「2010年8月23日」，相信在很多香港人心中都會成為一個悲痛的日子。一個在菲律賓的康泰旅行團在離開黎剎紀念公園時，被一名持有M16步槍的前菲律賓警員上車挾持，旅遊車上的團友都成為人質。事件擾攘十一小時，最終流血收場，八名港人被殺。
對於菲警拙劣的表現，甚至拯救行動中誤殺港人的傳聞和討論，相信大家已接觸不少，亦有很多專家作過討論，在此暫且不談。我反倒想說說自己對以下人士的行為的感覺。
首先，菲律賓總統阿奎諾三世對整件事的態度，實在令人氣憤。當本港政府得悉挾持事件，曾特首已多次主動聯絡菲總統，希望確保香港人質的安全，但菲總統卻未有即時回覆。發生這樣一件關乎人命的大事，香港最高領導人已親自打電話聯絡，菲總統卻愛理不理，沒有作出回應，這是一位總統應有的表現嗎? 事件最終變成悲劇，當大家都期望菲總統會嚴肅地作出一個合理的回應時，他卻笑容滿臉地出來回見傳媒，把責任推卸到「傳媒進行直播」上，又拿俄羅斯歌劇院人質挾持事件來比較，暗示今次死傷已不算嚴重，並以輕鬆的語氣笑著說:「沒有人能保證一定可以救出人質」。總統先生，請問您笑什麼? 笑這次只是死了八個人，而非全團喪生? 還是覺得大家小題大造，過分緊張? 很明顯是次悲劇本可避免。 槍手既不是瘋狂殺人犯也不是恐怖組織，只是一個對政府有訴求的前警員，他本身亦無意要殺害人質。是菲警拯救行動連番出錯、不停刺激槍手，才會把原本可解決的事件釀成慘劇。總統在記者會上是否當著全世界的面把責任一笑置之? 即使慘劇與政府無關，作為一個正常人，也絕對無理由笑笑口地回應關於死亡的嚴肅話題吧。
除了菲律賓總統，部分菲律賓國民的態度亦令人側目。在報紙或網絡中都流傳一些當地人士在涉事康泰旅遊巴士前拍攝的合照。令人感到不解的是，相中人都並非神色哀傷，反而是開開心心笑著拍照，把案發現場當成旅遊景點一樣。他們有想過對死者及所有港人的尊重嗎? 發生一件奪去八人性命的悲劇，難道這些人都沒有同情心? 難免為他們感到可悲。這些人根本沒有情感、不明白性命的可貴、不懂珍惜和尊重生命。
此文章並非指所有菲律賓人都是這樣無情冷血，我相信不少菲律賓國民(包括在港工作的人)都與港人一樣為事件感到痛心。只是，某些人的態度和表現實在令人覺得他們沒什麼人性可言。如果面對這樣一件流血慘劇仍可若無其事地笑出來，便是沒有人類應有的情感，你說可不可悲?
在此，希望所有遇難的靈魂早日安息。康泰領隊謝先生，感謝您英勇、專業的表現，您是位英雄，港人以您為榮。一路好走。
最後，希望死裡逃生的傷者早日康復，走出陰霾，並祝願死傷者的家屬及朋友能度過難關，勇敢生存下去。本人在此送上最深切的祝福。
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Bullfighting - A Barbaric Sport In A Civilized World
BBC News - Rampaging Bull Injures 40 in Spanish Arena
40 people were injured when a bull suddenly jumped out of the arena and leaped into a crowd of Spanish spectators. The bull was taken under control after running wild on the stands for several minutes and was later killed. The accident brings up the controversy about bullfighting again.
Some believe that bullfighting is a valuable cultural tradition that shouldn't be banned. Bullfighting was developed more than two hundred years ago and it indeed has a very long history. However, in the civilized world of the 21st Century where we can have almost every entertainment we want, is it still necessary to keep such a tradition that takes away the lives of innocent animals to please ourselves?
