合一:一個將會改變世界的概念
When people consulted Edgar Cayce concerning their problems, his response was often to turn things on their head, giving an unexpected way to look at the situation. People would come to him with their likes and dislikes, their hopes and fears, what they wanted and what they didn』t want, and his answer would often put things into a different perspective, shifting the focus from the outer circumstance and its challenge to attitude and growth. One of the most important of these 「revisionist」 ideas was his concept of 「Oneness.」 Although there are many levels to his premise, what he means by this idea is likely to have tremendous implications in terms of how individuals perceive, respond to, and experience the world. Ultimately, it is an ancient idea whose time has finally come in a way that can truly change the thought of humankind.
當人們就他們的問題前來咨詢愛德加 凱西,他的回覆經常把他們徹底顛覆:凱西會給出一個意想不到的方式來讓他們去看待現狀。人們會帶著他們的好惡,他們的希望和恐懼,他們想要的和不想要的,而凱西的回答經常把事情放在一個不同的角度去看到,把焦點從外在環境和挑戰變換為內在的心態和個人成長。其中最重要的顛覆性的思想是這個概念:合一。儘管他的這個前提有很多層意義,但這個概念會對這個世界產生巨大的影響,可以改變每個人對世界覺知、回報和體驗的方式。最終,這是一個古老的思想,迎來了可以改變人類思想的時代。
Cayce often quoted the phrase from the Bible, 「The Lord thy God is One!」 We might think of this statement as claiming that there is a God, but only one God. True enough, and Cayce affirmed this aspect of oneness many times. There is only one force in the universe, he insisted. He meant it, and to prove it he repeatedly noted that even what we think of as 「evil」 is nevertheless part of that same one force, just misapplied. Yet he also meant something much more radical than the one-God idea. For Cayce, oneness also meant that everything, all that is, and all that ever will be is One—one force, one substance, one being, one reality—and that reality is God. There is nothing in existence that is not God. This idea is revolutionary, and it might take some working up to in order to be able to grasp it clearly and fully.
凱西經常引用聖經的句子:「耶和華你的神是一!」我們可能把這個闡述認為是聲稱有一個神,只有一個神。確實如此,凱西肯定了合一的這個面向很多次。他堅稱宇宙中只有一種力量。他反覆地提請我們注意:甚至我們所認為邪惡的勢力,也是同樣的力量的一部分,只不過錯誤套用了而已。然而,他的合一概念也比一個上帝的說法遠為深刻和廣泛。對凱西來說,合一代表著全部的一切,全部的存在都是一:一種力量,一種物質,一種存在,一種實相,而這個實相就是神。沒有什麼不是上帝的存在。這個概念是革命性的,需要蠻大的努力和實踐工作,才能清楚完全地掌握它。
Let』s start with something suggested by Edgar Cayce. He recommended that the start of every spiritual or religious search begin with a six-month lesson on oneness. This might take on numerous approaches. Let』s look, for example, at the oneness of humanity. On the one hand, we can meditate on our common qualities. As in the Buddhist compassion meditation, we can remember that 「others have hopes for their lives, just as I do…」 or 「others feel pain, just as I do…」 and so on. At a more profound level, we may realize that although our skin provides us with a biological boundary, we are constantly exchanging molecules with our environment. Not only are the green plants giving off oxygen molecules which we then incorporate into our bodies, the wind blows our exhaled molecules around the world. Scientists have speculated that almost everyone on the planet has molecules within them from many, many other people in the world. Humanity shares the same ingredients for making their bodies.
