愛、生活、人生系列

奇幻與現實 Fantasy and Reality  學生寫小說，請我拜讀，我十分樂意，只見主角、配角、英雄、軍團、人魚、反派人物、魔鬼、命運使者、怪物等···，充斥劇情，引發我無限地好奇與深思！小說中有1、英雄：他們承載著拯救世界的使命，具有強烈的道德感、勇氣和領導能力，經歷成長與挑戰，最終克服困難，實現自我救贖。2、反英雄：反英雄是追求金錢和復仇的角色。3、命運使者：這一角色往往肩負著某種預言或重大使命，注定要對抗黑暗勢力，充滿挑戰和自我發現。4、邪惡的統治者：他們是統治者或魔法師，追求權力與控制，利用其影響力，進行操控和陰謀，造成大量的衝突和混亂。5、墮落的英雄：此為反派角色，原本可能是英雄，但因悲慘的經歷或選擇，而走上邪路。他們的轉變，因被外部環境所迫，常引發同情和理解。6、無情的怪物：怪物或惡魔，代表人類內心的黑暗，其異形生物或超自然虛體，使英雄的旅程，更具挑戰性。奇幻小說很有趣，但是，奇幻不是為了逃避現實，因為，奇幻本身就是現實。說穿了，奇幻是透過不同的視角，看待現實。人們常會因煩惱，而尋求慰藉，奇幻正是我們現實的產物。在托爾金的《魔戒》中，種族的歧視，反映了殘酷的現實；精靈騎著高頭的大馬，是帶有優越感的；妖怪容不下仙女，便摧毀仙女的棲息地···等等。魔法、巨龍、寶藏、戰爭，小說的情節與故事，正是反映出我們所面臨的嚴峻現實。奇幻的魔法，讓我們看到神奇的世界，其實是與我們的世界，有多麼地相似啊。      我們的思想與價值觀，是出自人類的視野、認知與思維運作的，我們對虛構的想像，也是基於現實之所見。因此，虛構創作所呈現出的觀點、生活風格、生命概念與樣貌，及抽象的意識形態，基本上，注定逃離不了人類的心靈。平淡的生活，是不可能存在奇幻性的。奇幻、科幻小說，是因應現實而誕生的。奇幻故事，就是緬懷過往的美好年代；其想像的社會或夢境，則是寄情於古老的美好舊時光。想像離不開現實，甚至奠基於現實，所以，所有的奇幻小說，都是由真實的地面長出來的。奇幻小說是以虛構世界為背景，融合魔法、神話、超自然力量的文學體裁。故事常發生在一個虛擬的宇宙，超越現實的物理法則，充滿魔法、異種生物及英雄冒險等，這些元素不受現實世界的科學法則約束，擁有複雜的歷史、文化、地理及獨特的生物，通常以善惡之爭為核心。小說中的英雄，也肩負著拯救世界的使命或責任，透過冒險，獲得成長，最終戰勝邪惡的勢力。英雄借助超自然的力量和規則，創造出獨特的體驗，包括，逃離現實，體驗未知的世界，魔法、咒語、神器、及各種超自然現象，如巨龍、精靈、吸血鬼等，並經歷複雜的社會問題和哲學思考。其中，善惡的對立，是故事的主軸，善良的主角，與邪惡的反派之間的對抗，是推動故事情節的重要因素。此外，奇幻世界是廣闊無垠、充滿可能性的虛擬構想，我們藉由對虛構的無限，更能探索現實世界的深層底線。      直至今日，人類科學家仍在試圖探索大自然的奧妙、海洋的真實，以及宇宙的神秘。即便是在當前高度發展的世界，人類的科技，仍無法觸及並掌握造物的完全風貌。對於世界，我們仍抱持著懷疑、好奇，與想像，這就是奇幻。 奇幻，不單單只是有猛龍與魔法，有偉大的英雄，和傳奇的寶劍而已。在奇幻的背後，其實是我們對於真實世界的好奇與疑問。我們靠著想像力的發揮，一面根據現實去定義，一面根據虛構去塑造，然後，兩者結合、交融，形成似真非真、似假非假的奇幻世界。奇幻具有不受現實框架的約束，具有高度延展的空間，可以任意發揮，超級可塑。也就是說，奇幻小說的世界觀，魔法系統，人物構想，奇幻生物，乃至於神祇、古代神獸等，都超越人類現實的範疇，是可以有更多演化或延伸的，甚至還可以有多種變體，無盡的可能性。想像是人類所擁有的能力，當人類有未解的難題、無法實現的慾望時，人類就會藉由想像來尋找答案，或寄託於虛構的幻想。想像力，是可以有很瘋狂的想法的，例如，看到鳥飛，人們就會想，如果人也能飛，那該多好！如果人能在時間軸上旅行，回到過去、拜訪未來，那又會是怎麼樣？在人類的文化歷史中，想像力豐富的藝術家、文學家，都能創造出許多美好的作品，留傳千古。我們透過不斷地思考，提出新點子和解決問題，不但可以開拓思維，發揮想像力，還可以培養無中生有的創造力。想像力和創造力，讓我們充分享受在超現實的奇幻世界裡，確實豐富了我們生活的內涵，開啟了我們無限可能的思維，更增加了生命的創新與挑戰。  Powered by Firstory Hosting

儀式感與存在感 有儀式感的人生，我們才能切實地有存在感，真正地感知生命，熱情地享受生活。那麼，儀式感是什麼呢？儀式感是人們表達內心情感，最直接的方式。其實，儀式感的目的，是透過一些耗時耗力、可有可無的動作，來表達我們認為重要的意義。我們的生活，多半平淡無奇，今天和昨天，似乎沒有什麼不同，但因為有某個儀式的存在，我們就會覺得，彷彿一切都不一樣了，這就是儀式感。儀式感可以將生活中平淡的瑣事，轉化成有特殊意義的事件，進而觸動我們的心靈。    《小王子》裡有一個片段：小王子第一次遇到狐狸時，狐狸告訴他，相識是需要一定的儀式的，這很重要，因為伴隨著這個儀式，原本很多無關緊要的東西，就會被賦予意義。好比狐狸看到小麥，就會想起小王子的髮色。有了儀式，生活就會有期待，小王子每天下午四點會出現，那麼，到了三點鐘的時候，狐狸就會滿心期待。儀式感就是使某一天與其他日子不同，或是，某一時刻與其他時刻相異。在這個世界上，大多數人，都是庸庸碌碌的，時光總是很容易被虛度。儀式感的作用，就是要讓我們在日常的煩瑣中，體驗到真正的愉悅。儀式感，說穿了，不過就是做一些小事，例如，買幾朵花，增加愉悅感；和朋友聚餐，帶著鮮花，氣氛會變得更溫馨、浪漫。又如，出門吃飯，精心化個淡妝，再根據餐廳的風格，搭配相應的服飾，那麼，我們就會感到特別新鮮、開心了。儀式感的目的，是要讓人感覺我們在認真的生活，而不是蒼白度日。生活的意義，是需要主觀地賦予的，那是一種生活美學。沒有儀式感的生活，一年365天，除了吃喝拉撒睡，和日復一日重複的工作外，毫無期待，就算我們做了一輩子的好事，也沒人知道。我們尋求儀式感，只是在這個無情且殘酷的世界裡，讓某段時光或某個場景，能夠真實地受控於我們，並且賦予我們自己，有個人的色彩罷了。想像一下，在某個普通的午後，當我們端起一杯咖啡，四處看看時，是不是這一刻，突然變得特別不一樣了呢？一個小小地、簡單的動作，我們就能感受到片刻的寧靜和滿足，那就是儀式感啊！     接著，何謂存在感呢？人生在世，就像在一條漫長且黑暗的河流裡，不斷地漂泊、流浪，我們到底在哪裡呢？誰能切實地、清楚明白地知道呢？可是，我們是不是依然不斷地前行？所謂存在感，就是讓我們有意識的活著，像小燈塔一樣，我們靠著燈塔微弱、閃爍的亮光，別人就能看到我們，而我們也確定自己的存在。也許燈塔的小光會吹滅，但是，我們依舊努力地在讓燈塔發光，為每一個平凡的日子，普通的行為，照出屬於我們自己的特性。     存在型生活模式（Existential Mode of Living）是心理學家佛洛姆(Erich Fromm)，在20世紀中期，提出的一個重要概念。在他的著作《逃避自由》(Escape from Freedom)和《愛的藝術》(The Art of Loving)中，他認為，隨著工業化和資本主義的發展，現代社會中的人們，越來越感到孤立和無意義，這是一種「異化」現象。異化讓人失去自我、他人及世界的真實聯繫。佛洛姆強調，透過追求內在的自我，和建立有意義的人際關係，人可以克服異化，實現真正的存在。儀式感就是賦予人在日常行為的意義和連結，也就是說，儀式感讓我們在繁忙和碎片的生活中，找到意義，表現存在。人類學家湯瑪斯·摩爾(Thomas Moore)說：「儀式感賦予我們生活中的小事以靈魂，使我們的行動，充滿神聖。」所以，舉凡家庭聚餐、公司團康、節日慶典、宗教儀式、傳統婚禮等，這些儀式感的活動，不僅促進大家的互動和交流，還強化群體的認同和歸屬。當今社會中，越來越多人重視存在型生活模式，因為，透過儀式感，我們可以大大地提升生活的幸福和滿足。義大利有句流行的口頭禪：「Piano, Piano」，不是指鋼琴，而是指「慢慢來，慢慢來」。對當地的居民來說，這不只是一句口號，而是內化的生活態度。義大利人生活，動作很慢，他們放慢速度，並非放空、毫無安排，而是一種生活的平衡，沒有一定的公式，也不用特別到深山隱居。他們的慢活、慢養，是為了更自在、更長遠的社會秩序。換句話說，即便我們藏身在都市叢林，我們的精神，也能放個假，慢慢地幸福過活。儀式感就是在平日愈繁忙中，愈要好好經營時間，為疲累的身心加滿油，於是，隔天又是元氣滿滿！過幸福的小日子不難，就是要自己提案、自己實踐，讓生活真正活起來，不流於形式，只是熱情地認真生活，人生就很美好。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

回不去了 我們常會在繁華的深處，喧譁的街角，人際的紛雜中，感嘆回不去了。然而，是美好的，卻永遠存在。縱然，我們有很多事情，都回不去了，但是，我們若記得愛與被愛，那便是美好的回憶了。 回不去了。小時候，看到爸媽的眼神 回不去了。以前的日夜嘆息，原來可以開花結果 回不去了。想念爸媽的日子 回不去了。那時爸媽有多健康 回不去了。那些擦肩走過的人 回不去了。已經漲價了 回不去了。口罩也拿不下來 回不去了。開會都是線上，吃飯要外送、宅配 回不去了。日常且細瑣的食衣住行 回不去了。看著背影，心底總有好多話      是的，許多曾經，其實都過去了，時間每十年、十年地飛逝，就這樣，好多的人事物，都是回不去的。生命何其弔詭，在「回不去了」的同時，我們隨著時間的步調，又有新的地圖、新的計劃。生活一天天地過，看似單調，卻彷彿一直在重複。逝者如斯，不捨晝夜，我們好像只能活在當下，因為，所有的人事物，都有它回不去的理由，食衣住行育樂，無處不漲，世界變化萬端，朝令夕改，我們好像只有美好的曾經Good old days，卻不知未來的展望。      難道，沒有什麼我們能回得去的嗎？物質條件，恐怕沒有；但是，精神方面，也許我們可以自己訂製。人生只有一次，反正也回不去了，就該享受當下，用心過好自己的生活。我們如果能找到自己的生活節奏，讓自己的成長，穩步推進，為每天達成的小目標，感到充實和幸福，那就太棒了。因此，為了不讓自己有「回不去」的遺憾，我們每天都要自我反省與改造，不論大事或小事，都要自律，養成良好的習慣，我們若能看到自己的進步，就是開心。在生活中，遇到不知道的事物，我們就是要去理解，不讓自己的心思定型，要時常思考新的可能，發現新的自己。       是的，我們可以隨時設計巧思，讓生活過得不一樣，例如，處處製造儀式感，吃浪漫的餐飲，去公園散步、遛狗等。試著在生活中，注入新元素，摘一、兩朵花，寫三兩行字，即使是小小的設計，都能讓我們每天的生活，過得不一樣的。此外，我們要常常珍惜物品、珍惜自己。每天，我們都可觸摸身邊的物品，加入我們的氣息，讓物品顯得神采奕奕。同樣地，我們自己身體的各個部位，每天也要好好照顧，確認自己健康無恙。蔡康永說：「活著應該要體會成就感，而不只是去追求成功。關鍵是，我們要過自己的生活。」人生的每個階段，都值得做「生涯規劃」，自己的選擇與決定，非常重要。生涯規劃，是要找到我們自己理想的生活樣貌。理想的生活，不一定是買車、買房，也許要好好陪伴家人，或者，在工作之餘，發展自己的興趣，做對別人有幫助的事。自我覺察，也很重要，每一個覺察，都在幫助我們檢視自己，看看自己是否有自我肯定、自信和自我價值；是否有找到自己最舒適、自在的生活狀態。我們要隨時告訴自己：「今天的我，比昨天更進步，明天的我，比今天懂得更多。」人生的馬拉松，有無限的方向和可能。我們要調整步伐，定調屬於自己的成就感，活出自己想要的理想生活。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

