Heavenly Land of Abundance

With strong evidence revealed by human genomics, it is now believed by many scientists that about 100,000 years back in history some of our distant ancestors began to leave the African continent. They never returned.
They left the cradle of Homo sapiens certainly not because they had in mind a Shangri-La or something like that. It could be a thousand reasons. They might be chased away by enemies, or they might be chasing animals, or just exploring for the sake of exploring.

They went further and further. In time some descendants of these early migrants had come to the Far East to settle. They developed cultures and civilizations. Some ended up in Sichuan. They just didn't know these were unstable lands on top of massive fault lines. Here the tectonic force had created one of the most beautiful mountainous landscapes on earth. In geological terms these lands are young and energetic. Rivers had been running everywhere with sweet water from snow mountains, and the lands were just green and fertile. People could easily grow crops and raise animals, and they flourished. They occupied every single corner of it. Later in history they called it the Heavenly Land of Abundance.

This might be the Land of Promise, yet this was no heavenly land of eternity. Every now and then a rupture of the land would occur somewhere and devastate all lives on top of it. In another time a flood would wash away villages and towns. As disasters didn't happen too frequently all the time, people just rebuilt their homes immediately after a devastation and stayed. Soon they simply forgot it as though it had never happened. They took their chances and prayed to the gods or Buddha for not seeing it happen again. They kept on flourishing. But it certainly would happen again, perhaps at another time and in another place not far away. Only it never told exactly where and when. Those who had survived a devastation might not encounter another one during their lifetime, but their children or grandchildren might do.

China is big, so big that even a magnitude 8.0 earthquake, which sent nearly a hundred thousand people to go perishing, affected only a tiny fraction of its population. And the badly stricken areas make up only a small part of the province of Sichuan, and the whole province's current contribution to the nation's GDP is merely about 4 percent.

China is big, so big that it has been able to develop a strong system of economy, so strong that many economists have optimistically predicted that the rehabilitation of the devastated areas could even boost the national economy, instead of dampening it.

China is big, so big that many backwaters of it proceed so slowly along their unique ways to modernization. The historic Tangshan earthquake that killed more than 240,000 people three decades ago has little inspiration in terms of getting prepared for an anticipated contender, in all parts of China that sit on the most risky zone. As the Yunnan-Sichuan area is situated well in the zone, large populous cities like Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing, etc., without getting well prepared by the nation, are just like sitting ducks taking their chances. Most people living in these lands are not rich enough to deal with the risk on their own. The nation just has to do something about that.

Thoughtfulness

Mother Nature creates all lives on earth, yet She cuts lots of them short from time to time.
Now so many innocent people got punished just for their vulnerability, by being buried alive and left to die the most horrific and agonizing death.

I cannot tell how I envy all those who can courageously rush into the devastated lands and reach out their helping hands, rescuing those still narrowly holding on, and recovering those having gone!
Thanks to the sheer number of good people among the whole population, there is no shortage of volunteers. And there are still many ready to come from outside the country.
Though a pity I cannot be helpful to the unfortunate other than donating a bit of money, I think I still can be a little thoughtful for the sake of my own self.

I cannot tell why I just cannot stop comparing the splendid Bird's Nest for the coming Beijing Olympic Games, with a single school building reduced to debris, burying more than a thousand children alive in a split second.
The imagination of innocent people being buried alive by debris keeps making my generic beating heart sink deep into horror and sadness, followed by meditation and contemplation!
My sluggish heart would at last scream to itself, 'how on earth a nightmare like this can be true!'

A few days ago a TV news clip showed the PLA's first airborne rescue team, bringing with them a reporter, landing on a high ground in Wenchuan where the epicentre was located.
It was narrated that many survivors shouted to themselves, 'the birds of luck have come!'
They rushed to the site and knelt down before the helicopters. What they did first was worship, expressing their gratefulness. These are really simple and traditional people. They might not even take the right of being rescued from such a catastrophe for granted.
These poor people are used to surviving all kinds of hardship, misfortunes and natural disasters mainly on their own. If the PLA did not come, they would not even complain with a single word.

The republic will celebrate its 60th anniversary soon in next year, following the Beijing Olympic Games just round the corner, in which the republic's athletes will surely achieve good results. How good would it be if the ruling elite could have made it fast enough to get ahead of such ever anticipated devastation, to successfully save most of the very vulnerable people from perishing, after having engaged with such a major destructive enemy!
We all know that this cruelest faceless devastator has always been lurking around, waiting to strike all of a sudden. Living on these lands with so much tectonic potential momentum accumulating, one is very likely to encounter a devastating quake at his doorstep during his lifetime. The whole population in the area should thus be well prepared in everyday life in order to survive when a bad quake does happen. The People's Government should have done much more than already done, in order to address the threats of this formless unconquerable enemy. Yet they just have fallen very short of it indeed.
The loss of human life this time is astronomical, far too much for a 21st century China!

