Why Chinese fate prediction stopped at hours?

(Translated from here.)
I often had the question of why Chinese fate prediction stopped at the level of hours but not extending its coverage to minute or seconds? Why the logic which the fate prediction using birth time base on doesn't apply to minute or seconds? What scared status does these unit of time held? Since one criteria of validity of fate prediction would be differentiating different fate pattern of people born at different time, but it is simply illogical when that implies those who born at the same hour and same place share the same fate.
First that is due to the technological limit of time measurement at that time. Second is because Chinese had the idea of five elements from the year of birth, month of birth, day of birth and (double) hours which determine the destinate of individual which give us eight units. In according to 5 elements theory, one's life would be in perfect balance if an individual is birth at a time which 5 elements is distributed evenly among his/her year/month/day/hour. Since 8 is indivisible by 5, therefore the philosophical implication is that nobody born with a perfect life. Just like Freud assert that the ongoing conflict between ego, superego and id is what drive the personality development; Chinese also assume that there are inherent imbalance within each of us, and it is the imbalance/imperfectness drive the development of each person. Imbalance is what give birth to human psyche and society!

The problem in the theoretical framework of Five-Elements hypothsis in Chinese culture

(Translated from here.)

1. How do we define an object as belonging to Metal, Water,Soil, Fire or Wood? What attributes do we take from an object as a defining attribute? For instance, computer is made of metal but require electricity to operate(Fire), yet the software and programs it run is base on Mathematics(wood) while it also posses structure(soil) and in state of constant change(water). Do we use an object's function, structure, mode of operation, what it made of or what it require to operate to differentiate the category it belong to in Five-Elements hypothesis? Also, does human body belong to Metal, Water,Soil, Fire or Wood? How about dynasty, do we simply define by its name?

2. The quantitative issue. What is heavy and what is weak and how do we differentiate it? Heavy Fire could vaporize a small pond of water, Great amount of soil could put out a small fire, small amount of soil can't protect from great flood, small amount of soil can actually aid Great Fire because it prevent it from exhaust itself too readily, small metal knife can't chopped down a large tree... etc.

3. Too big a room for interpretation. Metal, Water,Soil, Fire or Wood all are related to each other one way or another, there never exists two elements that bear no relationship. For instance, Metal bear
Water while melted by Fire, Metal come from Soil as mineral, Metal could chop Wood. What happen then when Metal encounter Wood? How do we know which is the most accurate interpretation?

4. Some attributes of Five elements appear to be self-contradictory. For instance, Water is known to be conservative, flow downward as stabilizer in cement, while Water is also associated with fluid and flexibility, so which is which? Fire is known to be expanding, growing upward, creative; yet it is also associated with stubbornness and arrogance. again which is which?

Unless all those questions are sorted out, otherwise we can't expect Five-Elements hypothesis to offer much value to humanity or Chinese culture.

莊子寓言中的心理學

寫了「公主不哭」和「公主不哭,你們繼續哭」後,再看莊子少有描述人感情的三個寓言,又有所感觸。
在「公主不哭」 中,我們可以看到一個成形的假說,即人的感覺和情緒是人的情況的某種保留物,令公主哭的是,是因為她不可以活在她一向熟悉的環境,因為國家戰敗的緣故,不 得不去「屈辱地」適應一個新環境。她的感覺其實是一種對改變的反抗,是一種把自己保留在過去的環境的努力,但是莊子以為人最終還是要去適應新環境。反抗改 變是心的本性,適應新環境亦是心的本性,有時前者比後者佔優,是為不忘本,但有時卻會被人視為食古不化;有時後者佔優會被人罵忘本反覆,但有時被人視為從 善如流。心是同一個心,由不同心去出發,就看出了不同。
再看看另一個孝子拜錯墳的故事,他拜錯墳,哭過一次,感情得到宣洩,抵達自己本來要拜的墳前就不再哭了。他之前哭,亦是對環境的一種適應,因為人的覺知環 境可能和物理環境不同,因此在公主的覺知世界中,自己最熟悉的環境一定是最好的;不論它在物質上是否如別國的宮廷的豐富,正如孝子把別人的墳誤當成自己要 拜的墳。於是孝子是觸景傷情,他哭因為已逝去的親人已是不可改變的事實,情感是一種把過去的記憶保留的一種方法,彷如親人在自己的感情/心理世界中再活過 來;同理,公主哭是為離開已是不可改變的事實,情感是一種把過去的記憶保留的一種方法,彷如過去的環境在自己的感情/心理世界中再活過來。不過,哭的目的 其實亦是為了適應改變,孝子哭完以後可以再如常生活,即接受親人已逝去的事實;同理,公主哭的目的其實亦有適應環境改變的作用,她大哭一場,因為改變是痛 苦,把痛苦的感覺都發洩出來,則她會較為欣然去接受新環境。人的感情/心理世界,其實是由一連令人發生情緒的短暫過去而組成,長久的情感由個人對各種短暫 情緒的理解和反應而造成。例如:我天天和某位朋友吵架,則久而久之,我把不快的經歷組織起來去理解,得出的結論是我對此人反感;相反,我天天和某位朋友談 得投契,則久而久之,我把快樂的經歷組織起來去理解,得出的結論是我和她不單是朋友,簡直是在熱戀了。
如何有機的去組織這些情感片段?拿哪些情感經歷去組織?怎去分析理解各經歷的異同而得出結論?這個過程雖然在每一步上都合乎邏緝,但始終都有一定的隨意 性,人雖然是用邏緝去判斷一件事,但是最理性的人的行為不一定比其他人理性,因為邏緝在本質上沒有規定人要怎樣去利用邏緝。人類的理性卻不一定導致理性的 結果,正如數學不是由嚴謹的邏緝過程導出來的。
人心(內在世界)的奇妙,和物理世界的奇妙,它們的本質是相當一致的,這個一致性,就是道。

