启蒙之旅

“it was in error – this ruined my “break-through” idea but still left me in a place of deepened understanding – thus error can have fruitful results sometimes – don’t be afraid of error”---July 19

“I have never understood the Chinese habit of taking English names – possible explanations: (1) courtesy to visitors by making it easier for the foreigner to avoid language problems; (2) apparent courtesy to visitors but actually just disgust at hearing foreigners mispronounce Chinese names so badly; (3) mild cultural fantasy based on enchantment of foreign fiction since most Chinese names I’ve heard are those of students who got their names from Jane Austen (so everyone, even the boys, are named Elizabeth – though I once knew a girl student in Beijing who had taken the name Edward); (4) severe traumatic identity crisis requiring the assuming of a dual (or more – who knows how many names you have) naming preferably in diverse cultural forms; (5) criminal intent to create an alias to throw pursuers off the track – “—Aug 4

“But I don't know yet if that is truly a "culture-free zone." It may be that physiology itself is culture free, but what we create with it is bound by culture and history and social arrangements.”—Aug.6

“i always advise students: follow your dream -- almost everyone will agree with me about it, but most think i am talking about some vague romantic desire -- actually i am talking about everyone's individual deepest set of interests -- too much schooling keeps us from making contact with our deepest set of interests -- little of schooling helps us explore in the direction of finding our deepest set of interests -- these are not interests that are automatically apparent to us -- they are interests we have to search for and watch develop as we move from one stage of learning to another -- they are not ready made -- they are developmental -- we grow from them -- they grow from us –“—Aug. 7

“somewhere in human evolution the senses enjoyed their free play without being harnessed to the controlling brain -- then one day the brain took over in a mad fit of Me-ism -- the self-centered world where everything comes back to the dominant central intellect -- ME -- it was no longer "hearing" "tasting" "touching" at free play -- but instead MY hearing tasting touching -- the dominating I-ness of our development -- and just then a distance entered in between our sensing of the world and our thinking about it -- making meaning out of it -- then some demon invented literary critics and literature teachers and graduate students who were charged with nothing but making meaning out of things -- instead of enjoying the free play of the words -- the way light falls on the page differently throughout the day –“—Aug 19

….

与J教授的书信来往总是让我受益良多。

我总是一个无知的顽童，抛出各种各样幼稚的问题和自己的想法，可是他却是一个深刻的导师，似乎总是可以从我杂乱无章的文字中整理出意义；

不知道自己何德何能可以遇到这么好的老师，善于倾听，用心去理解，用心去捕捉我字里行间所透露的隐晦信息----

昨天收到他的来信，说从U.S给我寄了一些书。

我总是希望可以找到合适的字眼来感激他的分享、理解和不吝赐教。

但是在所有感谢的字典里，我尚找不出这样的词汇。

那么，我只能全心全意地去理解，去聆听，去追求他所一直鼓励和支持的c2。

这是我本命年最好的际遇。