The People's Government has no doubt made a number of significant improvements during the past two decades, in terms of running the industrializing country. Now it has even for the very first time not imposed restrictions for the media, including those from Hong Kong, Taiwan and foreign countries, on covering the whole area of devastation.
Yet the improvements are still far from a much higher degree the great republic deserves. It needs to better itself much harder.

Speechlessness

That was a major catastrophe. It killed, even on Buddha's Day. Mother Nature has no mercy! Many were stricken speechless.

Premier Wen Jiabao rushed into the debris to help direct the mass rescue. Wen is a good premier. He is kind and caring, he is hardworking, and he is competent.
Yet he might not have got the hang of it comforting a poor weeping schoolgirl devastated by such ultimate trauma and misfortune of losing her family to something she could not possibly understand. The country needs tens of thousands of well trained professionals to do the broken heart healing jobs for years to come.
Call me heartless if I don't have tears in my eyes seeing that schoolgirl weeping just on TV.
Wen is certainly not of the normal kinds of high rank leaders on our 9.6 million sq.km motherland with a population of 1.3 billion strong. We need at least a hundred million of this kind of good and capable men and women to build and rebuild a healthy, fair, strong and wealthy China.

The Premier says, "we can surely defeat the catastrophe!"
I would boldly assert that we cannot.
That Satanic catastrophe has come and got away with it after having buried alive, slaughtered and injured so many innocent people, devasted so many homes, taking advantage of the poor quality of residencial and school buildings, in just less than one single minute! We haven't even been able to touch the tip of the tail of His Satanic Majesty.
What we must defeat is not any catastrophe we can never engage with, but the elements that breed poverty of our badly off population, and their vulnerability to all kinds of adversities including man-made ones.
Many of our poor fellow countrymen on rural lands are still living in utter poverty, sheltering in adobe huts or brick houses extremely vulnerable when exposed to all kinds of harsh elements and castastrophes that could strike all of a sudden in many parts of the country!

A friend of mine has mentioned the Myanmar typhoon and the New Orleans hurricane to dispute against some who sneered at the People's Liberation Army, accusing them of sluggish action. I found my friend a bit too sentimental doing so, and the argument is simply pointless.
We don't make comparisons with Myanmar or New Orleans. Myanmar is under the complete military rule of a regime quite so imcomprehensible. New Orleans had been a victim of racial discrimination, thus indifference. They are examples of unjustness with no room for doubt.
If we do want to compare, we'd better do with the Osaka-Kobe experience that we actually can hardly do!

According to the news, the People's Liberation Army has been doing a good job. It is just doing its job. This should be every single ordinary people's expectation. They are the army after all. That's what an army is meant to be. The people thank them, and may even praise them a bit. Yet there are some extremely patriotic people who worship them, they would find it offensive hearing someone critizing or sneering at them. Such behavior might have contained unnecessarily too much sentiments.

My friend also mentioned that the PLA Airborne Force had lost 4 of their men with 10 still missing. If this did happen, it only implies that they might not be well prepared for the rescue mission. These well trained and most valuable men are supposed to keep themselves alive till the end in order to rescue as many helpless people as they can, and not to sacrifice so soon. A rescue team must have a collective cool mind. They should never do the job as if they are fighting in a battle as martyrs facing a well equipped enemy!

夢

平生愛做夢。白日總不做，夜裏夢卻多。少年時，常作惡夢。稍長一點，就做起「懂人事」的夢來了。這種夢，一般歸入「不道德」範疇，在報章副刊上引證，得知叫做「綺夢」。我從來沒穿綺羅，也絕對蓋不起綺被，何以能做「綺夢」，不得而知。

納悶多年，如今弄明白了，大抵有兩種解釋：一是動物學的所謂本能行為。二是佛說的所謂前生的「業」。

本能之說不難懂，好比工蜂採花粉、花蜜，那工作程序夠複雜的了。就讓我帶著個特大的靈長動物腦袋，特靈巧的脊椎動物上肢，到那花叢裏去實地上個速成課程，我就是沒把握能學會。

至於佛說的「業」，這就玄乎其玄了。我對前生、來世、輪迴、投胎之說，雖無相信的慧根，亦缺不信的道理，只能存疑。 對不義的事，能不存疑嗎？你看，人家都做狗了，而且還做癩皮狗，你卻在那裏盯著牠想：沒準牠前生造孽，虐待貓狗，今生得此下場。