Conscious, Unconscious and Tao

When Freud first envision his theory of human psychology, he has the idea of conscious and unconscious but he doesn't realize the usage of the word Unconscious could erupted into heated debate inside the Psychoanalytic circle. I had another article in Chinese talked about similar controversy when his theory is transplanted to Chinese culture, the central problem in this and that are the same: Shall we consider Unconscious is categorically different from Conscious, or Conscious and Unconscious are merely different state of Conscious, that is Unconscious is just outside Conscious?
In the first sense, Unconscious is being something that is just different from Conscious because it is operated by a different principle: For instance, Freud asserted that Unconscious doesn't differentiate between opposite(like Yang and Ying), much the same way as opposite elements are both operate by Tao according to Taoism. Therefore there is a categorically differentiation between the operation of Conscious and Unconscious. So in this sense, they are like oil and water, they simply don’t mix. However, Conscious and Unconscious can still communicate because they share some similarity(Tao is inclusive of the opposite.)
In the later sense, Unconscious is included as part of Psychological Space, just being rejected/censored by Conscious(to be emotionally correct.) Therefore the thoughts and feelings originally formed in Conscious in according to the rules and parameters of the operation of Conscious. Therefore there is no different in nature of the thought/feel objects in Conscious and in Unconscious. Just the same thing placed in different places. So the operation of the psyche, the Tao, is running throughout the psyche; there is no need to have separate rules and parameters for each part of psyche. The mind operated as a mind according to Tao.
Could that also be, in the later case, Conscious thought/feeling objects had transformed into Unconscious thought/feeling objects? Thus Conscious and Unconscious are operated differently in one sense(of the nature of thought/feeling object), but they are united in another sense
(of the nature of psychological space). Things are different but the same, which is the idea of Tao. Is mind the best example of the operation of Tao?

框框本身是不是框框?

有沒有「沒有框框」的思維?
把思維用「有沒有框框」來分類本身是一種分析思想的模式,分析思想的模式不一定要用框框的概念,不過不用框框的慨念我們可以用什麼呢?
道家是要人做到打破「框框的框框的框框的框框的框框的框框的…..」,這代表什麼呢?

公主不哭,你們繼續哭

剛剛寫了莊子寓言:公主不再哭了, 就想起最近一個月來亞洲電視的節目,每晚都是四川的淒狀和感人的故事,不由得不佩服莊子的遠見,他看到當時孝子守孝三年以為是虛偽,因為人傷心未必有三 年,如今如果莊子看到香港電視台近一個月都不停地重複四川汶川的慘狀來供感情麻木的香港人消化,而電視台的訊息來來回回都是這一兩句,任何其他不同的意見及感想都不容,他一定大嘆原來中國的虛偽和麻木,自五千年來沒有改善,反有愈演愈烈之勢。
正常的情況,是發生天災人禍,哭又好、傷心又好,都會有一定的時限,他們的哭是因為發生在他們身上的事,而不是為了討好外人,更不是為了賺取外匯;但是, 自有攝影及影像傳播技術以後,人的情緒益發虛偽和做作,是為引起外界一個特定的反應(捐款、同情)而不是為了引起情緒的事情本身。如今再傷心都哭夠了,是 時侯去想一想天災人禍的原因及責任、如何防止和社會制度/文化的關係等等,但是香港的電視台總是要香港人無限的停留在傷心和同情狀態,因為一來思考的節目 收視一定不及煽情催淚的節目高,但是成本一定較高,二來思考在中共管理下的香港是政治不正確之事,三來「永遠忙碌」的香港人亦不喜歡思考。一但思考,看穿 中共利用救災的事把自己描述成救世主,卻不提做成天災人禍的原因正是它腐敗、不需向人民負責的政治制度,這個真相便和中共的和諧社會調子不乎。哪還得了? 這個「和諧」和莊子指「守孝」的虛偽,有沒有因果關係呢?是不是虛偽和麻木一定是專制的政治制度的衍生物呢?

