遗失的文化

据说，千年之前的西亚战火，导致无数的犹太人逃离家乡。一部分的犹太人更千里迢迢逃到了中国河南境内的开封地区，就这样安顿下来。刚开始的时候还原始保留着他们传承于祖宗的犹太文化传统与信仰，时日一久，与当地汉人混居几个世代之后，也就分不出彼此了。

上世纪50年代当犹太人建国后，这些所谓的犹太人后裔即使收到邀请归回故土，奈何身上所能找得到的犹太人特征却是少之又少，所以最后大部分都选择不回去了。不能认祖归宗，是非常悲哀的事。

今天世界各地依然上演类似的悲剧，只不过时间或因素有所不同而已。将重点拉回本身居住的土地，这里就有一些原本世世代代居住在这片土地上的善良原住民，因发展洪流的关系，不得不被“逼迁”。原本属于他们活动空间的树林河流，如今全变成了耸立的高楼大厦。

有一些原住民比较“幸运”，有政府为他们在原有的土地上建立了属于新时代的文明住所与设施，接下来又有发展商将他们周遭地区发展成高度都市化的新地标。可是，这些原住民还依然延续着他们之前的生活方式，经济或竞争能力还是远远地落后其他人。最让他们的一些领袖痛心的是，他们的新生代已经开始迷失在都市的洪流中了，原本属于他们的文化传统都慢慢地被遗弃了。

如果一个部落失了根，又没能掌握顺应时代而聚积的竞争力，应该不需要千年之久，他们原有的文化特征就会自然的消失殆尽了。

立春为年

据说，中国政府正考虑将农历新年的庆祝节日与阳历挂钩，也就是制定每年的2月4日这一天为正式农历新年庆祝日。至少这个举措，可以减少因农历与阳历的“不协调”所衍生的困扰，也方便其他国家的人做规划安排。而选在2月4日，则因这一天是立春的开始，更加能体现“春天”真得来了。

中国是农历年的发源地，要是中国改成在立春这一天过农历新年，海外华侨、韩国人、越南人应该都会尾随的。毕竟，很难想象全球各地有不同时段庆祝农历新年。

如果是放在其他国家，这样大的改变至少还得辩论数十年才能真正立法通过。不过，在中国就不用这么久了。很可能过几年，全球华人都庆祝立春这天为新一年了。

逐渐远去的传统

明天就是“冬至”了。

有感现在的人越来越对中华传统节日冷淡了。看到新闻中的记者问参与制作汤圆的参赛者有关冬至的意义，被问者除了支吾以对外，怎么也说不出所以然来。看来，中华节庆更像一种形式，而不是其意义！

有可能假以时日，我们引以为荣的中华文化传统，也像一些土著部落庆祝他们节庆般，让人当作罕见及珍贵的文化遗产。

美国人的价值观

值得一读的文章。

Why Do Americans act Like That?
A guide to understand the U.S. culture and its values.

Dr. L. Robert Kohls, Director of International Programs at San Francisco State University

So you're going to visit the United States? Great! But be prepared: the values Americans live by may seem strange to you. As a result, you might find their actions confusing, even unbelievable. This is the kind of advice Dr. L. Robert Kohls gives first time visitors to the United States. Kohls, Director of International Programs at San Francisco State University, has developed a list of 13 commonly held values which help explain why Americans act as they do. He is careful and cautions visitors also, to avoid labeling these values positive or negative. His aim: "I simply want to help you understand the Americans with whom you will be relating-from their own value system rather than from yours". Whether one agrees with Kohls or not - or is willing to accept as valid any generalizations about Americans - his observations are thought-provoking.


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1. PERSONAL CONTROL OVER THE ENVIRONMENT / RESPONSIBILITY
Americans do not believe in the power of fate, and they look at people who do as being backward, primitive, or naive. In the American context, to be "fatalistic" is to be superstitious, lazy, or unwilling to take initiative. Everyone should have control over whatever in the environment might potentially affect him or her. The problems of one's life are not seen as having resulted from bad luck as much as having come from one's laziness and unwillingness to take responsibility in pursuing a better life.