宇宙的護持與庇佑 Support and Protection of the Universe 我們經常談論恆星、行星、動物、天空、地球、水與雪，卻忘了我們是大自然的一份子。所有的古代文明，都透過宗教、形上學和哲學來問，宇宙將走向何方？我們替恆星命名，測量出地球到月球的距離，在礦物學中，我們學到岩石的不同特質，還有地表變化的地殼運動等。當我們拿一個東西，並讓它從手中落下時，我們看到它向下墜落，是地心引力。地球上的小物質，與我們身處的大物質之間，有一種自然的吸引力，而且，我們知道此吸引力是永恆的、不變的。一般來說，當我們遇到困難時，我們會試著努力一段時間，但如果很困難，沒有解決，我們就會退讓。在大自然的事物中，它們擁有超越時間的韌性，並永遠都在達到目的，永不休止。一顆小小的種子，埋在冬天佈滿雪的土地下，會耐心地等待春天到來，當春天來臨時，那顆小小的種子，便破土抽芽，向上尋找空氣與陽光，長大成樹，開花結果，植物具備了「懂得等待與成長」的能力，那是「堅韌」。再拿「水」為例，無論我們把水倒在哪裡，水都會朝向大海而去，蒸發成氣體，上升到大氣，凝結成雲，再化作水落下，成為大自然循環的一部分。宇宙萬物，皆其來有自。葉子的呼吸孔，是在下方，而不是在上方，因為如果在上方的話，葉子會被灰塵覆蓋，無法呼吸，所以，葉子的呼吸孔，生在下方，這是巧合嗎？蝴蝶的翅膀顏色，剛好跟花朵、樹葉一樣，好讓牠不會被鳥捕食，這是巧合嗎？貓頭鷹的翅膀尖端，是平滑的，所以，牠們就能在夜間飛行時，不發出任何聲響，獵捕到兔子，這可能是巧合嗎？囓ㄋㄧㄝˋ齒類動物的耳朵，是向後的，這樣，牠們就可以聽到掠食者所發出的細微動靜，這可能是巧合嗎？我們可以透過光譜，將白色的光，拆分成七彩顏色，為何是七種色彩呢？雖然宇宙萬物是如此多重多樣，但它們卻不約而同的尋著軌跡活著，這冥冥之中，是否有一個大智慧，支配著這一切呢？我們不能說，大自然所有的一切，都是巧合。相反地，我們必須去意識到，是有一個最深遠的大智慧，安排了這一切的。     據了解，宇宙的自然運行，可分成七個原則： (1) 第一個原則是「合一」。整個宇宙是協調合一的，換句話說，所有的世間萬物，都遵循著「合一」的原則，相互協調成一個宇宙。當生命活著的時候，它們不會毀滅其它生命，而是使所有的生命，成為可能。例如，狼在草原上追趕鹿時，牠不會抓最年輕的，而是抓最老的，這意味著，即使在我們看來，是毀滅的行為，很殘酷，但卻是一種能讓物種得以永存的方式。自然中不存在任何問題、質疑或反抗的聲音，因為，所有事物都會完美的協調與平衡。 (2) 第二個原則是「光」。自然中的萬物，皆擁有光，無論是形體上的，還是精神上的。光在宇宙是永遠存在的，我們需要知識，去理解宇宙的光，來幫助我們去生活，提升生命。 (3) 第三個原則是「差異」。自然中的所有事物，都是不同的。沒有兩個東西，是絕對一樣，或完全相同的。所有的事物，都是不同的，就算是沙灘上的沙粒，看起來似乎一樣，但仍不盡相同。我們可以是相等的，但不是平等；我們可以是相似的，但不是相同。就好比不同顏色的馬賽克，具有相似的色調，但永遠不會完全相同。 (4) 第四個原則是「組織」。宇宙萬物都是有組織、有條理順序的。我們看到一顆樹，聳立於大地上，擁有結實的樹幹，茂密的樹梢，支持著鳥兒，讓鳥兒們得以築巢棲息，這是大自然的安排。換句話說，宇宙的一切，都組織得井然有序，都精心設計過，萬物才得以相互共存共榮。組織意味著支持，就好比我們的雙手是相反的，它們才能夠組織自己，把東西撿起來，如果我們的雙手，是面向同一邊，我們應該很難撿東西吧！「組織」這個原則，使我們在生活與工作的同時，讓我們與別人，都發揮所長，成為最好的個體。 (5) 第五個原則是「因果」。每件事物，都是之前有因，之後有果的。在任何時候，每件事物，都同時是某個事物的結果，也是其他事物的起因，它們是彼此相連的。也就是說，我們不能置身度外，漠不關心。當然，也不能好管閒事，惹事生非。 (6) 第六個原則是「活力」。所有萬物，都是活著的。當我們說一個東西是否活著時，我們常以它是否會動、會飛或會成長來做判斷。但是，打從宇宙出現的那一刻起，並不是只有會動的生物，才算活著，會回饋、反抗的無生命體，也是活著的。宇宙中所有的一切，都不停的在動，萬物皆被「活力」所滲透，生生不息。因此，當我們說一個生命死亡時，其實生命並沒有死亡，它們只不過是改變了活著的條件、形態或方式而已。我們說，人死後，會去另一個看不見的世界，但是，其實人一直都看不見自己。真正的人，是在他所做的事情背後、在他的身體背後、在他的言語背後、及在他的行為背後，一直都活著的，永不消滅。 (7) 第七個原則是「週期」。自有人類以來，我們就注意到自然中有白天和黑夜、夏天和冬天。是的，週期包含所有的東西，一切都是循環不止的。行星在天空中，週期循環，微小的粒子，也在原子內循環移動。「週期」原則，可使生命不斷地延續與活躍。我們要有洞察力，需要新科學，需要新藝術，與新政治，讓我們能夠和睦相處，彼此精進。宇宙本身，就是周而復始的大自然，春夏秋冬，潮起潮落，無一例外。我們唯一能做的事，就是護持大自然，強烈地活在生命提供給我們的每時每刻，相信大自然的庇佑，永遠都在，且於無時無刻，心中都要有愛、信心及感恩，我們才能活的更新、更好。     總之，和樂、和諧與合羣，是大自然的法則。從大自然中，我們看到很多真理，山河大地與日月星辰之間的平衡，恰到好處，身體的五臟六腑、四肢五官也相互協調。在宇宙裡，我們用理性與智慧，去看待一切。我們生命的本質，本自具足，不假外求。大自然的一切，也都互相利他，充滿大愛。我們只要在日常的生活、工作，為人、處事當中，各盡其職，恪守本分，心存善念，充滿信心，我們必會得到宇宙的護持與庇佑。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

信心、善良與自在 Confidence, Kindness and Feeling at Ease Confidence, kindness, and feeling at ease are all inborn and interconnected virtues that we possess to live in the world. Confidence allows us to navigate challenges with self-assurance, while kindness fosters positive relationships and a sense of connection. When we own the above-mentioned qualities, we experience a sense of ease and inner peace. Feeling at ease implies a sense of comfort, relaxation, and inner peace. In other words, when we are confident and kind, we are more likely to feel at ease in our minds and in social situations. By actively cultivating confidence, kindness, and a sense of ease, we, definitely, can create more positive and fulfilling lives for ourselves and others. First of all, confidence is a feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of our own abilities or qualities. It’s about believing in ourselves and our capacities to handle situations and achieve goals. It’s also a positive expectation for us to succeed and to deal with challenges. Confidence isn’t just a feeling, but involves the willingness to take action and pursue aims. It’s the belief that we can do something, for sure. Therefore, confidence is the most important resource in human well-being and performance. Further, what we think has a significant impact on changes in our attitudes. Thus, the best way for us to build self-confidence is to act as if we already possess it. This is where visualization can be beneficial. We were all born with confidence, and we can all get it back if we learn harder. By continually practicing and training our brains to be more confident, we would generate a more consistent outlook that results in a more positive attitude. Moreover, confidence doesn’t come from knowing everything, but from knowing that we can handle what comes up. No one in the world knows everything. Everyone is good at some things, but is not good at other things. If someone criticizes us, we take it as an opportunity to improve. If someone does better than us, we should see it as an chance to learn from them. Even confident people lose jobs, relationships, and sometimes, their health. Hence, when we realize that the twists and turns have nothing to do with what we did or should have done, it’s easier for us to feel confident in the world. Secondly, kindness involves a spirit of helpfulness, being generous and considerate, without expecting anything in return. Rather than viewing kindness exclusively as an action, giving kindness often is simple, free and healthy. Actually, kindness can increase our sense of connection with others, decrease loneliness, combat low mood and improve relationships. When we share kindness, it’s not just about how we treat other people, but also about how we extend those same behaviors and intentions to ourselves. Dalai Lama said, “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible for us.” The more we do for others, the more they are likely to do for us. Even if things are hard for us right now, we still can try and find some small things to celebrate each day. Humans are usually hardwired to be kind. Nevertheless, if we want to show kindness to others, why not we start by being kind to ourselves first. Anyway, practicing kindness is free and is readily available to everyone.       At last, just as one single act of kindness can create a domino effect (ripple effect) that benefits dozens of people, everyone has the way to influence more than he/she thinks that he/she has. That is, anything that we feel comfortable with and get better at, takes practice. Whether it’s playing a sport, cooking, gardening and drawing, nothing gets better without practice. Every time we practice, we strengthen the neural pathways in our brains associated with doing that action. Eventually, something that we once felt difficult and insurmountable becomes easy in our everyday life. Practice makes perfect. In fact, perfection isn’t required. We just need practice, and we can make progress! In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to overlook these small, genuine acts of harmony in our daily lives. So, we must be able to let go of the old beliefs, and find a profound sense of fulfillment and contentment within ourselves. We have to take easy to comprehend that it is the present moment in the simple choices we make, the intentions we set, and the ways we treat ourselves and others. Haven’t we, recently, had the time to cook healthy and balanced meals for ourselves and our loved ones, or to reconnect with an old friend or our family members? When we live at ease, we are, then, enjoying the sun shining on us, the buds starting to open, and the birds singing. Our hearts and minds are strong and complex, and we need to feed them with love and respect always. To be at ease is to be relaxed, centered and calm even in the midst of difficult situations. Life is not easy. But if we bring an energy of ease to each moment, we can find a lightness that offers support. To be at ease does not mean that everything is going our ways and falling into places just as expected. To be at ease means that even when things are not going as planned, there is an effortlessness to our steps, and it will be okay no matter what. The universe works with a balance of constriction and expansion. Thus, it’s much easier to be at ease when we feel expanded, and all is going well. There are two stated definitions of ease: 1) to make something unpleasant, painful, serious or severe; and 2) to move carefully, gradually, or gently. Being at ease actually requires both definitions in order to work. We must move with gentle intentions and mindful awareness while remembering to drop resistance that arises in certain situations. Ease is not something that comes automatically. It is something we must practice in a world full of unease. We have a choice in every moment to bring the energy of ease into our existence. The more feeling at ease we have, the easier lives we experience. To sum up, in order to be healthy and happy people, we ought to have full confidence in ourselves, and practice kindness to others. We, then, feel at ease in our whole lives in return. Powered by Firstory Hosting