莊子寓言:公主不再哭了

剛剛寫了莊子寓言:公主不再哭了, 就想起最近一個月來亞洲電視的節目,每晚都是四川的淒狀和感人的故事,不由得不佩服莊子的遠見,他看到當時孝子守孝三年以為是虛偽,因為人傷心未必有三 年,如今如果莊子看到香港電視台近一個月都不停地重複四川汶川的慘狀來供感情麻木的香港人消化,而電視台的訊息來來回回都是這一兩句,任何其他不同的意見及感想都不容,他一定大嘆原來中國的虛偽和麻木,自五千年來沒有改善,反有愈演愈烈之勢。
正常的情況,是發生天災人禍,哭又好、傷心又好,都會有一定的時限,他們的哭是因為發生在他們身上的事,而不是為了討好外人,更不是為了賺取外匯;但是, 自有攝影及影像傳播技術以後,人的情緒益發虛偽和做作,是為引起外界一個特定的反應(捐款、同情)而不是為了引起情緒的事情本身。如今再傷心都哭夠了,是 時侯去想一想天災人禍的原因及責任、如何防止和社會制度/文化的關係等等,但是香港的電視台總是要香港人無限的停留在傷心和同情狀態,因為一來思考的節目 收視一定不及煽情催淚的節目高,但是成本一定較高,二來思考在中共管理下的香港是政治不正確之事,三來「永遠忙碌」的香港人亦不喜歡思考。一但思考,看穿 中共利用救災的事把自己描述成救世主,卻不提做成天災人禍的原因正是它腐敗、不需向人民負責的政治制度,這個真相便和中共的和諧社會調子不乎。哪還得了? 這個「和諧」和莊子指「守孝」的虛偽,有沒有因果關係呢?是不是虛偽和麻木一定是專制的政治制度的衍生物呢?

無意識、潛意識和莊子的道

剛剛在寫「無意識、潛意識之辨」時 想起心理分析學的一個邏緝問題,因而我就想起了莊子的寓言,意識是一樣相當奇怪的東西,依該文所述,它居然可以包容了和它性質上截然不同的東西。意識豈不 是和道家思想中的道是同類?道的特性,有人提出是它可以包容任何東西,包括看來不是像是「有道」的東西,在道的大框框下,可以生出任何事物,有一些事物在 表面上是和道相容,如水及各種自然現象,它們是道最直接的體現;然而,由各種生物去到人,道的表現愈來愈不明顯,甚至可以說是不存在,人的行為看來有時是 什麼規則都沒有,不就是「無道」嗎?但依道家思想,人不是由道所生?
同理,我們可以把意識看成是一個大框框,在此框框之下,它可以包容表面看來和意識不相容的無意識/潛意識,無意識/潛意識本身一定是由意識所生,是屬於意 識以內的一種物體,但是它的性質怎看都看不出和意識有邏緝上的連貫關係。我們可以說無意識/潛意識由意識所生,慢慢卻演化出和意識不同的性質,但是邏緝上 無意識/潛意識又不可以獨立於意識之外,這個在意識之內卻又不表現出意識的性質的東西,不正正和人理應由道所生,行為卻不一定合乎道的一樣?
再想深一習,人的行為當是無意識/潛意識和意識角力的結果,人的行為如果是無道的,則是不是代表無道的行為是由有道的意識和看來無道的無意識/潛意識「合 作無道」所產生?同理,人的行為如果是有道的,則是不是代表無道的行為是由有道的意識和看來無道的無意識/潛意識「合作有道」所產生?意識、無意識/潛意 識和道的關係是什麼?

為何只有時辰八字?

信風水命理的人一定知什麼是時辰八字,是出生的年、月、日、時的五行屬性,不過細心想一下,其實時辰八字相當粗糙,世界在二小時出的人為數不少,難道他們 的命運都是一樣?比時辰八字好一點的是鐵板神數,由兩小時一單位改為一刻(15分鐘)為一單位,其實仍然是粗糙。即使在古中國的時代,十五分鐘的事已經可 以天翻地覆了。為什麼中國的命理不可以由時推展到分,再由分推展到秒?其實背後的原理一樣,秒不是最精準嗎?為什麼五行的影響只去到時,去不到分秒?是什 麼神秒性質把分秒和時年月日區分開來?
我有以下一個想法,其實中國的命理,可以不單是時辰八字,而是時辰十字,時辰十二字,時鐘有幾精準,命理就可以有幾精準。因此中國文化是故事選擇8,一來 是時間量度工具的問題,另一來是如果由時辰八字改成時辰十字,由於是五行而不是四行、三行、六行、七行,十可以被五整除而沒有餘數,故此理論上可以出現五 行完全平均分配的人。而依五行理論,如此的人有最完美的運程,沒有任何由五行不平衡而引起的內在衝突,結論並不合理。人沒有內在、外在的衝突,不會有成 長、變化和發展,世上無完人,人天生就是要學習如何去平衡自己的五行,用Freud的話,人如果沒有本我、自我及超我不停的衝突及互補,人的心理就不會有 成長,人一生是一個永遠不可能平衡的過程,不平衡才有生命/心理/社會!