小時候沒做過身為一條癩皮狗的孬夢，卻曾做奇夢，竟以人形從地面飛到了樹梢上。那會還沒坐過飛機。就坐過，那種裝在別的什麼裏頭，被那東西帶著騰雲駕霧的感覺，可是完全不一樣。當時在夢境裏我固然並非大鵬鳥，乾脆沒長翅膀，卻似有一種特異的「內功」，我只要使勁，就能往上浮升。從地上飛到了樹梢，已然費了很大一把勁，正在興奮莫名，要進一步扶搖直上之際，場景倏忽陡變，眼睛一睜，四周渾然漆黑，原來自身並未漂浮樹梢之間，卻是直挺挺地，如常躺在床上！

近年又作了一個難忘的荒旦夢，一覺醒來，發現香港的郊野無緣無故地擴大了十倍。這可不是鬧著玩的呀！過去許多許多年，我在假日到處紮營野宿，「住」遍了香港荒郊「無匹」的景點，和寧謐的幽境。 要這優美的郊野真能擴大十倍，那麼起碼在二三百年內，我再不必輕嘆香港地小人稠了。

如果讓我重尋舊夢，此夢必當優先。對於一個喜愛負重遠行，翻岡跨壑，到荒郊野地去紮營的野客而言，僅400餘平方公里的郊野，雖說不小，還是不能謂之大。
也許有人會說：無志若此，可笑！

我就會問：請問有志者，您的白日之夢當如何？

有志者於是說：其實不值一提，天天在做呢。聊舉一例：早晨起來，開輛意大意跑車，離開大宅院，到佔地十頃的別墅，帶上寵物，奔赴機場。寵物對「性感」的跑車不感興趣，對主人闖紅燈也不覺得興奮。到了機場，警察追至，從容接過罰單，交給寵物，寵物把罰單在警察面前隨手扔了，並對警察嫣然一笑。隨即登上直升飛機，瞬間飛到海灣。由海灣轉登遊艇，開到荒島去賞浪。遊艇上特備地道西西里美食，和珍藏的法國紅酒。那美食嘛，別的不說，光是所用松露仙菌，倘兌成普通飯菜，夠你吃上幾年！

我問：邀人同遊嗎？

有志者說：今天不了。 啊，你是說你呀？對不起，你還遠遠不夠格！松露且不說，就我這紅酒，你喝了怕白喝。沒有原產地古堡酒窖裏的十載修練，你喝不出它的真諦，品不出它的意味。 至於價值，你就別讓我白說了。

我說：對，我實在不行。我這半瞎的眼，才勉強看出您這新寵和一般寵物的區別。

有志者說：你這格雖不夠，眼光倒不能說太差，遠未至於半瞎！我這新寵不比一般，不但聽話，還會說話，有時又愛唱歌。

蟻域野營

旅次槐陰居盜國，槐陽益獗曷能遷！
唯將剩食懸篷頂，莫使殘羹落帳前。
子正圍營當二萬，寅初入幕可三千。
橫行直蝡凌吾蓆，肆螫狂搔奪我眠。
治野無為蝥作惡，平荒有道賊為天。
甘飴製餌聊施藥，暫靖中坪不欲言。

戲詠蜘蛛

八個明眸八美腿，

餐鮮啜醢非饞嘴。

千年歷煉可成精，

誘得肥僧流口水。

初夏野營遭雨

酷熱難當征逖野，褌衫濕漉汗慵揮。
和衣沐浴清涼澗，赤膊酣眠狹悶幃。
夜盡雷鳴催曉雨，朝來雲布蔽晨暉。
繁花雅樂無心賞，更降滂沱沮我歸。

Something to say to the poet who wrote A Poem to the West

Something to say to the poet, alleged to be Prof. D.L. Lin, who wrote
A Poem to the West

The Poet:
When we were the Sick Man of Asia, We were called The Yellow Peril.

Me tot the Poet:
So we used to call them Western Barbarian in return, and later Alien Devil

The Poet:
When we are billed to be the next Superpower, we are called The Threat

Me to the Poet:
You think they really mean superpower? They could mean silenced super howler
But we are surely smart enough to avoid becoming The Dread

The Poet:
When we closed our doors, you smuggled drugs to open markets.

Me to the Poet:
That's history, now they seem to respect our shores
And they have paid back with that hijacked s.s. Hong Kong, together with a bit of goods and some garnets

The Poet:
When we embrace Free Trade, you blame us for taking away your jobs.