讓我們以凱西建議的一些東西開始。他推薦每一個靈性的或宗教的探求,都以關於合一的六個月的學習課程為開始。這可能呈現在許多途徑上。例如,讓我們看一下人性的統一性。一方面,我們可以冥想駐留於我們共同的品質上。在佛教慈悲冥想中,我們有「其他人對生活充滿希望,正如我一樣…」或者「其他人感到痛苦,正如我一樣」等等。在更深的層次,我們也許意識到雖然我們的面板為我們提供了生物的邊界,我們不斷地和環境在分子層面進行交換互動。不但綠色植物發出我們吸入體內的氧分子,空氣流動也將我們呼出的分子帶到世界各處。科學家已經推測幾乎星球上的每個人都有世界上來自許多其他人的分子在體內。人類共享同樣的材料造就身體。
Generally speaking, science knows that the planet itself and all life on the planet are engaged in a molecule exchange program. Although our eyes learn to see boundaries, such as the bark that surrounds a tree, the feathers that surround a bird, and the skin that surrounds us, all living beings are extracting needed substances from the environment (such as humans needing to breathe oxygen) and giving off unneeded substances which are in turn needed by other life forms (such as all of us exhaling carbon dioxide, which is used by plants). The planet is one living being and we are a part of this whole. Cayce constantly reminds us to be mindful of what we are putting out and what we are taking in. People in the 「green」 movement express the same sentiment today, being concerned about everything from what is in our food to what we put into the trash, and ultimately the environment.
總的來說,科學知道星球本身和星球上的全部生命都參與分子交換項目。雖然我們的眼睛學會看到界限,例如圍繞一棵樹的樹皮,圍繞一隻鳥的羽毛,包圍我們的面板,但是,全部的生物都從環境中提取需要的物質(例如人類需要呼吸氧氣)發出不需要的物質,這物質被其他生命形式所需要(例如我們全部人呼出被植物所用的二氧化碳)。這個星球是一個有機體,而我們是這整體的一部分。凱西不斷地提示我們要注意攝入的和散發的一切。綠色和平運動的人們表達了同樣的感情,提示我們去關注我們的食物裡有什麼,到我們在垃圾裡放了什麼。
But Cayce went beyond these simple physical things. He often included our thoughts in this equation. He reminded us that 「thoughts are things」 and that everything we think has either a positive or a negative influence upon the outer world—impacting others as well as the overall environment. Science has also given several demonstrations that there is an environment of thoughts, sometimes called the 「field of consciousness.」 The 「Global Consciousness Project,」 for example, studies the effects of world events that grip global awareness, on radioactive devices. These devices, housed in numerous laboratories around the world, have previously demonstrated their sensitivity to consciousness effects. When events such as the death of Princess Diana or the 9/11 World Trade Center destruction grip the awareness of the world, these devices respond to the effective force of so many people』s awareness focused in the same manner. Clearly Cayce was correct when he said that our thoughts become part of the environment we all live in. Such a realization begins to put upon us a tremendous responsibility for how we think. Just as we might cover our cough in public so as to not spread germs, we might consider cleaning up our fear and anger thoughts so that they will not 「pollute」 or harm the world. Developing ourselves spiritually, so that we have more constructive responses to the events in life, is what we need to do individually as our own part in cleaning up the 「thought environment.」
但是凱西的思想超越了這些簡單的物質層面。他經常把我們的思想包括在這個公理中。他提示我們「思想就是物質」:我們所想的一切,對外在世界都有積極或消極作用,會影響其他人以及全部的環境。科學也已經給出了有思想領欄位的明證,有時候被叫做「意識的領欄位」。例如「全球意識工程」就是在射電裝置上研究世界性事件對全球意識的影響。這些裝置分部在世界各地眾多的實驗室裡,曾展示了他們對意識效果的敏感性。例如戴安娜王妃之死或者911世貿中心的毀滅,抓住了世界的意識。這些裝置監測到了這樣的集體意識的影響。很顯然,當凱西說我們的思想變成了我們所在環境的一部分時,他確實無疑。有了這樣一個領悟,在我們身上就會加上如何正確思考的巨大責任。正如我們在公眾場合咳嗽時用手蓋住口來避免細菌的傳染,我們可能要仔細考慮清理我們的恐懼和憤怒思想,以防它們污染或危害這個世界。我們需要在靈性上發展進化,這樣使得我們對生活中的事件會有更加建設性的反應,我們每一個個體都需要參與清除思想環境。
It becomes apparent fairly quickly that the concept of oneness takes on many dimensions, and begins to reshape our view of the world, of our lives, of how we are connected to one another, and of how we may need to address some of our response patterns. Cayce often pointed out to inquirers that the reality of oneness could not help but characterize their experience of the world. On the one hand, he noted the oneness of soul, mind, and body, whereby the shape, functionality, and experiences of the body ultimately mirrored that of the soul. Along the same lines, researchers of reincarnation have often noted bodily marks that correspond with recalled incidents from past lives. For example, a traumatic injury in one life, such as a critical wound, can result in a mirrored-image 「birthmark」 in the next. Another indication of oneness is reflected in Cayce』s oft-repeated quote, 「Spirit is the Life, Mind is the Builder, and the Physical is the result.」 This certainly illustrates the Cayce view of personal creation—essentially a downward causation model—in which attributes of the soul are mirrored and represented in the mind, which in turn is mirrored in the physical conditions that are eventually created.