Grit恆毅力 Grit為恆毅力，特別是指對長期目標的熱情和毅力，以不屈不撓的精神，去追求目標，即使遇到挫折，也要堅持下去的特質。簡單來說，恆毅力就是要有決心和毅力，去努力達成目標，不輕易放棄的力量。恆毅力(grit)，是需要有追求長期目標的熱情(passion)與毅力(perseverance)的，它不僅只是努力1週或1個月而已，而是持續長達數年的努力，直到目標實現為止。心理學家Angela Duckworth指出，恆毅力(grit)是比智商、天賦更重要的成功特質，即使在遭受困境失敗後，有恆毅力支撐的長期目標，依然會堅固地毫不動搖 (steadfast)。Duckworth的研究顯示，恆毅力較高的人，有較好的表現。在全美兒童拼字比賽中，恆毅力強的孩子，學得很多，也更容易在競賽中勝出。在比賽中，天分高的孩子，不見得會花很多時間練習，還不如恆毅力高的孩子。天賦和恆毅力，是毫無關連的。我們的潛力是一回事，但是，我們做什麼，又是另外一回事。結論是，相信恆毅力，我們就是相信個人的成功，是完全掌握在自己的手上的。 我們可以藉由成長型思維模式 (growth mindset)，來鍛鍊恆毅力，例如，我們可以尋求協助、嘗試新方法、或從挫敗中學習等，靠後天的訓練，來讓自己變得更強壯，跳脫天生的限制，往前邁進。Duckworth提出，要獲得成功與成就，外在的機會，很重要。例如，跟著好的指導教練或老師，長時間的學習，一樣是可以成功的。同時，內在的心理，深信努力的成效，也至關重要。「成長型思維模式」認為，大腦的學習能力是可以改變的，就如同身體的肌肉一樣，它會因為我們的努力與自我訓練，而有所進步與成長。因此，在生活中，我們可以重新詮釋成功與失敗的經驗。成功並不代表我們很聰明，或許是我們非常努力的成果；相反地，失敗亦不代表我們愚笨，那可能是我們努力不夠，或是沒有恆毅力。我們可以有成長型的思維，隨時檢視與調整自己的學習方式，重新型塑自己大腦功能的成長，這樣，絕對會讓我們一次次更接近成功。       Duckworth建議：「如果你是家長，想要培養孩子的恆毅力，又不想抹煞孩子自己選擇的能力，我建議你試試困難任務規定(Hard Thing Rule)。」簡言之，當我們的孩子年紀夠大時，我們可以幫他們找出可能感興趣的課外活動，然後，讓小孩每週花點時間，投入他們感興趣的困難事物，如此，真的可以幫助他們成長。「困難任務規定」(Hard Thing Rule)，分成三部分。第一部分是全家每個人，包括爸爸、媽媽，都必須做一件困難的任務。所謂「困難任務規定」，是指需要每天刻意練習的事情，例如跑步，練瑜伽，學鋼琴，學芭蕾舞，練習數學，或英文會話等。「困難任務規定」的第二部分是，我們可以放棄任務，但是，至少我們要等到一季結束、學期結束，或是達到某個截止點，完成某個段落後，才能停止，不可以因為被老師罵，比賽輸了，或是隔天早上要表演，不能去朋友家過夜等理由而放棄。最後，「困難任務規定」的第三部分是，我們有權利自己挑選那件困難的事。沒有人可以強迫我們做困難的任務，那絕對是我們自己的選擇。既然是自己的選擇，我們就應該努力好好完成任務才行。我們絕對是可以隨著年齡的增長，變得更有恆毅力的，因為，恆毅力就像學習任何技能一樣，需要練習，假以時日，我們一定可以練出屬於自己的恆毅力的。      在安琪拉 達克沃斯 (Angela Duckworth)的書中，書名是《恆毅力：人生成功的究極能力》(Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance)，她強調，天分或努力，都不是成就的唯一條件，持久熱情，再加上堅持毅力，才是最重要的致勝關鍵。我們的恆毅力，並非運氣。能成功，是因為我們灌注熱情；可卓越，是因為我們堅持不懈。「堅持到底，勿忘初心」是我們這個世代最需要的特質，而書中告訴我們，專注一個方向，竭盡所能，充滿熱情地去實踐，並在所有的事物中，洞察各種模式和動機，不斷整合可行的方法，這樣，才能清楚地描繪出「成功」的輪廓。我們生命中的每一段挑戰、挫折、改變與調適，都是需要我們關關難過，關關過的，最終，陪伴我們一生成就的，就只有恆毅力了。恆毅力是我們跨越每一個階段最大的動力。恆毅力也是我們教導孩子，能否度過難關，有能力為自己做選擇的關鍵。我們要用更多充足的愛與陪伴，鍛鍊孩子的恆毅力，讓他們去創造屬於他們自己的成功。也許，社會的價值觀，都是想要追求快、想要速成的，不過，一但我們了解到，唯有日積月累的努力，才能完成時，我們就不會太執著於成效，而忘了失敗才是奠定成功的基石。當我們擁有恆毅力時，我們將會更堅定地朝著自己的目標前進，更不畏任何困難的挑戰與挫折。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

Childhood Memories回憶小時候 Childhood memories often involve simple, joyful experiences like playing with friends, spending time with family, learning new things, such as riding a bike or making a kite, or the simple pleasure of eating snacks after school. The memories we formed in childhood are the enduring touchstones to who we are now, and the people we have become. How do we come to terms with our memories of childhood, and find ways to live more creatively now? Maybe, memories of childhood come back to us incompletely. A sense of nostalgia for who we were is still an ongoing work in progress. Perhaps, we only remember fragments of experiences, feelings and places in our childhood, but they remain vital to us. The past, indeed, has affected us. They can shape our self-identities, influence the choices we make, and decide the ways how we interact with others. When we want to strengthen relationships with others or form new ones, we might tap into (挖掘) our childhood memories more than we realize. Memories matter. The more time we take to reminisce, recollect, and share our memories, the more likely those memories are to stay with us and help us grow. Childhood memories have a powerful hold on us, They do have a deep impact on our physical and mental health, and have the power to provide comfort and resilience for us. Memories are an essential part of the human life. Especially, positive childhood memories, such as happy family moments, supportive relationships and joyful experiences, can foster happiness, confidence and security. Childhood memories can be remarkably strong and influential. These memories, particularly those tied to significant emotional events, can be vivid and deeply ingrained. Obviously, our family and cultural environment significantly influence what memories we form and how we remember them. Family traditions, cultural narratives, and even the ways our families talk about past events can become our childhood memories. They can influence our preferences, our fears, and even our relationship patterns. Growing up, we create countless memories that stay with us for a lifetime, and further, these memories play a significant role in constructing our future selves. I remember my childhood as a series of vivid and joyful memories that I hold dear to my heart. From playing with my siblings to spending time with my grandparents, each moment was filled with love and laughter. Some of my fondest memories are of summer vacations, where my family and I would travel to different parts of the country and explore new places. I would spend hours collecting seashells on the beach, playing with sand, and building sandcastles. These memories bring a smile to my face even now, and remind me of the carefree spirit I had as a child. I also have fond memories of my grandmother, who taught me to bake my first cake, and instilled in me a love for cooking. I still use her recipes to this day, and often think of her when I’m in the kitchen. These are all my happy and positive childhood experiences. Positive childhood memories really contribute to the development of a healthy, confident personality like me. Moreover, one of the reasons why childhood memories are so important is that they provide a sense of continuity and stability in our lives. They remind us of the people, places, and things that were important to us, and they serve as a bridge between our past and present. When we revisit our childhood memories, we can see how far we have come, and appreciate the journey we have been on. This sense of continuity and stability helps us feel grounded, and provides a sense of comfort, especially during times of change or uncertainty. As we age, we gradually comprehend that positive childhood memories reduce our stress and anxiety, and improve our self-esteem. They are also the source of inspiration and motivation, reminding us of the things we are capable of and the dreams we once had. Whether it is through photographs, videos, or simply by revisiting these memories in our minds, we need to make an effort to preserve and cherish our childhood memories. In sum, recognizing the importance of our childhood memories enables us to foster a deeper connection with ourselves and others, contributing to a richer, more fulfilling life.  Powered by Firstory Hosting

有給才會得 試想看看，在日常生活中，我們是不是無時無刻都在接受別人的給予呢？是的！就連我們現在有手機可以滑、有車子可以開、有電可以用……等等，這一切都是因為曾經有人為此付出努力，我們才能得到。所以，其實我們每個人，無時無刻都在接受別人的付出。然而，這所有的一切，都是理所當然的嗎?當然不是。我們每個人都有給予的能力，我們會幫助過馬路的老人，幫他提東西。我們會捐善款，幫助弱勢，有錢出錢，有力出力。所有我們願意付出的人，都不是為了求得回報，才做這些事的，而我們也明白，給予的同時，獲得的更多。人體就像是一個容器，整個宇宙，是取之不盡、用之不竭的寶庫，任由我們使用。生命的本質是流動，我們通過給予而流動，給予的越多，流入的也就越多。我們願意·創造自己的價值，將自己的能量給出去，在這個世界上，我們做最想做、最有興趣的事情，然後，讓一切的能量流通，我們的能量，就會不斷地傳遞出去，最後，再回到我們自己的身上。      儘管給予者並非為了回報才付出，但是，他們的貢獻，卻可以觸及最多數人，因此，他們潛在的回報，也最多。真心給予者的出發點，一直都是想要貢獻社會的。事實上，給予者能關懷他人，更能強化自我和社會形象。他們懂得將立足點拓寬，呵護自己的精力和時間，然後，貢獻自己的善意和專長，造福自己，同時更造福身邊的所有人。愛因斯坦說：「一個人的價值，應該看他貢獻什麼，而不是看他取得什麼。」未來的世界，肯定是屬於給予者的，因為，給予就像迴力鏢一樣，我們所給予的一切，最後都會反饋到我們自己身上，甚至加倍奉還。其實，在日常生活中，我們常不自覺地，從「給予」中獲得滿足，有些付出，是微小到我們並不意識自己在給予的，然而，如此給予的力量與影響，卻無遠弗屆，不可勝數。譬如，我們給早晨第一班公車司機，一個大大的微笑與早安，我們順手把統一發票，丟進超商的愛心盒裡···等等，我們先拋給世界一顆好球，然後，世界回饋給我們的，卻是一支滿壘的全壘打。給予真的很簡單，只要心念一轉，不僅我們自己快樂，更多的是，別人也可以很快樂。又如，我們給異鄉的母親打通電話，對朋友真誠的感謝，給情人深深的擁抱，給同事肯定的眼神，這些都是給予。身體的擁抱，讓我們感受彼此的溫度，透過肢體的交流，我們感受到暖意與正能量。而精神的擁抱，更讓我們在思想上，可包容他人，願意用同理心，去理解與我們不同的人。我們以為「付出就是給予他人」，最後會發現，付出就是回饋自己。讚美別人，自己也會得到別人的美言。我們給別人一個笑容，自己也會收到回眸的一笑。      給予是迴力鏢效應。我們的正向能量，如付出、給予、誠實、善意、幫助、同理、尊重、影響、圓滿、意義、關注、快樂、認同、感恩等等，就像迴力鏢一樣，是會彈回來的。如果我們對人惡，它也會惡向我們的，實在得不償失。所以，我們要傳遞正向、善意、溫暖與祝福，因為，那最終，就是會回饋到我們自己身上。 當我們給予別人知識，其實，我們將擁有更多的智慧；當我們給予別人勇氣，我們定能擁有更大的力量；當我們給予別人肯定，我們也有更誠摯的尊敬；當我們給予別人關懷，我們會有更深刻的溫暖；當我們給予別人舞台，我們更有寬廣的世界；當我們給予別人機會，我們有更美好的無限可能。我們所擁有的價值，端看我們能給予別人多少價值、及能提升別人多少價值，這才是真正的成功。當我們改變了自己的觀念、態度，在內心真正改變了，於是，我們慢慢會發現，好事會愈來愈多，今天好運、昨天也好運、前天也好運，似乎天天都有好事發生。     給予，不但能讓好事不只成雙，還會時時讓我們保持正向的念頭，並能傳遞出去，這樣，日日都是好日，天天都能添喜。給予永遠可以讓我們去創造自己的未來，讓世界變得更好。地球是圓的，整個世界都在繞著圈子，無論我們有沒有覺知，它一定會繞回來的。「凡你對別人所做的，就是對自己所做的。」這是歷來最偉大的教誨。不管我們對別人做了什麼，那個真正接收的人，並不是別人，而是我們自己。也就是說，當我們給予他人，為別人付出時，那個真正獲利的，也不是別人，而是我們自己。所以，凡事我們希望自己得到的，就必須先讓別人得到。同理，我們若想被愛，就要先去愛人。我們期望被人關心，就要先去關心別人。如果我們希望交到真心的朋友，我們就必須先對朋友真心。如果我們希望快樂，那就去帶給別人快樂，因為，不久之後，我們就會發現自己愈來愈快樂了。我們所能為自己做的最好的事情，就是去為他人多做點好事。己所欲，施於人。凡我們想給予自己的經驗，就給予別人；想別人怎麼對我們，我們就怎麼對待別人。如果我們給予金錢、名聲、任何的事物，我們真的將經歷金錢、名聲、任何事物的倍增。給予就是獲得，凡所有給去的東西，都會回到我們自己的身上的。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

