Ep38. 留白

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大家最近好嗎?呢幾日天陰陰,係咪同我哋嘅心情都一樣呢。其實不公義每日都上演緊,當然香港嘅事近在咫尺,但最近緬甸嘅消息亦都令我好唔開心,彷彿我哋經歷過嘅事又再重新上演。覺得無力人之常情,但係正如荼毒室我最鐘意嘅豬文講:「個世界會越來越差,但係你應該要越嚟越好」。希望大家都可以喺互相嘅關心之下,得到少少嘅慰藉。呢個podcast算係我喺動盪不安嘅年代少少嘅喘息空間,令我可以脫離現實。今集我會講一個棟篤笑喎,希望可以令大家笑著咁休息十分鐘。

大家有冇睇過Ronnie Chieng嘅棟篤笑?佢係《Crazy Rich Asian》入面做討厭嘅香港banker之類嘅物體啦(i can't believe i watched the movie - 🥵),但現實中佢係馬來西亞華人,喺澳州讀Commerce & Law,而家係美國居住。我想大家睇嘅呢係佢其中一個3分鐘嘅短片【1】名為《Ronny Chieng Thinks Amazon Prime Is Too Slow》,基本上每一秒都係金句。唔知你哋聽到嘅時候,會唔會都覺得同身在香港嘅感覺都係似曾相識呢?

「In America, never leave your house. Land of the free, and Land of never leaving your house」我哋又何嘗唔係呢

「No item too trivial. No quantity too small... To be hand delivered into your home like an emperor. Anything.」尤其是而家我哋乜嘢小事都可以外判人哋,自己唔使郁

「50 million boxes flying across America at all times. The airspace above America is just Amazon Prime... like satellite debris」本來環保撚嘅我仲可以長篇大論講啲包裝但我覺得嗰種唔買嘢就空虛嘅感覺重要啲

「We need Prime harder, faster, stronger! Prime Now - 2 hour delivery 📦 - Give it to me... NOW」到咗呢幾年先知原來有啲deadline叫【即刻】

「When I press buy, put the item in my hand... In America, there should be no lag, between when I press the button...and when the item is gently placed into my hand」即買即享受,唔應該要等、唔應該要有耐性,到咗一個位佢開始講最精警嘅一段:

「Break into my house... and put the food I ordered into my mouth...and help me chew it」為咗要快,我唔介意你衝入我屋企,將我買嘅嘢食放入我個口度,然後唔差在幫我郁埋個下巴幫我咀嚼埋啦。其實我哋而家真係好好食嘢嘅時間有幾多?然後佢問:

「So where do we go from here... as a civilization? How much more convenience can we get?」我哋要幾多嘅方便?我哋嘅生活free咗出嚟嘅時間用咗嚟做乜?我哋節省時間嘅同時,有無認真諗過慳咗嘅時間用嚟做乜?係咪值得周邊嘅人大費周章俾更多時間做令自生活更加麻目?

錢同時間,好多人話分別在於,錢可以tangibly地出現係你手入面(雖然其實Harari都有講過錢只不過係一個對institution嘅信任),但時間睇唔到;但我覺得最大分別係,錢永遠帶唔走,因為佢嘅價值永遠rest in the external world,相反時間係真係一樣我哋可以牢牢捉實嘅嘢、當下擁有嘅嘢。錢有啲人多啲,有啲人少啲,同埋用咗錢可以再搵過,但係時間每個人都只有24小時,過咗就冇架啦,所以計落,一句「pay me back with time」係最貴嘅承諾。

最後,佢話:

「Let's get Prime Before. Send it to me before I want it! It's 2019, I have to make a decision? Use artificial intelligence... to substitute my own intelligence so I can live my life」做人做到咁,聽落無咩意思係嗎。但我哋已經係咁樣生活緊。回想下上次我哋主動地將思緒放到一樣物件上面,係幾時嘅事?又或,我哋依靠algorithm去餵我哋食content,又係幾時開始嘅obsession?我哋上次覺得好奇係幾時嘅事?上一次覺得自己真係掌握緊生活嘅節奏、為自己嘅時間負責,又係幾時呢?當「唔方便」「最緊要快」成為咗一個我哋現今社會所追求嘅嘢,我哋以後只會無止境地追求快捷。好快我哋好多嘅決定都會被automated,我哋會有更多嘅空餘時間。科技發展釋放嘅唔止係勞動力,仲係時間。但係問心,我哋未必知道點樣處理liberate咗嘅時間。

