the other sides give me insights for my own wedding. I have to screen the “sisters” of Pat and make sure all of them are gentle.
Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell被時代雜誌選為全球最有影響力的一百個人。他不是總統國王或什麼組織的領袖﹐ 他只是一介書生﹐嚴格來說其實是一個記者。他只出過兩本薄薄的書﹐在紐約客雜誌上寫個專欄﹐可是他的想法卻對社會影響深遠﹐改變很多人對世事的一般看法﹐他可以說是典範轉移(paradigm shift)的推動者。我是一個比較後知後覺的人﹐他這本The Tipping Point出版很多年﹐CD書下載了很久也只是放著封塵﹐要獨自開長途車才播來解悶。聽畢全書驚覺此君的智慧﹐上他的網站像海綿吸水般讀他為紐約客寫的文章﹐更坐言起行立即翻開放在我桌上超過三個月他的另一本著作Blink。
The Tipping Point的中文可以譯作轉捩點﹐是社會學上的一個現象﹐原本只是慢慢改變的一些事情﹐在沒有外在因素沒有重大改變的情況下﹐忽然間像山洪暴發般﹐事情完全逆轉過來。就好像斜推一杯水一樣﹐杯子慢慢地傾斜﹐但過了某一點後﹐整本水一下子就瀉了。書中運用大量現實生活的例子﹐例如某老牌子波鞋在短短幾個間席捲時裝界﹐成為人腳一雙的流行標誌。又或者紐約的罪案率﹐在幾年間治安大幅改善。本書分析這些看似是驚人奇蹟背後的重要原素﹐好讓我們明白轉捩點是如何形成﹐我們怎樣才可以利用轉捩點去改變現狀。
轉捩點的形成有三大關鍵﹐核心人物﹐持久的內容﹐以及適當的環境。所有轉捩點也是由小數核心人物發動﹐在極短時間內影響到很多群眾。這些核心人物有三類人﹐第一類是網絡者(connector)﹐他們認識很多人﹐任何訊息經由他們廣為傳播。第二類人是先行者(maven)﹐他們發掘出重要事情﹐是所有轉變的起始點。第三類人是推銷員(salesman)﹐這個不用多解說了。訊息本身也是十分重要﹐訊息可以傳得有多遠﹐就是在於有多乎人記得它。人與環境是互動的﹐人可以改變環境﹐環境也可以改變人﹐有適合的土壤去讓轉變發芽也是很重要。可以說是要天時﹐地利﹐人和﹐要達到這三項要求也不是只能望天打卦﹐在微細關鍵之處輕輕的推一把﹐就足以引發驚天覆地的轉變。這本書就是告訴我們﹐如何去找那個要用力的地方。
Galdwell的書很容易讀﹐在理論中加插很多現實中的事例﹐讓讀者聽生動有趣的故事。他亦有引用很多科學研究﹐去逐點分析他每一層的推論。其實這本書中的很多說法也不是作者原創﹐分別來自不同領出版的學術論文。可是那些艱深的研究大部份人看不明白﹐每項研究獨立起來也沒有什麼特別。作者的本領在於把那些研究綜合組織起來﹐用深入淺出寫成一般讀者也明白的文字﹐讓我們接觸創新的思維。他的文章很有說服力﹐是推動社會改變過時錯誤的觀念的動力火車頭。他不單是當世百大具影響力的人物﹐也是一個塑造社會思想的賢者。
Dining with colleages
The good thing about business meal is that the meal is free. It is paid by the company. The bad thing about business meal is you eat with colleagues, and some of them are really picky on food. I was sent down to Santa Clara with an older guy from Mainland China. So when my local friends are busy, I am stucked with him. He taste is strictly Chinese, which I don’t really mind. However because he has diabetes, he cannot eat any sweet. He is so careful about his diet to the extend that he ensure the chef does not put sugar into the dishes. I guess with my allergy on shell fishes and egg, I shouldn’t blame him for his troublesome diet, since I am equally troublesome. Anyways, the food we can order is very limited. Despite the lack of choice, we came up with a very good menu tonight. We ordered steam rock cod, snow pea for main dishes and abalone for appetizer. I havn’t had such a satisfying meal for a long time. If I have to pay for the meal, I would order cheaper dishes.
I can understand picky on food out of health reason. It is a life and death matter, gota be serious. In the Santa Clara office, I am working with three Indians and they are all vegetarian. It is not fun eating with those guys. Selective diet base on religious reason is plain stupid. Why can’t religions update their out of date diet laws to be more civilized? Those diet laws are unscientific and unrational, left over from the dark ages. Yet, this is not the worst reason for selective diet, at least there is hope to enligthen them. I know some vegetarian stop eating meal because of humantarian reasons. They think eating animal are cruel. They are just a bunch of nuts! It is HUMANtarian, only applicable to human, not to animal. Animals are food for human, their have no right except being eat by us.
As long as we don’t eat the animals to extinct, so that the food chain won’t collapse, what is the problem of producing meat as cheaply as possible provided that it won’t affect our health? People in ancient time cannot afford eating meat all the time. Transforming from mostly vegatarian to a balanced meat and vegatable diet is a hugh progress for mankind. Turning back on meat and eating only vegatable is a step back in our civilization. Man can only be prosperous if we keep the progressive spirit. Say NO to vegatarian if you don’t want humankind lost its edge in natural selection, dethrone from the ruling seat of all living beings and an eventual extinction.