2. CHANGE SEEN AS NATURAL AND POSITIVE
In the American mind, change is seen as indisputably good, leading to development, improvement, progress. Many older, more traditional cultures consider change disruptive and destructive; they value stability, continuity, tradition, and ancient heritage - none of which are considered very important in the United States.

3. TIME AND ITS CONTROL
Time is of utmost importance to most Americans. It is something to be on, kept, filled, saved, used, spent, wasted, lost, gained, planned, given, even killed. Americans are more concerned with getting things accomplished on time than they are with developing interpersonal relations. Their lives seem controlled by the little machines they wear on their wrists, cutting their discussions off abruptly to make their next appointment on time. This philosophy has enabled Americans to be extremely productive, and productivity Is highly valued In their country.

4. EQUALITY / FAIRNESS
Equality is so cherished in the U.S. that it is seen as having a religious basis. Americans believe that all people are created equal and that all should have an equal opportunity to succeed. This concept of equality is strange to seven-eighths of the world which views status and authority as desirable, even if they happen to be near the bottom of the social order. Since Americans like to treat foreigners "Just like anybody else", newcomers to the U.S. should realize that no insult or personal indignity is intended if they are treated in a less than-deferential manner by waiters in restaurants, clerks in stores and hotels, taxi drivers, and other service personnel.

5. INDIVIDUALISM / INDEPENDENCE
Americans view themselves as highly individualistic in their thoughts and actions. They resist being thought of as representatives of any homogeneous group. When they do join groups, they believe they are special. Just a little different from other members of the same group. In the U.S. you will find people freely expressing a variety of opinions anywhere and anytime. Yet, in spite of this independence, almost all Americans end up voting for one of their two major political parties. Individualism leads to privacy, which Americans see as desirable. The word privacy does not exist in many non-Western languages. If It does, it is likely to have a negative connotation, suggesting loneliness or forced isolation. It is not uncommon for Americans to say, and almost to believe: "If I don't have half an hour a day to myself, I go stark-raving mad!"

6. SELF-HELP INITIATIVE
Americans take credit only for what they accomplish as individuals. They get no credit for having been born into a rich family but pride themselves in having climbed the ladder of success, to whatever level, all by themselves. In an English-language dictionary, there are more than 100 composite words that have the word "self" as a prefix: self-aware. self-confident, self-conscious, self-contented, self-control, self-criticism, self-deception, self-defeating, self-denial. The equivalent of these words cannot be found in most other languages. It is an indicator of how highly Americans regard the self-made man or woman.

7. COMPETITION
Americans believe that competition brings out the best in any individual and in any system. This value is reflected in the American economic system of free enterprise, and it is applied in the U.S. in all areas - medicine, the arts, education, sports.

8. FUTURE ORIENTATION
Americans value the culture and the improvements the future will surely bring. They devalue the past and are, to a large extent, unconscious of the present. Even a happy present goes largely unnoticed because Americans are hopeful that the future will bring even greater happiness. Since Americans believe that humans, not fate, can and should control the environment, they are good at planning short-term projects. This ability has caused Americans to be invited to all corners of the Earth to plan, and often achieve, the miracles which their goalsetting methods can produce.

9. ACTION / WORK ORIENTATION
"Don't just stand there," says a typical bit of American advice "do something!" This expression, though normally used in a crisis situation, in a sense describes most Americans' waking life, where action - any action - is seen as superior to inaction. Americans routinely schedule an extremely active day. Any relaxation must be limited in time and aimed at "recreating" so that they can work harder once their "recreation" is over. Such a "no-nonsense" attitude toward life has created a class of people known as "workaholics" - people addicted to, and often wholly identified with, their job or profession. The first question people often ask when they meet each other in the U.S. is related to work: "What do you do?" "Where do you work?" or "Who (what company) are you with?" The United States may be one of the few countries in the world where people speak about the dignity of human labor - meaning hard physical labor. Even corporation presidents will engage in physical labor from time to time and, in doing so, gain rather than lose respect from others.

