Dear Woo Singer,
Beyond the dream and soul-stirring love
The movie “Beyond the Dream” has been in a storm of hype recently. From the Preface of the novel from which the movie was adapted, two clinical psychologists quote a quotable quote from the psychiatrist R.D. Laing:” Insanity is a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world.” Here comes a sense of helplessness and what’s left is only a sigh. What can we do, in this tumultuous time, apart from mere passivity and submission? In one of the ancient Chinese classics, “The Great Preface” to the Book of Songs, there is a saying: ”Emotion is aroused deep in one’s heart and articulated in words. Where words fall short of communicating, a sigh plays as understudy. Where even a sigh is rendered impotent, songs-singing comes to our aid. When finally even songs-singing is of no avail, gesturing and dancing become our last resort.” Words, poems, music and dancing are ways of expressing our emotions. In hard times, we’re full of emotions to be shared with friends, expressed in words, or conveyed in music and dancing. After all, our lives are not just prey to docility and feebleness.
幻愛與情動
「幻愛」是近期很多人談論的一部本地電影，同名小說的「序」找來兩位臨床心理學家撰寫，他們提及一位精神科醫生R.D. Laing的一句名言：「精神錯亂是對瘋狂世界的正常適應。」這句說話確實令人感到無奈及唏噓，難道我們在紛亂的日子裡只有被動地接受及回應？在《詩經·大序》中有一段話：「情動於衷，而形於言，言之不足，故嗟歎之，嗟歎之不足，故詠歌之，詠歌之不足，不知手之舞之，足之蹈之也。」說話、詩詞、音樂及舞蹈就是情感的回應方式。在艱難的日子裡，我們有着說不盡的情緒，這些情緒可以找朋友傾談、可以用文字表達、可以用音樂或舞蹈表述，那麼，我們的人生也不至於只有被動與無奈。