係呢度Ronny Chieng嘅三分鐘棟篤笑已經完咗,我嘅反思係,快唔係唔啱,但係快嘅目的係啲咩?有冇啲嘢係值得慢?快同慢係咪就係呢個spectrum嘅盡頭呢?如果spectrum嘅一邊係需要快,另外一邊唔係快,係留白。最近去咗香港藝術館,睇咗一段影片係解釋中國畫同西方畫作嘅分別,就係中國話喺詮釋空間、時間感,用嘅方法係留白,由觀者用自己嘅想像complete對作品嘅詮釋、體會,觀者同作畫嘅人跨越時間空間交流,都係一種令人陶醉嘅體會。我就諗其實同樣嘅 philosophy都可以應用喺生活上。為自己生活留白,容許自己嘅思緒根據當下嘅感官freeflow,都未嘗係真正own時間嘅一種。

Time ownership係我今年想努力嘅目標之一。其實我都同樣摸索緊點樣可以以自己嘅意願決定時間點樣用。留白好似好poetic呀呵,但係喺可以留白之前首先要own返自己嘅時間先。喺呢度我要介紹下一本書叫《The Life-changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck》by Sarah Knight。不過呢睇過本書之後我覺得可以就咁睇佢個TED Talk【2】就可以嘞。諗起都想笑,超好睇嘅一個TED talk,佢講嘅概念係每個人都有個fuck budget,而你嘅fuck budget = time + energy + money。佢有一個Not Sorry Method去分配自己嘅fuck bucks,就係Step 1: Decide what you don't give a fuck about, then Step 2: Don't give a fuck about those things。LOL LOL 係你個過程會有其他人埋怨你,但係只要你誠實同埋有禮貌,就冇問題。例如:

- 我唔會將我嘅時間俾唔值得嘅嘢控制,例如要我浪費時間去等一啲無謂嘅嘢,我會直接話唔等

-要去一啲無謂嘅應酬,唔去

-要同一啲無謂嘅人講嘢,唔講

-要做一啲無謂嘅嘢去please人,唔做

-唔小心浪費咗自己嘅時間落一啲無意思嘅嘢上面,即刻斬纜

-無興趣嘅嘢,會直接話無興趣,唔得閒

-無意義嘅對話,唔join

-無意義嘅group chat,直接leave group

-無意義嘅朋友,直接unfollow

-無意義嘅video,直接唔睇

個意義唔係邊個釐定,而係好personal嘅。成個exercise只係要我哋將所有嘅配上一個purpose。如果你嘅purpose係放鬆,咁by all means watch something garbage,但係你要知道呢一樣嘢係有一種意義。我心目中嘅留白唔代表一片空白,而係刻意地唔喺嗰個地方油顏色。

當我有咗咁多時間之後,我就發現我可以好好安排有啲咩嘢需要快、有啲咩需要慢,例如食嘢要慢、呼吸要慢、思考要慢。我嘅留白就係點樣擺脫algorithm,根據自己嘅思緒走,搵到嘅有趣事物。我留白嘅方式就係自主地將專注力放喺睇書、散步、呼吸、睇風景、咀嚼。尤其是睇書嘅時候思緒可以完全自由飛舞,無嘢可以量度到你睇咗幾多,冇人會因為你嘅selection而安排啲廣告target你,純粹同作者隔空交談,唔係一件好浪漫嘅事咩。

由挑戰乜嘢都要快嘅生活方式,去到質疑究竟我哋仲有冇自主,去到點樣安排自己嘅思緒。。。我希望大家都可以喺紛亂嘅世界入面,搵到自己嘅節奏,為自己搵到片刻嘅留白,製造自己喘息嘅空間。搵到algorithm、AI以外嘅自己,都係future-proof自己嘅一個方法。

【1】https://youtu.be/BGEAiUeiaKs

【2】https://youtu.be/GwRzjFQa_Og