為何物喪志

有人專攻NDS，年青人（熟女熟男亦有）對之專注熱情，不離不棄，地下鐵上「雖千萬人吾往矣」的態度足令多少犬儒慚愧。有人痛恨PSP，文化人（置己於知識和／或道德高地者）見之鞭撻，視之玩物喪志，卻又只見樹木不見樹林，更不自知五十步笑百步。斗轉星移，清末名士李慈銘也曾一度玩物喪志。清朝同治十二年（1873）正月二十二日，李氏寫下這樣的日記：

近日以手指瘃裂，不能校書，且心氣忽忽，時若虛耗，憚於讀經，因繙閱雜書，且以其暇，欲仿劉貢父漢官采選格為唐升官圖，以消遣閑寂，為讀史者之助。而案頭無唐代一書，乃先取國朝升官圖，校其遷隆，別其清濁，正俗刻之誤，今日遂至盡晷。此真飽食之博奕，群居之小慧，不特玩物喪志而已。嗣當切戒，勿再為之。（《越縵堂日記》（台北：文海，1963），桃華聖解盫日記，庚集，同治十二年正月二十二日壬寅條）

American [official] images of Chinese girls

Excerpts from War and Navy Departments, Washington, D.C., Pocket Guide to China (1943), prepared by Special Service Division, Army Service Forces, United States Army.

"The modern Chinese girl, in her long, closely fitting gown, her bare arms and short hair, is often very pretty. Yet it is well to remember that in China the attitude toward women is different from ours in America. Chinese women in some ways are more free than they are here in America - that is, they do some things which American women don't yet do. They are in the Army, for instance, and they fight side by side with the guerrillas. But in their relations with men they haven't the same freedeom as women have in America." (p. 15)

"There are Chinese girls in cabarets and places of amusement who may be used to free and easy ways. But the average Chinese girl will be insulted if you touch her, or will take you more seriously than you probably want to be taken. A mistake in this may cause a lot of trouble." (p. 15)

The lesson is be serious with modern Chinese women, they are either warriors (see traditional fairy tale Hua Mulan) or fair ladies.