吃虧是福氣 吃虧這件事，大多數的人都不會想去經歷，因為吃虧就是被人占便宜、被人欺負，然而，反過來想，吃虧卻是一種磨鍊，甚至是一種福氣。就好比出門旅遊時，其他人搭乘交通工具，而自己卻徒步行走。乍看之下，好像自己吃虧了，但其實沒有。如果用走的方式，既能停下來欣賞沿途的風景，順便拍幾張照片，還能鍛鍊身體及意志，這樣的吃虧，不就是一種福氣嗎？人生有滿有損，有盈有虧，滿足時，其實暗藏了受損之災；對自己有損，就是對他人有益，這樣，在外既能得到人情的平順，在內可使自己心情安穩，既平且安，就是有福了。俗云：「聰明難，糊塗難，由聰明轉入糊塗更難，放一步，退一步，當下安心，非圖後來福報也。」在社會上，人人都想貪小便宜，沒有人要吃虧，但「吃虧是福，難得糊塗」，不是要占便宜，也不是為了福報，而是為了心安，為了人際的平順。雖說吃虧是福，但不是什麼虧都吃，也不能處處都忍讓別人，讓別人占便宜。有時，一味的委屈自己，只會讓別人變本加厲，被當成欺凌的對象。所以，吃虧還是要有底線的，如果會危害自身，就要學會說不。     吃虧是一種智慧。吃虧是福，這是一句真話；吃虧不光是一種境界，更是一種睿智。能吃虧的人，通常一生平安，幸福自在；不能吃虧的人，往往在是非紛爭時，斤斤計較，在狹隘的自我思維中，蒙蔽了自己的雙眼。吃虧是能觀全局的眼光，是精明睿智的妥協，是淡定從容的灑脫，而不是去爭強鬥狠。學會吃虧的藝術，練就包容的心胸，才能在人際交往中，贏得廣泛的人脈資源。吃虧的人，一般來說，都會得到旁觀者的同情，不但贏得好人緣，還會在道義上，得到更多人的支持，為自己構築堅實的人脈。所以，吃虧表面是禍，其實是福；佔便宜，表面是福，其實是禍。奇怪的是，吃虧的人，常常老闆都願意與他合作，而且還會介紹朋友，再擴大到朋友的朋友。「一個人心胸有多大，他做成的事業，就有多大。」那些大成就者，幾乎都是肯吃虧的人。相反地，那些一事無成、庸庸碌碌的人，多半心胸狹窄、斤斤計較、不肯吃虧。      有趣的是，其實，人類是處在一個平衡的系統。當我們的物質付出，超過我們的回報時，我們一定取得某種心理優勢；反之，當我們的物質獲得，超過付出的勞動，甚至不勞而獲時，我們反而會陷入某種心理劣勢。很多人拾金不昧，決不是因為跟錢有仇，而是因為不願意被一時的貪慾，搞壞了長久的心情。換句話說，人沒有無緣無故的得到，也沒有無緣無故的失去的。有時，你是用物質上的不合算，換取精神上的超額快樂。也有時，看似佔了金錢便宜，卻在不知不覺中，透支了精神的快樂。吃虧就是，在物質利益上，不是锱铢必較，而是寬宏大量。在名譽地位面前，不是先聲奪人，而是先人後己。在人際交往中，不是惟我獨尊，而是尊重他人，賞識他人。如此這般以吃虧為榮為樂，勢必也會贏得人們的尊重和賞識。      在12星座中，其中有3星座，特別不怕吃虧，傻人有傻福。雙魚座的日期是2月19日至3月20日。 牡羊座的日期是 3月21日至4月19日。天秤座的日期是 9月23日至10月23日。屬於此3星座的人，處事大方，不愛計較，懂得包容別人，總是先為別人付出。所以，遇到困難時，他們就能得到別人的回報，無形中成為有福氣的人。牡羊座的人，開朗樂觀，對人一向講義氣，當朋友有難，必定伸出援手，而且說到做到，但是，他們傻裡傻氣，不斷付出，也常常把自己累個半死，牡羊可說是典型的傻人有傻福，不是真傻，而是大智若愚，大方不愛計較的個性，讓他們廣交朋友，深得朋友的信賴，有付出就有回報，因此別人有好事，第一個就會想到他們，在他們有困難的時候，四面八方的朋友們，也都會施以援手，先吃虧後享福，無意間就成了有福之人。天秤追求世界和平，做事儘可能把傷害降低，對於越是在乎的人，天秤越是心軟，他們骨子裡有一種柔軟，寧願別人辜負自己，也不要辜負別人，所以，他們最容易受傷吃虧。不過，天秤自帶福氣，從小到大集寵愛於一身，家裡長輩、身邊朋友都能包容他們。他們心裡純淨無比，不知世間險惡，對世界充滿美好的幻想，楚楚可愛的表情，讓人不捨得破壞天秤這麼美好的憧憬。雙魚的內心，就像是個孩子，因為太容易相信別人，而經常吃虧，無論是在感情或事業方面，都會付出沉重代價。雙魚感情非常細膩，懂得包容他人，對人溫和有禮，人際關係很好，異性緣也很不錯，生活裡常受許多異性照顧，對他們噓寒問暖，關懷備至，這樣的雙魚，也算是一個有福氣之人。     人虧天補，是宇宙自然的法則。我們眼前的一切，就是一個補償系統。每一種缺陷，都會由另一種方式，來彌補其不足。每一種痛苦，都會得到回報。每一種犧牲，都會得到報酬。每一筆債，都得償還。吃虧了，宇宙會補給我們。宇宙的補償法則，告訴我們，當我們伸手去幫助那些不幸的人時，我們的努力，沒有白費，宇宙會用某種形式，在適當的時機，回饋給我們。宇宙法則說，我們給予，祂就給予，因為這全都是我們應得的。宇宙的規律就是等價、等值的交換，人只要懂得奉獻，願意吃虧，內心就可以生出一種強大的力量。當你的內心足夠強大時，就有大愛，人際關係自然好，人人都願意跟我們相處、打交道，廣結善緣，廣種善果，自然修得福報。能吃虧是做人的一種境界，會吃虧是處事的一種睿智。吃虧是福，我們生生平安，都能幸福坦然。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

自發性的感恩與慈悲 Spontaneous Gratitude and Compassion 自發性的感恩與慈悲，是由我們自己的身體，包括全身的細胞及組織與器官，和我們的內心，涵蓋情緒、感受等，自動發出的感謝與包容，那是人類生存最高的境界。Spontaneous gratitude and compassion are the thanks and tolerance that are automatically expressed by our own bodies, including the cells, tissues and organs throughout the body, and our hearts, covering emotions and feelings. It is the highest state of human existence.       首先，讓我們來談一談，什麼是自發性。在賽斯資料中，賽斯的「自發性」，指的是一種「源於內在真實本我」的自然流露，「不受外在制約或恐懼」影響的狀態。它不是混亂或無序，而是「與宇宙和諧一致」，並能自然地「展現出創造力」的本質。自發性來自於我們最真實的自我，而不是我們所受到的社會規範、恐懼或外在期待。這種自發性，不受外在的控制或壓力所影響，它是一種自由的流動，順應內在的指引。自發性是與宇宙的秩序相協調的，它能讓我們與周圍的環境和諧共處，並自然地展現出創造力。當我們處於自發性的狀態時，我們更容易產生新的想法，並將這些想法付諸實踐。再者，自發性並非混亂或無序，而是一種「有秩序的流動」。它是一種內在的秩序，與外在的大自然相協調，並能自發地展現出創造力。總之，賽斯的自發性是一種「內在的力量」，它能幫助我們活出更真實、更有創造力的生活。 First of all, let’s talk about what spontaneity is. In Seth’s materials, Seth’s “spontaneity” refers to a state of natural expression “derived from the inner true self,” and it is “not affected by external constraints or fear.” It is not chaos or disorder, but it is “harmonious with the universe,” and it can naturally “show creativity.” 賽斯提到，魯柏有非常嚴重的關節炎，賽斯說，如果魯柏願意開始信任他自己，在內心對自己說，告訴自己，我願意信任自己，他就會找到生命的出口。我們需要的是信心。第一，我們要有想找到生命出口的渴望。第二，我們要有自己可以找到生命出口的信心，因為信心是所有一切中最重要的。當一個人開始信任自己時，他身體的盔甲就鬆了，而創造的能力就會變得更容易了。所謂的創造力，就是我們可以以一種過去沒有學過，或不知道的方式，來找到問題的解答。因為信任自己，我們才能信任自己的自發性。所謂的自發性，是所有追求心靈最重要的一個特質。當我們每個人都活在頭腦的框架裡，我們就會有越來越多的擔心、恐懼、和顧慮，而我們的生活，也會變成一座牢籠，我們會困在自己的執著裡。賽斯對魯柏說，他對自己的創造性不信任，所以他才會產生精神性及肉體性的屏障，來對抗他的自發性。也就是說，有時候，我們明明很累了，可是我們的頭腦，卻一直告訴我們要繼續堅持，不肯休息。如果我們能順著自己的內心，不要強迫自己，那麼我們的自發性，會自動療癒身心。但是，如果我們永遠不容許自己軟弱、求助，那麼，我們最後就會面臨最大的軟弱。自發性告訴我們，千萬不要太在意別人的看法，社會的價值，甚至父母的眼光。我們的自發性，會有創造力，這些創造力必須被信任。賽斯希望我們去發掘自己內在的、自發性的自我，及創造性的自我。當我們在人生中，越信任自己時，我們就會越勇於改變，而宇宙也會給我們最豐富的回饋。 Seth mentioned that Robert had the very serious arthritis. Seth said that if Robert was willing to start trusting himself and make a voice in his heart, “I am willing to trust myself,” he would find out his way. What we need is confidence. In the very first place, we must have the desire to find out the way of our lives. Then, we should have the confidence that we can find out the way of our lives because confidence is the most important of all. When a person begins to trust himself, his body loosens, and his creativity becomes easier. Creativity means that we can find solutions to problems that we might not have learned or known in the past. Because we trust ourselves, we can trust our spontaneity. Spontaneity has always been the most important quality of all people in the world. When we live in society, we might have worries, fears, and concerns, and our lives would become a cage, trapped in our own obsessions. Seth told Robert that he did not trust his creative nature, so he himself built spiritual and physical barriers to fight against his spontaneity. That is to say, sometimes, we are obviously very tired, but our minds still keep telling us that we need to insist doing things without rest. However, if we can follow our hearts and don’t force ourselves, our spontaneity would automatically heal our bodies and minds. If we never allow ourselves to be weak and ask for help, and then, in the end, we will face the greatest weaknesses in our lives. The so-called spontaneity tells us that we don’t have to care too much about others’ opinions, outside social values, or even the thoughts of our parents. The spontaneity itself creates its life-giving qualities, which have been trusted by us. Seth hopes that we could explore our inner, spontaneous and creative selves. When we trust ourselves more in life, we will be more courageous to change, and, eventually, the universe will give us more abundant feedback. 其次，感恩的背後意涵是：當我們關注自己所擁有的，而不是所缺乏的，我們就擁有滿足感。這種積極的心態，可以帶給我們更大的幸福感，改善人際關係，和增加面對挑戰時的彈性。感恩可以帶來許多好處，包括改善身體的健康，減輕壓力和焦慮，增加積極情緒，和提高睡眠品質等。透過有意識地關注我們所感恩的人事物，我們將從匱乏轉換成擁抱豐盛的人生。實踐感恩的方法有很多，除了寫下所感恩的人事物、冥想或祈禱、主動表達感謝、尋找機會助人等以外，每天早上起床後，我們都要感謝自己的身體；吃飯的時候，我們要感謝食物的美味，和供應者的辛勞；在工作中，我們要感謝同事的合作與支持。每分每秒，都是我們感恩的大好機會。當我們把握每個時刻，活在當下時，我們就會覺得滿足。但是，當事情並非我們所期待的那樣進展時，我們也要心懷感激，時刻感恩，這樣，即使在困難的處境中，我們也能保持平靜。感恩不僅是一種情感，也是我們用時間，所累積培養出來的能力。每天，我們花一點時間，欣賞生命中，大小的祝福。透過感謝，培養感恩，我們就得到快樂。當我們的心靈充滿希望和感動時，我們才有能力，輕鬆地面對生活中的挑戰，實踐感謝、感激和感恩。 Next, the meaning behind gratitude is: when we focus on what we have, rather than what we lack, we feel satisfied. This positive attitude can bring us greater happiness, improve interpersonal relationships, and increase resilience in the face of challenges. Gratitude can bring many benefits, including physical health, reduced stress and anxiety, positive emotions, and good sleep quality. By very consciously paying attention to the people and things we are grateful for, we will transform from thinking we are lacking to embracing a rich life. There are many ways to practice gratitude, such as writing grateful journals, meditating or praying, actively expressing gratitude, and looking for opportunities to help others. In addition, we should thank our health every morning after getting up; when we eat, we thank the delicious food and the hard work of the suppliers; at work, we thank our colleagues for their cooperation and support. In every minute, it is really a great opportunity for us to be grateful. When we seize the moments and live in the present, we grasp the sense of contentment. However, when things do not go as we expect, we even need to be grateful because by doing so, we can remain calm in difficult situations. Gratitude is not only an emotion, but also an ability for us. Every day, we take a moment to appreciate the blessings in our lives. By giving thanks and cultivating gratitude, we gain happiness. When our hearts are filled with hope and love, we are able to face the challenges of life with ease. We, then, express gratitude, appreciation and thankfulness at all times. 最後，人類最基本的願望，就是能夠過幸福的生活。可是，人類的社會，卻處處充斥著與此願望相抗衡，例如暴力、恣意破壞，及剝削人權等。佛法指出，潛藏於人類生命中最邪惡的欲望之一，就是去控制他人。當這種欲望出現時，人類會變得自以為是，且行剝削、獨裁的手段。而能夠抗拒這種人性中迫害他人的力量的，就是慈悲。慈悲以和所有生命和諧共處為目的，祈願大家都能創造共同的幸福和成長。簡而言之，佛法的慈悲，就是為他人解決煩惱，並賦予喜悅的願望（離苦與樂）。慈悲是發自內心，尊重生命平等，達成同甘共苦的大願。慈悲需要智慧。真正的慈悲，是要讓自己安好，也使他人自強的。而要讓自己與他人都能自立自強，我們最需要的，就是智慧，慈悲與智慧是密不可分的。社會的變革，只能始於人心的轉變。我們如能持續相信，和努力發揮自身與他人與生俱來的慈悲，那麼，我們就能使世界，變得更美好。 Finally, the most basic human desire is to live a happy life. However, human society is full of phenomena that conflict with this desire, such as violence, destruction, and exploitation. Buddhism points out that one of the evilest desires hidden in human life is to control others. When this desire arises, humans will become exploitative and dictatorial. The exact power that would really resist this force of persecutions is compassion. Compassion aims to create common happiness and growth as well as live in harmony with everyone in the world. In short, compassion in Buddhism is the desire to solve the troubles of others and give them joy (relieve suffering and bring happiness). Compassion comes from our inner hearts, respecting others and sharing sufferings with one another. Compassion requires wisdom. True compassion can make ourselves safe and others strong. In fact, compassion and wisdom are inseparable. By way of compassion and wisdom, we could achieve the best social changes. We have to believe in and develop the innate compassion in our lives and others in order to make the world a better place. Powered by Firstory Hosting

