(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

Just last week, we were busy trying to squeeze two funeral services into one weekend. I guess at my age, this is becoming more frequent. The first one is the mother of an old friend, and the other is a relative of a relative. As a matter of fact, I have never met this vague relation before. We ended up going to one visitation on Friday, and the funeral service of the other on Saturday.

Friend’s mom was 95, as everyone said, she lived a long full life. We stood around and chatted up a storm; shaking hands, hugging, and reconnected with friends we haven’t seen since our university days, and promised ourselves we shoud be in contact and get together more frequent, but are also well aware, we will meet again under such circumstances.

Relative’s relative also had a full life. After retirement, he actually threw his whole energy and dedication to the development of several construction projects and of the training of numerous engineers in China. His daughter’s eulogy touched my soul and opened my eyes. She said, the essence of life, is not the numbers of breath you take, but the numbers of moment that take your breath away. Yes, that completely took my breath away. Food for thought, for an old man.

Only a few months ago, we said goodbye to another old friend. We were closed, but drifted apart after graduation. We saw him just the Christmas before, in a gathering. He was complaining about a back pain, but blamed it on too much snow shovelling. Then we heard, he was in hospital, diagnosed with recurrence of kidney cancer. He was surrounded and well looked after by a group of dedicated friends, who took care of his finance, and ran all his daily chores , visited him daily in hospital, brought him his favourite food, newspaper and DVD, to ensure his comfort. I visited him once in hospital. He was wasted away slowly, but content. A few weeks later, he was gone, surrounded by his faithful friends.

Ming was the only child of my good friends. We even took him on our trips in the summer. People always thought he was our eldest. A year ago, I got a call from his dad. They were in China, and Ming developed this cough and xray showed shadows in the lung. TB, I jumped to conclusion. He came home. Further testing were inconclusive and took over a month to find the cause, malignant lung cancer, so virulent that spread quickly and destructively. I wished it was TB, at least that was curable. Within a few months, he was gone. His funeral was the most excruciatingly painful one. It was attended literally by hundreds and hundreds of people, and mostly young people. We tried to comfort the parents. In silence, we felt their pain and loss. We uttered no words. Life was so unjust. We shaked our heads slowly, murmuring, only the good died young. He was not even thirty.

And now something to cheer about. The big date is almost upon us. Our classmate Donny (WYK 65) is getting married tomorrow. The lovely couple met on the dance floor, and have not stop dancing ever since. So you think you can dance? Ask Donny first. Last time I was in Calgary and called him up, he was naturally on the dance floor again, with his significant other half, talking to me on his cell. They plan to take a cruise, after the wedding, to sail into the sunset, while dancing on the cruise deck. What a fairy tale ending, and live happily ever after. Congratulation, Don & Eliza. A new drug has just come out, Don, for your special occasion. Priligy, that’s the name, check it out. In the mean time, to commemorate the event of the year, here, this is for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9pdnSy_nWQ&NR=1&feature=fvwp

(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

長命百歲, 歷來都是人們夢眛以求的境界。追尋青春之泉, 返老還童術, 隨着”更年期”大軍的急劇膨脹, 現在更是迫切的課題。

人生歷程, 從嬰孩到老年, 不外是幾十年。就算在醫學昌明的今天, 巳戰勝了無數頑疾, 但人類生命的極限年齡, 還是大約一百一十五而矣。人體機能, 到了七八十歲就開始衰退; 過了一百, 就巳透支淨盡了。

在人類不斷進化的過程中, 為什麼還不能使疾病, 衰老被途汰消失呢? 進化論者認為, 在進化過程中, 如果因子(Gene)能提高人類壯年時期的生存與生產能力, 就會被自然選擇(Natural Selection), 遺傳下來, 就算這因子到晩年會對人體有害。