Lasalle reunion
I love travelling to the Bay Area. I have a number of best friends from LSC living here. When I come down here, I usual travel in a very short notice. They break their daily routine and drive all the way to have dinner with me. I feel reliefed and can talk without holding back with this group of friends. We talk about all sorts of thing, any topic that we can think of. That makes sitting through all those boring meeting for the whole week worthwhile.
After dinner, I have a long chat with my best friend. He knows me really well, he senses my problems and try to give me some good advice. Just like most people working in my company, my career is merely gliding. Actually, the company itself is gliding. I can’t find my direction in life. He is quite a different person than me. His career goal is to become a VP or even a CEO and I think he will achive his goal, provided where he is right now. To a certain extend, he don’t have to worry the same kind of mundane stuff in my consideration, so his choice is easier. I want to blame my problem on the matter of luck, but I know I share part of the blame. My friend gave me encouragement and motiviate me to take actions. I feel more energetic and hopeful talking to him everytime. Now, I just have to answer the question, what do I really want and start running. Put it in another word, what is my meaning of life?
六月四日﹐吃小籠包﹐聽舊事
一九八九年﹐我讀中二﹐介乎懂事與還未懂事之間。當年六月四日的記憶﹐很大部份是長大以後﹐從每年六四的新聞片段中重組出來。我只是依稀記得﹐那個非常惡的鐵娘子班主任當眾落淚﹐向我們說些當年我們聽不明白的道理。父母好像也曾向我講解發生什麼事﹐不過正如其他的教訓一樣﹐全部左耳入右耳出﹐一句也沒有記住。家人也算是支持民運﹐買了個塑膠民主女神回來﹐也買那些不知那個報社出的六四特刊。結果民主女神變了我的玩具﹐民主女神大戰高達。至於那些六四書刊﹐大慨在移民時全部掉了。六四對於我﹐正如納萃集中營﹐南京大屠殺﹐盧旺達種族清洗﹐理性上清楚知道這些暴行應受遣責﹐全世界也要努力阻止再發生的人道災難。但感情上卻很抽離﹐這些事件只不過是歷史常識﹐讓我們以史為鑑的素材。幾個星期前﹐馬力埋沒良心否認六四﹐我也沒有什麼特別感覺﹐反正世界上白痴何其多﹐有人會否認猶太人集中營﹐也有人認為地球只有六千年歷史﹐有人否認六四﹐有什麼奇怪﹖大家起哄奚落嘲笑完這個傻仔﹐世界還是照樣運轉﹐我們的歷史不會有任何改變。
過去十八年的六四這天﹐我也是與其他平凡日子般度過﹐除了電視多了每年給我溫故知新的新聞外。今年的六四有點不平凡﹐我沒有參加任何晚會﹐只是在一間上海店中﹐邊吃水煮牛肉﹐邊聽著我同事細說當年。這兩個星期我給公司派了去開會﹐同行的還有一位同事﹐是九一年北大畢業的博士生。八九那年﹐他就在北京見證了歷史。本來同事間很少會說這些政治話題﹐兩個男人有朝到晚對足幾日﹐可以說的話題也說過了﹐我心血來潮央他說故事給我聽﹐其實那也不是什麼驚險的故事﹐不過與看新聞片段不同﹐聽著同事淡淡然說住事﹐別有一番感受。
我那位同事在民運期間﹐人家在天安門絕食抗議﹐他就趁不用上課﹐整正躲在宿舍打麻雀。六月三日他原本也打算去天安門趁熱鬧﹐不過朋友回來說天安門有人扔石﹐場面混亂於是就打消念頭。要不然﹐他今天也不可能和我吃鱔餬說故事。於對北京的人來說﹐六三才是屠城的日子﹐六四已經是事件結束。他如其他好奇的民眾一樣﹐六月四日往天安門看看﹐離遠只見兩排坦克﹐除了解放軍外什麼也看不到。
他自己沒有到天安門﹐他的朋友倒吃了軍隊的子彈﹐一槍兩洞前面入後面出。他說他的朋友很好彩﹐不是因為吃了子彈死不掉﹐而是混亂中沒然遺失北大的學生證。那晚很多人受傷﹐醫院沒有足夠資源救治所有傷者。醫生必須要作出取捨﹐救了一個人就有另一個會失救。他的朋友有機會及時得到治療﹐多得他是北大博士生的身份﹐性命比甚他閒人矜貴。我問同事﹐那天到底死了多少人。他說沒人知道﹐但他可以確定北大死了兩個同學﹐大慨校園內的消息比較靈通。我再問他後來怎樣﹐他說北京很快就回覆正常﹐人民照常上班上學﹐政府也扮作沒有事發生不再追究。只要沒有吃子彈沒有受傷﹐又不是上電視出風頭的學生﹐大部份學生都回校上課。吃了彈但沒死的學生﹐就畢業找工作出國扮簽證就麻煩些﹐要交代那個槍傷從何而來﹐當日身在何處。不過要過關也不太難﹐撒個小謊﹐找些有頭有面的人作擔保﹐總不會被當成民運份子關入監牢。他說現在沒有人會說六四﹐但北京每個人也記得當年發生的事情。他說著說著有點感嘆﹐說現在中國的貪污比八九那年更嚴重。他認識些有背景的舊同學﹐憑著政治關係營商已是億萬富翁。
六四這個很遙遠的名詞﹐今夜在小籠包與菜飯之間﹐與我的距離拉近了。
P.S. 貼了篇講六四的文章﹐希望我的網址不會給The Great Firewall of China過濾掉吧。