自我價值Self-worth 自我價值是我們對自身的感受，和對自己的價值感。人類是群居的動物，我們的生活，是由社會所建構的，而我們在與他人的互動中，逐漸形成了「自我」，創造出屬於自己的獨特性。不過，社會對我們的期待與評價，也大大影響了我們的人生。有些人會覺得好像一生都為別人而活，難以自我肯定，超越他人，達到社會的標準。因此，我們如何看待自己，自我覺察，是探索自我價值的源頭。價值的定義，隨人而定，那是一種主觀的選擇。例如，有兩個杯子，一個裝鑽石，一個裝水，哪一個比較有價值？一般來說，我們會覺得，當然是裝鑽石比較有價值。但是，假如我們身處在撒哈拉沙漠，水的價值，就比鑽石高太多了。水和鑽石不是沒有價值，而是與價值無關，它們只是純粹的事實而已，任何價值，都需要由我們來選擇，才能呈現出來。在社會上，如果我們努力地向外尋求價值，隨著環境而一直變遷，一旦大環境不利於我們，是否我們就沒有價值了呢？我們應該要從了解自己，傾聽自己，發現自己內在的自我，看見自身的優勢與資源，才能肯定我們自己的價值。而且，如果我們有了自我肯定的價值後，我們就會開心，做什麼事，都會順利，我們的身體和心理也會很好，身心都健康。自我價值，就是開心，開心可以治百病，開心無煩惱，既能愛己又愛人。      心臟是在我們人體中，一個非常重要的器官，它就像幫浦一樣，不斷地收縮和舒張，將血液輸送到身體各部位，確保各個器官和組織，獲得充足的氧氣和營養。心臟是血液循環系統的核心，透過收縮和舒張，它將血液注入血管，然後再輸送到全身。血液中含有氧氣和營養，於是身體各器官和組織，便都有能量，維持正常運作。心臟還有內分泌的功能，可分泌激素，調節血壓和水分的平衡。總之，心臟對我們人體生命的活動至關重要，我們一定要保持心臟健康。我們要攝取健康的飲食，做規律的運動，控制體重，充足睡眠，管理壓力，並定期健康檢查等。另外，我們還要隨時保持心情開朗，避免過度興奮、緊張、生氣的情緒。心理方面的「心病」，是與身體上的「心臟病」，互為因果的。當我們面臨壓力和情緒時，交感神經會分泌腎上腺素，使心跳加速，血壓、血糖升高。此外，如果我們有慢性病疼痛或失眠，也會引起我們的焦慮，及心情沮喪。因此，想要擁有理想健康的人生，我們要積極讓生理和心理之間，形成相互扶持的正循環。也就是說，只要開心，心臟就好，身體就健康。   人類的心思，非常複雜難懂，一旦想不開，又會得憂鬱症，傷害身體。 如果我們能夠開心，好好地、耐心地觀照自己，那麼，我們不但自己沒煩惱，而且，我們周遭所有的人、事、物，乃至全世界，也必同時受到照顧和祝福。開心是由內而外、從心出發的，我們以自己的創意和正能量開始，我們的自在時光、活力創意，將會無限伸展擴張，一天天過去，我們會驚歎，如此的人生，是多麼地美好。孔子說：「世間無難事，庸人自擾之。」我們之所以會活得這麼累，是因為心裡裝了太多無關緊要，卻又傷心、傷身的人事物。我們要懂得自己釋懷，把有限的時間，用在讓自己開心、快樂的事情上，再用一種寬容的態度，去對待身邊的人事物，決定權永遠都在「自己」，自我的價值，也完全取決於自己。愛因斯坦說：「一個人的價值，要看他貢獻什麼，而不是取得什麼。」能貢獻自己，奉獻他人，內心一定開心無煩惱，既愛己又愛人，我們才能活得身心都健康。   Powered by Firstory Hosting

The Way Toward Health健康之道   身體是心理的一面鏡子。改變信念，就能改善身體狀況！醫師常常問看診的病人：「你有沒有高血壓、糖尿病？」病人通常會回答：「我現在沒有高血壓、糖尿病，但是我的爸爸、媽媽有，我以後也會有。」可見，我們已經被催眠和暗示了。在「賽斯哲學思想」裡，不承認遺傳類疾病，特別是中、老年之後才顯現出來的，與生活、飲食有關的慢性病，尤其是高血壓和糖尿病。我們常常被自我的慣性牽著走，對我們的心理不瞭解，才飽受疾病之苦。我們的腦袋，深深地種下很多的恐懼。從小到大，我們被灌輸很多負面的思維，以為自己年紀越大，身體就越容易生病。我們被慣性、習性帶著走，被負面的信念所催眠。現在，讓我們反思一下：心理是能夠改變負面信念的。「賽斯哲學思想」很注重心理，只要心理開心，腸胃一定健康，然後，我們可以選擇少量多餐，均衡飲食，身體會吸收它想要的食物的。       其實，導致疾病的最主要因素是心理。我們平常過得快不快樂？情緒有沒有保持得很好？思想有沒有打結？我們要能夠對自己的身體負責，學會瞭解自己的情緒，觀照自己的意念，經常問自己有沒有很多負向思考？有沒有憤世嫉俗？有沒有很多負面的情緒？有沒有「憤怒、嫉妒、恨」？有沒有活在不平衡中？經由疾病，我們才能自我覺察，透過疾病，我們才知道自己內在的負能量。在觀照我們身體的生命時，《健康之道：最後的一堂賽斯課》書中的章節，包括：「為什麼醫藥和治療往往使疾病永續」、「給疾病命名的作法如何可能對我們不利」、「宗教對創造疾病的影響」、「兒童的健康如何被父母的信念影響」、「幽默作為療癒的一個有效因素」等等，都在告訴我們，心理和身體是交織的。我們的身體，就是我們的思維。身體病痛乃是「果」，真正的因，是其背後痛苦扭曲的心理，如果我們不改變自己的思考模式，就無法真正解決身體的病痛。一個好的醫生，一定要醫人、醫心，醫治病人的心理，使其在思想、情緒及生活上，都能平衡，這樣，病人的身體，自然會回歸健康。      Jane Roberts (May 8, 1929–September 5, 1984) grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York where she attended Skidmore College. She was a prolific writer in a variety of genres including poetry, short stories, children’s literature and fiction when in 1963, she began to receive messages from a non-physical energy personality who called himself “Seth.” Her husband, Robert F. Butts, an artist and writer, recorded the messages, and together they dedicated their lives to the publication of Seth’s teachings. The “Seth Books” have become classics in the fields of psychology and personal growth. Today, Yale University Library maintains a collection of Jane’s writings, journals, poetry, audio and video recordings, correspondence, and other materials (the “Jane Roberts Papers”) donated by her husband and other individuals. In September 1984, Seth had spoken exclusively through Jane Roberts from her hospital bed until her death. Now, in The Way Toward Health, Jane’s husband, Robert Butts, shares with us the intimate story of Jane’s final days, and the exquisite teachings that Seth gave during that time. The Way Toward Health is an in-depth examination of the miracle of life in a human body. The material in the book was evoked by the questions and considerations Jane and her husband Robert faced during her long illness. Seth speaks about: “Why medicine and therapy often perpetuate illness” “How the practice of naming diseases can work against us” “The influence of religion in creating disease” “How children’s health is influenced by parents’ beliefs” “Humor as an effective factor in healing” “The mechanics of self-healing: how our thoughts and beliefs affect our health” “The creative aspects of illness: how we sometimes contract an illness to give ourselves time to understand and integrate our life experiences” The will to live can be compromised by doubts, fears, and rationalizations. Some people, for example, definitely want to live, but they hide these fearful feelings from themselves. They concentrate upon the dangers in society and worry about their safety. What is actually involved is a kind of paranoia. These self-deceptive feelings are hidden deeply in the subconscious mind. Normally, one of the attitudes to good health is that of self-condemnation, or dislike of the self. Such attitudes are unfortunately fostered by parents, schools, and religions in society. However, it’s not healthy. Feelings of self-worth, self-esteem, and pleasure with our abilities, in fact, indeed, promote our well-being, health, and exuberance. No animal considers itself a failure, obviously. But in our modern world, people often identify with their mistakes, and feel frightened, overburdened, and a failure in their own eyes, or others’. According to Seth, one of the very first steps toward mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health is precisely that kind of acceptance and affirmation. If people become ill, it is quite fashionable to say that the immunity system has temporarily failed, but yet the body itself knows that certain “dis-eases” are the reactions to health. The body does not recognize diseases as diseases. The body’s consciousness is highly conscious. All of the automobile’s parts of the body are responsible for their operations so well. Therefore, if the heart is out of its function, the doctor should repair it through medical technology, along with the patient’s beliefs, attitudes and feelings changed for the better.   Powered by Firstory Hosting