舉例: 色素性肝硬化, 是人類一種吸收太多鐵質的遺傳病, 弄至肝硬化, 中年死亡。但這遺傳病對年青, 有生育能力的女性, 卻又甚為有利 —- 女子經期失血太多, 這病使患者能大量吸收鐵質, 造血補充, 以保生存能力。

舉例: 在生物學研究, 有生物學家繁殖甲蟲, 如果只選早產多子的甲蟲, 四十代後, 甲蟲雖然都能多產早產, 但也老死得特別快。又有科學家繁殖果蠅, 但卻專選遲產者, 結果這類果蠅壽命較長, 但產子卻較少。

舉例: 又有科學家研究報告, 在實驗室飼養老鼠, 如果把老鼠處於半飢餓狀態, 其壽命會延長三成, 但卻大大減低了生產能力。

這都説明, 衰老並非是遺傳的錯誤, 而是進化過程的妥協。為了加強人類生存的能力, 就要面對衰老這難関了。

其實, 只要我們生活得美好, 八九十年巳很足夠, 還是大有作為的。

(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

疏離 ( Alienation ) 是個六十年代的思潮。

那時代的青年人, 尤其是中產階級的, 受專上學院教育的青年, 大多數都不滿現實, 不願意走上父母的老路, 去追求那 “亞美利加” 拜金主義的美夢, 成為 “反叛的一代” 。

他們反越戰, 寧做 “和平主義” 的逃兵, 搞黑人運動, 學生通動; 他們的理想就是反政制, 追求 ”烏托邦” 的樂園 。

也有不談政治的嬉皮士 (Hippies), 投入毒品文化 (Drug Culture), 吸食 LSD, 大蔴, 来尋求自我的 high和解决。主張 Make Love, Not War. 對金錢全無興趣。Money, can’t buy me Love.

消極者更趨向虛無, 甚至遠訪印度法師取經, 或與社會疏離, 或組公社羣居。就算生活在社會, 喧嘩的人羣中, 還是感到孤獨, 與人隔絕, 不作溝通。正所謂 “各家自掃門前雪, 莫管他人瓦上霜 “的心態, 過着疏離, 寂寞的歲月。

到了七十年代後期, 八十年代, 社會漸漸平靜下來, 一般的年青人, 早巳大學畢業或 dropped out, 巳成家立業, 思想來個一百八十度大轉灣, 由嬉皮士搖身一變而為野心勃勃的入皮士 (Yuppies). Young Upward-mobile Professionals, 是列根的經濟政策 (Reaganomics) 的惡果。他們被認為都是貪婪, 過於現實的物質主義者, 又有自大狂, 自戀狂 (Narcissistic), 又是對社會和環境麻木不仁的野心家。他們深信, 金錢就是上帝 (Money is God) , 是地道的ME Generation 唯我主義者。

到九十年代 DOT-COM 泡沫破滅和近年世界性金融危機, 引至經濟大衰退, 再加上大企業貪婪 (Corporate Greed), CEO 都先中飽私嚢, 這都拜入皮士思想的遺毒所賜。

這次由美國 Sub-Prime Mortage 崩潰, 引起世界經濟大衰退, 影響尤大。Baby Boomers, 也許是以前的嬉皮士, 辛苦工作了數十年的公司, 突然裁員, 甚至倒閉関門。差不多巳到退休之齡, 卻突然失業, 加上金融危機, 退休金早以少了一半以上, 養老與將來, 都失去保障, 使人心惶惶, 又開始與社會疏離, 再感到孤獨, 與人隔絕, 不作溝通。

報載, 在紐約, 有一位流浪漢為了阻止賊人傷害一名女子, 結果自己受刀傷, 卧在路邊, 沒人理會, 因而死亡。

報載, 在多倫多, 在地鐵, 有一位七十九歲老翁, 被两名少年歐打, 還搶去銀包。而全車卻沒有人援手。

報載, 在温哥華, St Paul醫院, 最近設立一停放處, 無條件, 保正不作追究, 方便接納棄嬰。

疏離, 這個六十年代的思潮, 又再重現了。