Me to the Poet:
You don't complain about an emotional little girl in her first grade
Who blame us could be their soap opera sister who sobs

The Poet:
When we were falling apart, you marched in your troops and wanted your fair share.

Me to the Poet:
But they couldn't keep on being smart
They returned part of the share to help create one of our earliest universities when our literate fellow countrymen were really, really rare

The Poet:
When we tried to put the broken pieces back together again, Free Tibet you screamed, It Was an Invasion!

Me to the Poet:
Why bother to explain
Even if all of them howl at the same time, they don't come close to shaking a single small mound in our nation

The Poet:
When we tried Communism, you hated us for being Communist.

Me to the Poet:
They had hated the wrong guys, we used to call it Communism
But we have never been truly Communist

The Poet:
When we embrace Capitalism, you hate us for being Capitalist.

Me to the Poet:
Their hatred is pointless, we do not embrace Capitalism
We embrace money, and we don't really mean that Capitalist

The Poet:
When we have a billion people, you said we were destroying the planet.

Me to the Poet:
Don't forget our Chairman Mao had a vision better than an eagle
He knew more people could quarry more granite

The Poet:
When we tried limiting our numbers, you said we abused human rights.

Me to the Poet:
We threw aborted fetuses in the dumpsters
And we rendered the ordinary young couples enjoying no romantic nights

The Poet:
When we were poor, you thought we were dogs.

Me to the Poet:
But we were still lucky for sure
You know, they feed their fellow Americans as if they were hogs

The Poet:
When we loan you cash, you blame us for your national debts.

Me to the Poet:
Some of them are just too rash
No wonder a few bad guys among us made bad food for their pets

The Poet:
When we sell you goods, you blame us for global warming.

Me to the Poet:
In return we gape for their junk foods
And we never blame them for that lethal love handle forming

The Poet:
When we buy oil, you call it exploitation and genocide.

Me to the Poet:
Although complaint is no hard toil
Forget the accusation and see if this works: pay the accusers well buying something, what about buffalo hide

The Poet:
When you go to war for oil, you call it liberation.

Me to the Poet:
They normally pay big for the spoil
What turns out fully liberated, is always a sort of liber-Satan

The Poet:
When we were lost in chaos and rampage, you demanded rules of law.

Me to the Poet:
Perhaps we used to be too keen on self-damage
Yet we might still have got caress as well as scratch from their Anglo-Saxon claw

The Poet:
When we uphold law and order against violence, you call it violating human rights.

Me to the Poet:
Why don't we just ignore such nonsense
And try to act much more humanely and benevolently according to our lights

The Poet:
When we were silent, you said you wanted us to have free speech.

Me to the Poet:
We weren't really silent
We were silenced, but we weren't busy engulfing a succulent peach

The Poet:
When we are silent no more, you say we are brainwashed-xenophobics.

Me to the Poet:
Care about such a stupid cliché no more
They invented Shangri-La and Tibet-topia, some of them are brainless Sino-phobics

The Poet:
Why do you hate us so much, we asked.

Me to the Poet:
Not they, but ourselves should be asked

The Poet:
'No,' you answered, 'we don't hate you.'

Me to the Poet:
Why don't we just accept the answer
And whisper a boo

The Poet:
We don't hate you either,

Me to the Poet:
If we really don't, we could if we like, our mind just needs to be freer

The Poet:
But, do you understand us?

Me to the Poet:
Of course they don't, why make a fuss

The Poet:
'Of course we do,' you said, 'We have AFP, CNN and BBC's...'

Me to the Poet:
Liars' faces sometimes turn red
Not keen on lying, no wonder no longer RED are our CCTV's

The Poet:
What do you really want from us?

Me to the Poet:
Ask no more, it's bound for emptiness. Before we have gone too far, get off the wrong bus

The Poet:
Think hard first, then answer...

Me to the Poet:
How could you treat your teacher as though he's a CNN's anchor

The Poet:
Because you only get so many chances.

Me to the Poet:
Don't envy them for their chances, ask them if they like Tango, or Yangge dances

The Poet:
Enough is Enough, Enough Hypocrisy for This One World.

Me to the Poet:
Hypocrisy or what they won't care. Maybe you should create a more impressive line for the mouth to hurl

The Poet:
We want One World, One Dream, and Peace on Earth.

Me to the Poet:
All in all, peace is already commonplace, despite babies of hatred are still given birth

The Poet:
This Big Blue Earth is Big Enough for all of Us.

Me to the Poet:
Only when this us really can mean them and us