個人的偏好Personal Preferences  每個人都有食、衣、住、行、育、樂等需求，但每個人的喜好都不同，自己喜歡的，都可稱為個人的偏好。在我們的日常生活中，我們經常在做自己喜歡的事，這就是個人的偏好。問題是，我們有沒有真正問過自己：「我最喜歡的是什麼呢？」因此，探索並了解自己的喜好，不僅是自我發現的旅程，更是自己生活品質的提升。我們的內在世界，可以比喻為一幅豐富多彩的畫布，每一筆、每一色，都代表著我們不同的興趣和喜好，而自我探索的過程，就像是選擇合適的色彩一樣。我們要自由地表達自己真正的喜好和興趣，才能稱得上是自己個人的偏好。      現在，讓我們嘗試問問自己，「什麼時候，我感到最快樂？」或「在什麼情境下，我感到最有動力？」反思可以幫助我們重新連接過去的經歷，讓我們從中發現自己的興趣和熱情。無論是透過日記、拍照，或使用手機，我們都可以記錄自己個人的偏好。另外，當我們開始進行自我探索時，我們可以選擇既簡單又具體的事情。例如，每週花一小時，來學習瑜伽，或者，每天散步半小時等等。這些看似微小的事情，其實已經悄悄地在豐富著我們的生活和內心世界了。當我們達成這些小目標時，就跟自己說，「我做到了~，我好棒」。這些成就感，會一直支持著我們繼續前行的。認識自己，是一個持續且長達一生的過程。它需要時間、耐心及對自己的理解。     我們要自我了解，才能知道自己的偏好。我們要透過自我察覺，更深入地了解自己的優點、缺點、價值觀、興趣和行為模式，才能更好地認識自己，知道如何好好地過生活。了解自己的偏好，可以調節自己的情緒，留意自己的身體，知道自己的想法，及聽進他人的意見。     最後，有了個人的偏好，我們要勇敢地採取行動，不然，我們如何與別人分享？別人怎麼知道我們的偏好呢？當我們很清楚自己的偏好後，我們要付諸行動，讓我們的偏好，成為自己的個人品牌。我們做得越多，累積越多嘗試，就會越有自信，更有勇氣地說出自己的偏好。勇氣是一種良性循環，它會在我們不斷行動的過程中累積，帶領我們前往自己的渴望。事實上，要實踐個人的偏好，常常都會遇到新的挑戰和困難的。無論如何，我們都要學會在面對恐懼的同時，依然選擇採取行動。也許，我們要實現我們的偏好，會花費太多時間和人力，但是，我們就是要提醒自己，唯有踏出舒適圈，去嘗試和採取行動，才有辦法實踐我們的偏好。對我們的偏好來說，真正的學習，在於把想法付諸行動，並在過程中，累積點點滴滴，不斷地反思與反饋，從中改進。實際的行動，才能具體化我們的偏好，不是「我還沒準備好」，而是「現在」就要採取行動！很多時候，我們都會受到外界的左右，用別人的評論、觀點或期望，來衡量自己的價值，按照別人標準來過日子。這時，我們的偏好，就是在提醒我們，要放膽創造「自己的人生」，因為，只有我們最了解自己，最知道自己想要什麼，又渴望怎樣的理想人生。人生的駕駛，應該是我們本人，所謂的「已經準備好了」並不存在，我們要把自己的偏好，轉化成一個又一個可落實的目標，有動作、計畫和步驟，用實踐和體驗，來將我們的偏好，變成每日的生活，一生的最愛。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

Beyond Imagination 超乎想像  Imagine a world where machines can think, learn and create beyond our level of intelligence. A world where our personal AI assistant understands our emotions, where self-driving cars navigate flawlessly through bustling city streets, and where AI-generated art and music captivate (著迷) our senses. Well, in the world of AI, it is, exactly, a realm where boundaries are blur, and imagination becomes reality. The astonishing progress of artificial intelligence has already reshaped numerous industries and transformed our daily lives. To put it another way, what lies ahead goes far beyond our current comprehension, both in opportunities and challenges. While we are fascinated by the possibilities that future holds, AI has already made remarkable progress. Today, AI systems have demonstrated their power in a wide range of applications. Originating in the 1950s, early AI pioneers laid the groundwork (根基) for machines mimicking human intelligence through rule-based programming. Over time, AI diversified into different subfields. Now, AI has found wide-ranging applications in virtual assistants of homes, hospitals, restaurants, personalized recommendations, healthcare, finance, transportation, and manufacturing. Its integration has led to enhanced efficiency and accuracy across various domains. As we look to the future of artificial intelligence, we are faced with possibilities beyond our current understanding. Right now, we have seen AI systems surpassing human intelligence, possessing an extraordinary capacity for problem-solving, scientific discoveries, and creative endeavors. Though that is a distant dream, AI could potentially unlock groundbreaking (開創性的) solutions to complex global challenges, revolutionize industries, and reshape the course of humanity. In other words, the future holds the promise of autonomous AI systems capable of learning and making decisions without human intervention. These systems would continuously adapt to their environments, enhancing efficiency, and reducing the margin of error. From self-driving cars and smart homes to intelligent robots, these autonomous AI systems would revolutionize our day-to-day lives. For example, emotional AI will enable personalized experiences, empathetic virtual assistants, and mental health support. It opens up a world where AI can understand our emotions, offer companionship, and provide meaningful connections. Moreover, AI-generated art, music, and literature are already pushing the boundaries of human imagination. The fusion of human creativity and AI’s computational power has the potential to inspire new artistic expressions and push the frontiers of innovation. Besides, it’s not a distant dream anymore to wake up to an AI assistant that knows our preferences, schedules, and anticipates our needs. Personalized AI assistants will become even more intuitive, capable of managing tasks, providing recommendations, and streamlining our daily routines. One of the industries that will most benefit from AI advancement is healthcare. AI-powered diagnostic tools can analyze medical images, detect patterns, and assist in the early detection of diseases. Additionally, the future of transportation is bound to be transformed by AI. Self-driving cars will navigate roads with increased safety and efficiency, reducing accidents and traffic congestion. AI will also revolutionize public transportation systems, optimizing routes and schedules, and enabling intelligent traffic management for smoother commutes. AI can also assist teachers with administrative tasks, automated grading, and data-driven insights to optimize educational outcomes. Thus, some jobs will be automated, new roles and opportunities will emerge, emphasizing human creativity, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence. The workforce of the future will require adaptability to thrive in collaboration with AI systems. Intelligent robots will collaborate with human workers, performing repetitive tasks and improving quality control. The future possibilities of AI are awe-inspiring, from superintelligence and autonomous systems to emotional AI and groundbreaking creativity. It can and will transform different lifestyles for good. Nevertheless, different from AI, our human beings are good at thinking because we believe that thinking makes a difference. We have ideas, consciousness and stories every day. Even “we don’t know” is actually a kind of thinking. When we think deeply enough about things, we discover the truths “beyond the known.” We possess our imagination and perceive the “unknowingness” of what is happening. The main point is that we should open up our minds to accept and enjoy it. AI is like the tool that goes beyond the limitations of spoken or written language. It is the power of non-verbal communication. And there’s no doubt that it will continue to make life more pleasurable and easier for humans. However, it’s also very clear that the human brain is a magnificent thing that is capable of enjoying the simple pleasures of being alive without AI. Life is not always consistent. There are times when it’s easy to make life go well for ourselves, while other times, it can feel really difficult. Oftentimes, it’s our thoughts shape the way we feel, not AI. Our thoughts interpret the things that happen in our lives and, as a result, they have a strong influence over our happiness. That is, it doesn’t matter what happens to us; what matters is how we interpret those things. In other words, our positive thinking and imagination surpass AI systems in all respects. Those who are able to understand the deep thoughts in the brains do create their happiness. And once we can control our thoughts, we are capable of overcoming anything, including AI systems. Therefore, let’s try our best to make good use of our imagination and positive thinking to live our lives beautifully with the help of AI systems.   Powered by Firstory Hosting

下雨天、慵懶天 上禮拜(6月2日到6月5日)，每天連續下雨，很不方便！出門的人們，不得已，要穿上雨衣，拿起雨傘。開車的人們，也因為車輛變多而煩躁。下雨的時候，路上溼答答的，走起路來，感覺很潮溼，地板也滑滑的，腳會很癢、不舒服。鞋子、襪子都黏黏的，不清爽！下雨天是發霉的天氣，人也要跟著長霉了，感覺心情沉沉的，提不起勁，賴床時間變長，容易心煩，情緒低落，一整天都灰濛濛，胡思亂想，總繞著下雨的麻煩，夾雜著無聊、無趣與無奈。我們的大腦，在下雨天時，總會關注麻煩的事情，討厭的一面。有很多人，平時都壓抑、忍耐著自己內心的情緒，深怕自己控制不住、情緒潰堤。但是，到了下雨天，往往按耐不住，整個崩潰，一股腦兒，全部吐出內心各種不快的感受。下雨天，就是不開心，不爽！下雨天，就是討厭加心煩，就是很慵懶，不愛出門，什麼事都不想做。下雨天，外面暗暗的，天空陰陰的，花木低垂著，遠方的山，更是朦朧的，看不下去了···，這時候，真的好想晴天。       然而，雖然我們無法阻止大雨的到來，有時，雨量過大，甚至帶來許多災害，對人們的生命財產，造成威脅。像是之前的八八水災，造成嚴重的死傷，令人慘不忍睹，很多家庭，天人永隔···。但是，是否我們可以在下雨天，試著去體會那種未必盡如己意，但也是不可避免的情境呢？試想看看，下雨天到底有什麼好處呢？「雨」也是老天爺賜給我們的恩惠，讓我們滋潤大地，提供自然生態的培養，使萬物生長，造就我們綠色的地球。下雨天，可以增加水庫的含量，提供民生用水。下豪大雨的時候，我們可以順便洗洗車，澆澆花，把灰塵都沖洗掉。下雨時，出門的人比平時少，讓外面平常忙碌又慌亂的街道，得到片刻的寧靜。下雨時，我們家裡拍打窗戶的雨聲，應該特別大聲、好聽。外出時，細膩的雨絲，滑過我們的臉龐，就像無聲的琴音一般，那孤獨的雨點，打在我們身上，又彷彿是在我們的耳畔低語。神奇的是，好像雨水也可以洗滌我們似乎過不去的事，那一切就像飄飄的，散了，如過眼雲煙一樣！ 　 　同一件事，在不同的情況下，我們總會有不同的解讀，不同的感受，不同的立場，及不同的意見。如果我們能放慢腳步，細細觀察這下雨天的情景，相信我們一定會發現好多簡單的事，就像是滴水從樹葉上墜落，又如雨滴在水面上擴散一樣，那樣地純粹而真實。那麼，現在，我們是否還一直在追求華麗而複雜的事物，卻忽略身邊平凡、珍貴的瞬間呢？下雨天，是否提醒著我們，要去重新感受簡單的喜悅呢！生活，或許永遠無法如我們所願；不變的日子，或許是很無趣，也平淡，但是，是否我們可以在這平凡的生活中，找到雨過天晴的開心與愉悅呢？      下雨過後的陽光，真的好美。如同一束希望的光芒，破開灰暗的天空，帶來溫暖。一線陽光，穿透烏雲，肯定會照耀大地，那是陽光灑在我們身上的暖意。我們每個人，在一生中，都會經歷風風雨雨的，而生活，就存在於每一個轉折與風雨之後。一場雨後的彩虹，即是光明和希望了，我們何不開開心心地，將心靈的視野，從煩囂中解放出來，享受此刻當下的靜好和安寧呢？！於是，我決定了，我要和我自己的內心和解，往後，在每一個下雨天中，我都願意領悟，那微小但卻美好的片刻。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