人們越來越注意到,合一的概念呈現有很多維度。這種領悟開始重塑我們的世界觀、我們的生活、我們彼此連線的方式,以及我們需要處理的一些反應模式。凱西經常向詢問者指出:合一將重塑我們在這個世界的體驗。一方面,靈魂、思想、身體的合一,身體憑借外形、功能和經歷,映射靈魂的品質。輪迴轉世研究者經常注意到身體的標記,往往與來自前世的事件的契合。例如,某一世的致命傷,可以導致今生相對部位的胎記。合一的另外特質在凱西經常引用的話裡得到說明:「靈性是生命源,思想是建造者,物質是結果。」這個當然闡明了凱西的個人創造的觀點,本質上是墮落向下的因果模式,其中靈魂的內容在心智上被反應和代表,而身體情況的呈現就是心智模式的回報。
An even more profound dimension of this oneness within a person is the oneness between the person and his or her life experiences. Frequently, an individual would approach Cayce and inquire about the meaning or purpose of a specific life circumstance only to learn that the situation was a lesson that somehow provided a mirror of that person, and her or his attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Sometimes this oneness is expressed by the slogan, 「You create your own reality.」 We can take this on the micro level, meaning that the 「you」 (your ego, your choices), make a difference in the world. At a more macro level, however, what Cayce means is that the movie you view as your life mirrors an internal movie—the two are one and the same. While we are desperately aware of our life circumstances, we are more often ignorant or unconscious of the deeper aspects of ourselves that become projected and reflected in our life events and circumstances. We can see the result, but not the cause, and it was the cause that often lay at the heart of Cayce』s explanations. Every one of our life experiences is like a personal mirror that invites us to learn more about our relationship to All-That-Is, or Reality, or God—for ultimately oneness demands that God is all there is. Our life experiences are reflections of our soul—mirrors that we can learn from, in the same way we can learn from dreams. Our experiences reflect who we are. Our spiritual path moves us from perceiving ourselves to be as our ego experiences us—as separate, autonomous individuals. Yet life is attempting to teach us a different consciousness of reality: although we are individual, we are one with All-That-Is; we are one with God.
一個個體內的合一性的更深層面是這個人和其生活經歷的統一性。經常有個體找到凱西,諮詢某個特定生活事件的意義或目的,凱西卻說這個情況其實是一個課程,用來說明照見他或她的態度、信念和行動 。有時候這個合一性被這句話表達出來:「你創造了自己的實相。」從微觀層面來說,這句話可以理解為你(你的自我,你的選擇)對這個世界有影響。然而,凱西的意思更為巨集觀:你看的這部人生電影反應了一個你內在的圖像,且這兩者是一個,一樣的。當我們為我們的生活環境深深困擾,我們經常不知道或沒有意識到正是我們自己的深層的部分,反應在我們的生活事件和環境的層面!我們往往看到是結果而不是原因。凱西解讀給出的往往是問題的底層核心原因。我們全部的人生經歷就像個人的鏡子,邀請我們學會更多去認知與萬有、實相的關係,或者說與上帝的關係。因為最終合一就是:神是唯一的存在實相。我們的生活經歷映射著我們的靈魂,是我們可以從中學習的鏡子,正如我們可以學習的夢境。我們的經歷反映了我們是什麼樣子的。我們自我的體驗往往是分裂和自主的個體,而我們的靈性道路將我們領向另外一面。生活嘗試教給我們不同的意識現實:雖然我們是個體,但我們和一切的存在是合一的,與神是合一的。
Achieving this shift in perspective and perception requires using more of our consciousness than simply our mind or head consciousness. It requires 「heart,」 as Cayce notes that the purpose of our heart awareness is to allow us to conceive of ourselves, and directly experience ourselves to be individual, yet one with God.