10. INFORMALITY
Americans are even more informal and casual than their close relatives - the Western Europeans. For example, American bosses often urge their employees to call them by their first names and feel uncomfortable with the title "Mr." or "Ms.". Dress is another area where American informality is most noticeable, perhaps even shocking. For example, one can go to a symphony performance in any large American city and find people dressed in blue jeans. Informality is also apparent in Americans' greetings. The more formal "How are you?" has largely been replaced with an informal "Hi". This is as likely to be used with one's superior as with one's best friend.

11. DIRECTNESS / OPENNESS / HONESTY
Many other countries have developed subtle, sometimes highly ritualistic, ways of informing others of unpleasant information. Americans prefer the direct approach. They are likely to be completely honest in delivering their negative evaluations, and to consider, anything other than the most direct and open approach to be "dishonest" and "insincere". Anyone in the U.S. who uses an intermediary to deliver the message will also be considered "manipulative" and "untrustworthy". If you come from a country where saving face is important, be assured that Americans are not trying to make you lose face with their directness.

12. PRACTICALITY / EFFICIENCY
Americans have a reputation for being realistic, practical, and efficient. The practical consideration is likely to be given highest priority in making any important decision. Americans pride themselves in not being very philosophically or theoretically oriented. If Americans would even admit to having a philosophy, it would probably be that of pragmatism. Will it make money? What is the bottom line? What can I gain from this activity? These are the kinds of questions Americans are likely to ask, rather than: is it aesthetically pleasing? Will it be enjoyable? Will it advance the cause of knowledge? This pragmatic orientation has caused Americans to contribute more inventions to the world than any other country in human history. The love of "practicality" has also caused Americans to view some professions more favorably than others. Management and economics are much more popular in the United States than philosophy or anthropology, and law and medicine more valued than the arts. Americans belittle "emotional" and "subjective" evaluations in favor of "rational" and "objective" assessments. Americans try to avoid being "too sentimental" in making their decisions. They judge every situation "on its own merits".

13. MATERIALISM / ACQUISITIVENESS
Foreigners generally consider Americans much more materialistic than Americans are likely to consider themselves. Americans would like to think that their material objects are just the "natural benefits" that result from hard work and serious intent - a reward, they think, which all people could enjoy were they as industrious and hard-working as Americans. But by any standard, Americans are materialistic. They give a higher priority to obtaining, maintaining, and protecting material objects than they do in developing and enjoying relationships with people. Since Americans value newness and innovation, they sell or throw away their possessions frequently and replace them with newer ones. A car may be kept for only two or three years, a house for five or six before buying a new one.

Dr. L. Robert Kohls is the Director of International Programs at San Francisco State University

连小朋友也喜欢的“鬼节”--- 万圣节 (Halloween)

在西方国家，每年的10月31日，有个“Halloween”，辞典解释为“The eve of All Saints' Day”，中文译作：“万圣节之夜”。万圣节是西方国家的传统节日。这一夜是一年中最“闹鬼”的一夜，所以也叫“鬼节”。

孩子们喜爱的节日

万圣节是儿童们纵情玩乐的好时候。它在孩子们眼中，是一个充满神秘色彩的节日。夜幕降临，孩子们便迫不及待地穿上五颜六色的化妆服，戴上千奇百怪的面具， 提上一盏“杰克灯”跑出去玩。“杰克灯”的样子十分可爱，做法是将南瓜掏空，外面刻上笑眯眯的眼睛和大嘴巴，然后在瓜中插上一支蜡烛，把它点燃，人们在很远的地方便能看到这张憨态可掬的笑脸。

有时我在想，洋人真创意，就连“鬼怪”都可以美化到连小朋友都喜爱，比起一路以来被鬼怪吓到大的东方人，他们的大胆是有原因的。连鬼都不怕，还有什么好怕的？