Companions同學、同伴與同好 我們稱呼同班上課的夥伴為同學；一起工作的夥伴為同事；有共同興趣的夥伴為同好；假期結夥出遊的朋友為同伴；常常混在一起吃喝玩樂的哥兒們為同黨；來自同一個國家的人叫做同胞；來自同一個家鄉的人叫做同鄉；理念一致的人叫做同志；在一起衝鋒陷陣的軍中弟兄叫做同袍；就算遊手好閒不務正業的夥伴，也可稱為同道。這些有共同點的朋友，我們相信能有更深的連結。換句話說，與有共同愛好的朋友們相處，我們是很容易找到共同的話題，分享熱情，一同體驗美好的事物，同時也能互相學習和成長的。有共同愛好的朋友，較容易建立信任和親近感，共同參與愛好的活動，可帶來樂趣和興奮。例如音樂會、運動比賽、電影首映等，與有共同愛好的朋友一起參加，能更開心地欣賞和分享知識。再者，擁有共同愛好的朋友，可以彼此支持和鼓勵，特別是遇到困難或挑戰時，更能互相扶持和幫忙。舉例來說，有共同愛好運動的朋友，就可以一起鍛鍊身體。有共同愛好閱讀的朋友，能互相推薦書籍，討論書中內容與閱讀心得。有共同喜愛旅遊的朋友，更可以一起規劃旅行，探索不同的地方，並在旅途中，體驗彼此的經歷和感受。總而言之，共同愛好的朋友，可以為我們的生活，帶來更多的色彩和樂趣，並建立永久的友誼。俗話說，「物以類聚，人以群分」，朋友如能彼此擁有相似的興趣、價值觀，甚至溝通方式，都是我們特別親近，合得來的朋友。     共同興趣可以是各種各樣的，包括： 興趣愛好: 例如閱讀、聽音樂、運動、烹飪、攝影、繪畫、編織等。 休閒娛樂: 例如看電影、玩遊戲、旅行、戶外活動等。 志願與服務: 例如參與慈善活動、環保行動、社區服務等。 知識與學習: 例如學習語言、研究歷史、探索科學等。 文化與藝術: 例如欣賞繪畫、雕塑、音樂劇、舞蹈等。 生活方式: 例如烹飪、園藝、裝飾居家、收集物品等。 具體來說，我們可以根據興趣愛好、休閒娛樂、志願與服務等不同面向，來定義共同興趣。例如，如果兩個朋友都喜歡閱讀，那麼閱讀就是他們的共同興趣。如果他們都喜歡戶外活動，例如健行或露營，那麼戶外活動，就是他們的共同興趣。如果他們都熱愛環保，那麼環保就是他們的共同興趣了。只要有兩個以上的人，對同一件事或事物有興趣，他們就是同好，就有共同的興趣。兩個對文學有熱愛的人，可以因為對文學的熱愛而相遇，進而在交流中，發現彼此的相似點，逐漸成為知己，建立其深厚的友誼的。       在人生的旅程中，遇到志同道合的同好，真是非常幸福。我們對某件事物的熱愛，無論時間如何流轉，是不會過期的，而同好，也會陪著我們，不斷努力，不斷探索。我們志同道合的朋友，就是我們的知己。當我們遇到同好時，我們就像找到失散已久的伙伴，其強烈的共鳴，會油然而生。我們會和同好，分享著喜悅，分擔困難，一起為心中的目標而努力。相信在人生的道路上，會與志趣相投的人邂逅，是件美好的事。無論在工作、學習、或是日常生活中，我們能夠找到志趣相投的人，真的很不容易，他們會在我們感到迷茫或失落時，提醒我們最初的夢想，鼓勵我們不可輕言放棄。在人生的每一個階段，我們都需要有同好陪伴，尤其是在那些艱難的時刻。志同道合的朋友，總會尊重我們的選擇，在我們需要時，提供幫助。他們讓我們的人生旅程，更加充實、有意義。 Have you ever discovered that people who share the same interests are easily to become good friends? Friendships with shared interests are very important to our well-being. Why? Because they can enhance our life experiences, support us through the ups and downs, and make us feel a sense of belonging. With friends of the same interests, we, thus, find the common ground through shared passions. We can, later, become lifelong friends. This is the power of shared interests. Friendships can be strengthened by sharing common interests. In other words, friendship ties are developed when a person discovers and develops more common experiences with others. Additionally, sharing interests and establishing friends can also provide numerous advantages to our lives. Friends with the same interests not only give us an increased sense of belonging and social connections, but also offer emotional and practical helps during our stressful times. Sharing interests with friends, indeed, significantly improve our lives, and, eventually, increase our happiness and well-being. Life can be stressful and filled with challenges that always test our peace of mind. A true companion with the same interest can calm our worries and soothe our fears, making our life’s burdens lighter. As we grow older, we truly realize that life is not about having a multitude of friends or being known by everyone, but is about having people in our lives who add depth, joy, and security to our existence. As we reflect on the journey of life and the people we meet along the way, we really should cherish those who are the true companions with the same shared interests as ours. They are the ones who matter us most, and provide us the real lasting connections. Powered by Firstory Hosting

Giving Thanks and Expressing Gratitude Each holiday season comes with high expectations for a cozy and festive time of year. However, for many, the Thanksgiving season might be tinged (著色) with sadness, anxiety, or depression. Research suggests that giving thanks and expressing our gratitude can actually lift the good and right spirits. The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. In some ways, gratitude encompasses all of these meanings. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that being grateful helps them connect to something larger than themselves as individuals. In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish (喜愛) good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. Furthermore, gratitude is strongly related to wellbeing (康樂). The positive effects of experiencing and expressing gratitude are endless. Gratitude has been found to be beneficially linked with social wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, and psychological wellbeing, too. Gratitude appears to have a constant effect. People who are thanked are presumably more apt (易於) to extend help to others in the future. Indeed, the expression of gratitude is beneficial for both individuals and society. People feel and show gratitude in multiple ways. They can apply it to the past (retrieving positive memories and being thankful for childhood or past blessings), the present (feeling good fortune all the time), and the future (maintaining a hopeful and optimistic attitude). Two psychologists, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, have done much of the research on gratitude. In one study, they asked all participants to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular topics. One group wrote about things they were grateful for that had occurred during the week. The second group wrote about daily irritations (惱怒) or things that they displeased, and the third group wrote about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on them being positive or negative). After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to doctors than those who focused on irritations. Other studies have looked at how being grateful can improve relationships. For example, a study is that couples who took time to express gratitude for their partner not only showed more positive toward the other person, but also felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship. Managers who say “thank you” to employees would let employees get motivated to work harder. While it’s easy to feel a rush of joy after winning the lottery or receiving a big promotion at work, gratitude extends to the smaller blessings in life as well that they might be often overlooked or taken for granted. Even the smallest moments, such as a brief chat with a friend, a kind gesture from a stranger, a cool breeze on a hot day, or a peaceful stroll (散步) in nature, are things that we can be thankful for. Nevertheless, whatever our circumstances in life, oftentimes, we may find that consistently showing gratitude can be surprisingly difficult. Many of us get caught up in a negativity bias, where we linger on bad news and unpleasant experiences, but, yet allow moments of positivity to fade into the background. Fortunately, gratitude is like a muscle that we can build. With the right exercises and practice, we can find, at least, something small to appreciate in even the bleakest (陰冷的) day. In doing so, a little gratitude can do wonders for our mood. When we practice gratitude, we shift our thoughts away from negative emotions and uncomfortable sensations. Instead, we begin to focus on good things. For example, we sense that how fortunate we are to have close friends who are willing to company us and drive us home. Moreover, because gratitude can boost our mood, it’s no surprise that it can also improve our overall physical and mental health. That is, approaching life with a more positive mindset can do more than just improve our health. It can also let us have better sleep, higher self-esteem, increased patience and acts of kindness toward friends and family members. Gratitude is, in effect, a way for people to appreciate what they have, instead of thinking what they can’t feel satisfied. In other words, gratitude helps people to refocus on what they own instead of what they lack. Here are some ways we can do to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis: Write a thank-you notes or emails. It can express our enjoyment and appreciation of people who help us a lot. Thank someone mentally. It may help us to think about someone who has done something nice to us. Keep a gratitude journal. We can write down the things and thoughts about gratitude immediately every day. Count our blessings. We can count three to five good things every day to remind us of our blessings. Pray. People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude. For ordinary people, prayer is also a process of learning to trust Almighty God. Meditate. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. We can often practice meditation to let us have a peaceful mind.     Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. We perceive that a positive attitude is not just thinking happy thoughts. It takes effort and determination to remain positive, especially in today’s world. In truth, a positive attitude is formed by the choices we make daily, and how we react to situations and others around us. When we brush off disappointment or rude comments, we maintain a positive attitude. Our attitude is also influenced by how well we ignore negative self-talk and accept our current circumstances. It is important to express thankfulness when something good happens. Being thankful is not inherently bad. On the contrary, it is part of showing appreciation to others or for our good fortune. We are really thankful when we get a new job or meet a new friend. However, where thankfulness is an emotion, gratitude is an attitude of appreciation under any circumstance. Gratitude involves being thankful, even when nothing exciting happens. That is to say, we do not need something good to happen to have gratitude, and when bad things happen, our gratitude does not falter (動搖). Gratitude is about being content physically and mentally with the state of our lives. In other words, we may not always be happy, but we can still practice gratitude. Gratitude deepens our inner connections. Thankfulness is external. When we practice gratitude, we rely on our inner voice to stay positive and remain appreciative in all circumstances. So, let’s take action to have gratitude always. Powered by Firstory Hosting

