Giving

Once, Confucius passed by a young man which is unhappy. Confucius asked the young man what maked him so sad. The young man said he was hungry. So, Confucius gave him some food. The young man was happy and Confucius left.

Years later, Confucius bumped in to that young man again, which was still sad. Confucius asked him why was he still sad? That young man said that he is poor. So, Confucius took out many ounce of gold and handed it to that young man. The young man left happily.

Years later, Confucius saw that young man again, which was still sad. The young man walked up and told Confucius that he had invested the gold Confucius gave him and he is now richer than ever. “But why am I still not happy?” asked the young man. So, again, Confucius asked the young man what he wants. “Happiness.” answered the young man. Confucius laughed and told him that this is the one thing that no body can give, he have to find a way to earn it. Then Confucius left, living the young man frustrated.

One day, Confucius saw a wealthy man giving out money and food to the poor. The wealthy man saw him and walked near, it is the young man that was asking for happiness long ago. The young man told Confucius that he is living as happy as never before.

I guess Bill Gate and Warren Buffet understand this. That is why they are so rich and they give their wealth to other, and it makes them even richer.

Are You Watching Closely?

The title is a line from The Prestige. In fact it is how magicians keep their audience under control. Or should I say it is the audience who likes to stay fooled but try to be smart in their own way?

We have, generally, five senses, some have six or more, they may be born with it or acquire it some way. Have you ever wondered how important these senses are? Imagine you without these senses, not even one. How is it? See what magicians like David Copperfield and David Blaine can do by only exploring one sense, the sense of receiving light, which is done by our eye.

Have you ever wondered why movie industry is so huge that we cannot live without it? If you know theatre, which is an ancestor of cinema, you will know that it is the earliest form of art. Guess why? Simple. It consists three of our senses.

Imagine what you can do with more than three senses, which you already have.

If you see a thing with only your eyes, you will only see two dimensions. If you touch it, you feel the third. What if you use all your senses? Will it be clearer?

Obviously, it is through our senses that we contact with the world. Why don’t use them all? I mean fully use.

Here is a question for deep thinker. Since we contact the world with senses, where will we be without our senses? Or senses that is totally different from those we using now?

为什么我们都不选择天堂？

人们都害怕地狱，但为什么人们一去永不愿归?

人们都向往天堂，但为什么人们一见就回头？

阴与阳

有与无

天堂与地狱

原来地狱里什么都有，难怪人人一去永不愿归。

原来天堂里什么都没有。难怪人人一见就回头。

Wind Valley

Once a friend told me that the poorest of all men is one without a dream. It’s a Saturday morning and I woke up late. I have a dream today.

I dream of a place between mountains which is named by villagers there “Wind Valley”. It is named after the phenomena in the valley which is the wind there never stop blowing, 24/7. It is a zero carbon place where all energies are free, generated by wind, as the wind never stops. Villagers there grow their own food and never need outside help. It’s like a place of its own… If you watch a lot of cartoons, you’ll know that this is not my name but a Studio Ghibli’s production, Wind Valley.

Such wonderful place like Wind Valley is possible with today’s technology; in fact, go read about the construction of Dubai. Of course, Dubai does not have wind blowing for 24/7 like Wind Valley, but they manage to make energy there free. Thanks to the hot sun there and a kind of seaweed that produces hydrogen gas. But above all, thanks to those who found it.

This is where architects today are heading; they use resources around the building, which are free, and eco-friendly. I’m pretty sure every part of the world consists energy which we do not know but can be use for free, without emitting carbon or destroying the nature.

As said by a well known architect, Renzo Piano, “We have been searching for mountains to build houses on it; it is time where we build mountain on our house.” Which means our house should support the nature around it, not destroy.