According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, around 250,000 bulls were killed in the rings every year. That means 250,000 innocent bulls were stabbed by the lance and tortured to death while the excited spectators applause for the brave matador's glorious victory. Is this a kind of sports that we "civilized" humans should appreciate? Some may say the deaths of those bulls are nothing compared to the deaths of commercial cattle for our consumption. That might be true, but at least cattle in commercial farms won't need to endure unnecessary pain before dying, and there won't be a pack of excited crowd cheering for their deaths. Moreover, even if the situation of animal welfare is just as worse in commercial farms, does that give us a justified reason to keep this kind of cruel sport running?
The accident shows that bullfighting doesn't only cause problems in the aspect of animal welfare, but also endanger the spectators' safety. So why continue this kind of entertainment? Do we really have to see somebody risking his life to combat with a raged animal or a wild animal being slaughtered to be satisfied? All living things created by Mother Nature are equal and no intelligence or technology can put us in a higher position than the rest of other lives. We don't have the right to torture innocent animals to death just for our own pleasure. This is brutal and barbaric. "Civilized" humans, let's all stop this kind of selfish act and learn to respect lives.
40 people were injured when a bull suddenly jumped out of the arena and leaped into a crowd of Spanish spectators. The bull was taken under control after running wild on the stands for several minutes and was later killed. The accident brings up the controversy about bullfighting again.
Some believe that bullfighting is a valuable cultural tradition that shouldn't be banned. Bullfighting was developed more than two hundred years ago and it indeed has a very long history. However, in the civilized world of the 21st Century where we can have almost every entertainment we want, is it still necessary to keep such a tradition that takes away the lives of innocent animals to please ourselves?
According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, around 250,000 bulls were killed in the rings every year. That means 250,000 innocent bulls were stabbed by the lance and tortured to death while the excited spectators applause for the brave matador's glorious victory. Is this a kind of sports that we "civilized" humans should appreciate? Some may say the deaths of those bulls are nothing compared to the deaths of commercial cattle for our consumption. That might be true, but at least cattle in commercial farms won't need to endure unnecessary pain before dying, and there won't be a pack of excited crowd cheering for their deaths. Moreover, even if the situation of animal welfare is just as worse in commercial farms, does that give us a justified reason to keep this kind of cruel sport running?
The accident shows that bullfighting doesn't only cause problems in the aspect of animal welfare, but also endanger the spectators' safety. So why continue this kind of entertainment? Do we really have to see somebody risking his life to combat with a raged animal or a wild animal being slaughtered to be satisfied? All living things created by Mother Nature are equal and no intelligence or technology can put us in a higher position than the rest of other lives. We don't have the right to torture innocent animals to death just for our own pleasure. This is brutal and barbaric. "Civilized" humans, let's all stop this kind of selfish act and learn to respect lives.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Nothing was ever accomplished with tears?
Alice in Wonderland中, 毛毛蟲對Alice說過一句: Nothing was ever accomplished with tears.
的確, 面對問題時, 眼淚通常幫不上忙.
但是否沒有實際幫助便不可做?
流眼淚, 某程度上是給予自己一個發洩情感的空間.
你可以選擇禁示自己哭, 但你能保證那些淚不會在心裡流嗎?
為何不可哭? 不想接受自己也有脆弱的一面這個事實? 還是怕其他人會看低自己?
哭其實也可以是勇敢的表現啊.
去承認自己心靈也有脆弱的時候, 難道不需要勇氣?
去放低每天戴著的面具, 給自己幾分鐘, 真真正正做一隻有感覺, 有情感的動物, 也不是人人做得到.
流淚時, 我們才能接觸到心中最真的感覺呢... (有心裝哭搏同情的當然另作別論了)
流過淚, 釋放了一直被壓抑的情緒, 才有力氣繼續走前面的路.
Nothing was ever accomplished with tears. 可能吧. 但 without tears, can you be tough enough to live through all the ups and downs in life and accomplish anything at all?
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