Evaluations and Feedback For many, the evaluations encourage readers to continue practicing and learning because when people receive thoughtful evaluations, they feel heard and become motivated to improve. Delivering an evaluation is an excellent way to practice and demonstrate our suggestions to readers. As good evaluators, we give helpful feedback to others. We take the time to work on topics and to assess the contents. Actually, the evaluators really play an influential role to provide constructive and positive comments to readers. The key to presenting a high-value evaluation is not just observing areas for improvement, but also offering specific and feasible recommendations for how readers can improve in the future. For the readers, evaluations are like formal observation, while the share personalized, detailed feedback is a way in a private follow-up conversation with the readers. Feedback plays a crucial role, too, with valuable insights for building upon readers’ strengths and improvement. Additionally, feedback fosters a supportive and encouraging environment, where readers feel empowered to take risks, and push themselves out of their comfort zones in non-public areas. In fact, teachers and students are both readers, responding authentically to the texts. Teachers always give students specific advice about what to keep on doing and what to work on doing in future pieces. Students also share their works with one another all the time through mutual discussions. Furthermore, teachers and students are both evaluators, offering sincere feedback to the pieces. For the public speaking, the effective feedback is as follows: Keep on choosing topics and developing them deeply Keep on using strong imagination to create good stories Work on organizing the ideas into smooth and logical paragraphs Work on proofreading carefully, especially for missing keywords As evaluators, teachers can list the specific, accurate and clear guidance to students, while students would also pinpoint precise strengths and weaknesses among peers in the public speaking. Such a well-constructed feedback is very helpful, especially, in the classrooms. In large group classes, whatsoever, students sometimes get frustrated doing evaluation activities with other students. For these situations, feedback from teachers and peers can help students appreciate the value of their tasks, and improve their confidence, accuracy and fluency. Feedback is not only about error correction, but also about finding out the main topics, giving and exchanging opinions and developing ideas. What’s more, it’s a good idea that students make their own notes from any feedback. Thus, students can recognize their own typical errors and correct them at once. Except for the public speaking, essentially, asking for feedback at any stage of the writing also helps students a lot in the understanding of their writing. By seeking feedback from others, students are taking positive, constructive steps to improve their own writing and develop as writers. However, occasionally, students might worry that the feedback will be negative. We know that many people avoid asking others what they think because they have a sneaking (卑怯的) suspicion that the news will not be good. Nevertheless, if we want to improve our writing, constructive criticism from others, definitely, helps. In order to become efficient evaluators, we must share our writing often with a variety of readers. When we ask someone, “Could you take a look at my writing?” or “Could you tell me if this is OK?” can sometimes elicit wonderfully rich responses. Besides, we do need to ask different persons for feedback at different stages in the writing process. For example, the effective feedback might be as follows: The Beginning Introduction: Do I understand the writing? Am I gathering the right kinds of information to answer this question? Are my strategies for approaching this writing effective? How can I discover the best way to develop my early ideas into a feasible draft? Outline: I have an idea about what I want to argue, but I’m not sure if it is an appropriate or complete response to this writing. Is the way I’m planning to organize my ideas working? Does it look like I’m covering all the points? Do I have a clear main idea? Do I know what I want to say to the reader? The First Draft: Does my writing make sense, and is it interesting? Have I proven my thesis statement? Is the evidence I’m using convincing? Is it explained clearly? Have I given the reader enough information? Is the information in the right order? What can I say in my introduction and conclusion? The Second Draft: Are the transitions between my ideas smooth and effective? Do my sentences make sense individually? How’s my writing style? The Final Draft: Are there any noticeable spelling or grammar errors? Are my margins and formatting OK? Is the writing effective? Is there anything I should change at the last minute? In addition, a notebook on asking for feedback after a writing has been double-checked by students. More importantly, taking the time to read, at least twice, throughout the evaluations and feedback is necessary, for sure. At last, feedback is essential in personalized learning. Personalized learning to education, in our country, is an excellent approach to education for students’ abilities, learning styles, interests, and preferences. In other words, personalized learning is an effective way of promoting students’ engagement, motivation, and achievement in school. However, personalized learning can only be useful if it includes timely, meaningful, and relevant feedback. Feedback is really a critical component of personalized learning that helps students monitor their progress, identify their strengths and weaknesses, set goals, and adjust their learning strategies. We can say that evaluations are the information provided to students about their performance, progress, and goals. On the contrary, feedback can be informal, verbal or written, immediate or delayed, but could be provided by various sources, such as teachers, peers and parents. The key characteristic of feedback is that it is specific, constructive, and actionable. Feedback is not praise or criticism, but rather an opportunity for improvement and growth. Feedback, actually, is great in personalized learning for several reasons: 1. Feedback helps students monitor their progress. 2. Feedback provides students with information about what they have learned, what they still need to learn, and how to improve their performance. 3. Feedback allows students to see the relevance of their learning and potential to achieve the goals. Positive feedback, indeed, boost students’ confidence, self-efficacy and persistence, too. By the way, feedback further encourages teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of their instruction and make necessary adjustments. All in all, personalized learning with feedback can promote higher-order thinking skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity among teachers and students. These skills are necessary for lifelong learning and success in the twenty-first century. Therefore, the importance of evaluations and feedback cannot be overemphasized in our actual classrooms. Powered by Firstory Hosting

How to Be a Good English-writing Teacher   In our writing classrooms, we are writers, including teachers and students. In other words, in order to teach effective English writing, we must be effective English writers ourselves. We can try starting blogs or vlogs, writing articles, or developing short stories for English writing. We, then, practice and write out the paragraphs by ourselves. Once we figure out the themes and topics of our writing, reading articles and brainstorming with others are essential because they are the sources of our writing. Teachers, in the writing classroom, should encourage students to write well. In a supportive writing environment, teachers participate as writers to demonstrate the importance of writing. By taking part in writing lessons and activities, teachers are also models to teach the writing skills and to create good pieces of English writing for students. Teachers help students to collaborate throughout the writing process by brainstorming ideas in a writing group, and ask students to keep notebooks in which they record topics for English writing. No matter what we write, we are able to share our written works and ask for the feedback. In this way, we can improve upon our English writing over time. Thus, teachers ought to urge students to share their works with each other in the classroom or through online. We might say that others’ opinions are also very important for our writing, especially our peers. Students need to know whether their writing is accurately and appropriately conveying its message or not by way of teachers’ advice and peers’ feedback.     Next, vocabulary and spelling skills affect the words we choose for our writing, for sure, because they can generate strong, interesting sentences that vary in length and complexity in order to convey the intended meanings in our writing. For this purpose, students should be encouraged to learn new words, as well as words they wish to include in their writing. Teachers should also help students acquire the skills to generate and check plausible spellings for words in the writing. Afterwards, students gain good and suitable words correctly, connect these words to form sentences, and, eventually, build a group of sentences to communicate particular ideas. Furthermore, when teachers focus sentence-level instruction on sentence construction, encouraging students to consider the meanings and syntax of the sentences, teachers, at the same time, explicitly demonstrate how sentence construction and sentence mechanics for students, such as punctuation and capitalization, etc. Students, then, practice to create solid sentences and to use a variety of sentence structures in their writing. An article is a piece of writing about a particular topic. It might also be flavored by the writer’s style. Depending on the purpose of the article, we might use very direct informative language, or more poetic language to create the subject matter. Normally, we use complete sentences (S + V + O) to convey ideas, and past tense, present tense, present perfect tense and progressive tense to indicate the timeline. Here are some typical subjects covered by article writers: Travel Sport History Hobbies/Home/Craft Music Celebrities/Famous figures (i.e., an article about an actor’s life and career) The basic structure of an article for a newspaper, magazine or website, is usually in three parts: Opening is engaging the reader, or outlining the main point of the article. The middle part is a series of paragraphs that go into more details and examples. The end is a concluding paragraph that draws the points together. The conclusion should connect back to the opening idea. For example, here’s an article that tries to persuade the reader to eat a more balanced, healthy diet. The title is “Eat Right, Live Longer.” In the first paragraph: It has been scientifically proven that the less junk food a person consumes, the longer they are likely to live. “So why isn’t everyone dumping the junk?” Jordan McIntyre investigates. A staple part of twenty-first century British home-life is the weekly takeaway treat. Finger-licking burgers, sticky ribs and crispy chicken wings are, for many, the normal Friday night feast. The average national calorie in the UK is a whopping 4500 a day, a key factor in the obesity cases that are soaring. Fast food packed with fat and obesity contributes to a range of health issues, such as most significantly heart disease and depression. So why aren’t we changing our lifestyles? In the second paragraph: Families, in these days, are spending less and less time at home during the working week. People always engage a lot of school commitments, work meetings and extracurricular activities. Therefore, fewer people are able to put in the effort to prepare fresh, healthy meals for their daily lives. When time is tight, it seems that we are even more willing to compromise our routines for a little bit of what we fancy i.e., fast fatty food. In the third paragraph: However, Georgia Thomas of the University of Food says, “I am convinced that it is possible to live a busy lifestyle and prepare healthy, satisfying meals at the same time.” Nowadays, people have simply got out of the habit of cooking. That’s not healthy. Even though we are busy people, we still have to treat us well. How do we reward ourselves? Of course, we, certainly, need to eat healthy food. In the final paragraph, the writer uses quotations from an expert to add credibility to the argument. As readers, we really expect this article to go on to explore how we can eat healthily. And in the end, we are clear to see that the writer concludes with an explanation of how easy it is to do this. In the above-mentioned article, we know that taking examples and listing facts are very much necessary to increase the contents and ideas of our writing. At last, proofreading is, extremely, necessary. Proofreading is the ability to read through a written piece, while editing errors and correcting them in order to let the writing become better. Strong editing and proofreading skills mean that students can identify areas in their works that need correction, such as tense, spelling and punctuation. They can also spot and revise errors in their styles, structures and sentences. The main purpose of proofreading is to improve the quality of the writing, ensuring that there are no lingering mistakes, and sentences’ errors or writing inconsistencies. Proofreading is the last writing process before the writers submit their writing. Thus, it is not only important to check grammar and spelling, it is also highly advised to ensure that the idea of the writer is in agreement with what he or she wants to communicate with the readers. No writer creates an excellent writing without reviewing, reflecting, and revising before the final version of their writing is complete and submitted. Powered by Firstory Hosting

Coffee Break咖啡休息時間 聽朋友說，在義大利喝咖啡，就像喝水一樣，早餐來一杯，中餐飯後一杯，晚餐吃飽，再來一杯。在米蘭的餐廳裡，就連吃中式、日式、韓式、泰式，甚至巴西烤肉等，各式異國料理，餐後，侍者都會很有禮貌地詢問，要不要來份甜點，或一杯咖啡？大部分的義大利人，真的三餐飯後，都會來一杯咖啡，他們不怕喝太多，或者喝太晚睡不著，他們在飯後喝咖啡，就像我們吃完飯配水果一樣。「咖啡休息時間 (coffee break)」大約10-15分鐘，義大利人通常在早上和下午，各有一次，讓大家暫時放下手邊的工作，一起喝杯咖啡閒聊，放鬆休息一下。而在日常生活中，義大利人也不管是逛街、血拚，或是看表演、展覽，只要正事結束，他們一定會問：「要不要一起喝杯咖啡？」「咖啡休息時間 (coffee break)」就是他們最自然與最真實的生活方式了。在台灣，我也發現愈來愈多人喝咖啡了。其實，一起喝咖啡，就是聚一聚、說說話，互相分享生活中的大小事，喝咖啡只是藉口罷了！     Have a break, have a … coffee! Is there anything that we can get together to have a cup of coffee and take a break at the same time? I guess that, nowadays, coffee break has become a part of our daily lives. Actually, a coffee break serves as the perfect time for most of us to enjoy the drink, take a rest and regain the focus as well. Essentially, taking a brief pause during our workdays to enjoy a cup of coffee really helps us revitalize both our minds and bodies. All humans need breaks. It’s simply biology. Our nervous systems are much easier to burnout. And our brains and bodies are more attuned and responsive to our busy surroundings. We tend to have lots of ideas for things that we want to do all the time without stop. It seems that we don’t have excuses to end our works. However, we should have to take a break in order to go further. In our society, stopping seems like the exact wrong thing to do when there’s so much to be done. But, it turns out that those of us who take that extra time for ourselves may achieve something. We must remind ourselves that life is a marathon, not a sprint (短跑). Therefore, having a cup of coffee is necessary and very important. Breaks are acceptable and encouraged. There will be times to speed up, just as there are times to slow down.     Moreover, taking a coffee break helps us at work. In fact, coffee breaks also play a crucial role in fostering social interaction among team members in companies. The informal setting of a break room or coffee area in the office provides a space for employees and colleagues to connect on a personal level, share ideas, and build relationships and networks. These casual interactions of coffee breaks, indeed, shape a cohesive and collaborative work environment effortlessly. In other words, team cohesion is vital for effective communication and collaboration, and coffee breaks exactly offer a platform for team members to discuss projects, exchange insights, and brainstorm perspectives. These spontaneous discussions during coffee breaks, in effect, become a good way for innovation and problem-solving in the workplaces. Additionally, without others, the change of environment during a coffee break even provides a mental break only for ourselves along to rethink and explore new ideas while doing something simple and rewarding. Enjoying a cup of coffee just by ourselves is so great in terms of personal privacy. It lets us escape temporarily from our work environment, and encourages us produce fresh outlooks. We, then, can return to our workday tasks with a heightened sense of creativity, ready to approach challenges with a novel mindset.    Truly, the humble coffee break holds massive potential as a tool for enhancing productivity and fostering creativity both on a personal level and as a team. Just a simple coffee break does allow us having the opportunity to step away from our works, so that we can have clear minds to calm down and create new thinking. Furthermore, if we have regular coffee breaks, they also bring employees together to have strong relationships, interactions and cross-department collaborations. Coffee breaks offer moments of relaxation. Such a positive atmosphere leads us to creative breakthroughs, innovative ideas, new insights and novel approaches.  Specifically, for the team work, taking a short break stimulates employees’ imagination and productivity constantly. All in all, coffee breaks not only let us feel more energized and focused, experience greater satisfaction and fulfillment in our personal lives, but also permit employees seizing the opportunity to promote cohesion, become more manageable and boost business profits.     Now, let’s have a cup of coffee and take a break! Powered by Firstory Hosting