實現觀點和覺知上的轉變,要求超越簡單的顯意識思想,它需要心的參與。凱西指出:我們心的意識的會覺知到我們自己,並且直接地體驗到:我們是個體的,然而也是和神是一體的。
我們實際上在科學本身也可以看到這種並行模式。科學打破了觀察者和外在世界分離的錯覺,發現了「觀察者影響被觀察者」。後來,量子物理學發現我們原以為構成宇宙的是那些電子微粒,但除非你以某種特定的方式去觀察,否則他們不是真正的事物。這些我們認為的事物,實際上是無限向外傳播的波動,沒有邊界或固定的位置。這裡我們看到兩個現實的概念:一種感知是看世界是有界限的,單獨的事物;而另外一種覺知看世界是互相作用的震動波,一種能量表達的宇宙之舞。凱西做出了類似的分別,指出我們用感官感知的現實並不是唯一的現實。他建議我們學會用靈魂的心智去看世界 ,就是用想像力,用心靈的維度去觀察。
Just as your heart can feel 「close」 to someone far away, science has discovered 「non-locality.」 When electron pairs in a molecule are separated from one another and propelled quickly in opposite directions, they nevertheless react instantaneously to each other』s actions. Even though they are far apart, what scientists do to one also affects the other at the same moment, no matter how far apart the two electrons may have traveled. Science has discovered what they call a 「non-local」 effect, something that scientists of consciousness find quite similar to a psychic effect. There is no separation by distance or time. In a very radical statement, Cayce described space and time as illusions that enable us to experience cause and effect and ultimately learn from that experience. In other words, God created these illusions in consciousness to provide us an opportunity to move from the perception of separation to the consciousness of oneness. Science is catching up.
正如你的心對遙遠的人可以感到親近,科學已經發現「非局欄位性」。當分子裡的電子對被分開,以相反的方向快速推動,他們即刻地對彼此的行動做出反應。即使他們離的很遠,科學家對一個所做的同時也影響了另外一個,無論兩個相距多遠的電子走了多遠。科學家已經發現了他們稱作「非局部的」效果。意識科學家發現這個現象和超感知現象非常相似,它們都沒有時空的分別。凱西的一個闡述更加有挑戰性,他把時間和空間描述成可以讓我們能夠經歷因果並從中學習的幻象。換句話說,上帝有意識地創造了這些幻覺:提供我們從分離的感知移到到合一意識的機會。科學正迎頭趕上。
People often link Cayce to the concept of a New Age because of his prediction of the transformation of our world view, primarily that of moving into a consciousness of oneness. Years ago, when Marilyn Ferguson published her groundbreaking book, The Aquarian Conspiracy, outlining the various aspects of the emerging 「Aquarian Age,」 she focused on one central idea that she felt was the cornerstone of all the changes coming. She called the old 「paradigm」—meaning the world view that governs the questions we ask and the answers we get—the world view of separation. She claimed that the notion of separation was dying, and in its place was the idea of inter-connectedness. Thus the idea of oneness is the core idea, and our questions may be shifted from asking, 「How does it work?」 to asking instead things like, 「What is the story?」 This would be a shift from the materialistic thought pattern of cause and effect, to the more consciousness-oriented concern for meaning and purpose.
人們經常把凱西和新時代運動聯絡起來,因為凱西預言了我們世界觀的蛻變,將跨入合一的意識。幾年前,當瑪裡琳弗格森出版了她開創性的書《寶瓶共謀》,她概括了呈現的 「水瓶新世紀」的各方面。她專注一個中心思想,她覺得這是全部即將來臨的變化的基石。她將這個稱為舊的「範例」:統治我們問的問題和得到答案的世界觀---是分離獨立的世界觀。她聲稱分離的概念逐漸消亡,取而代之的是內在連通性的。而合一的概念是核心理念。我們的問題也許從問「它是怎麼運作的?」轉變到問「整個故事是什麼?」這將是一個從因果關係唯物論的思想模式,到關注意義和目的的意識朝向的轉變。
When Cayce was asked by people going through trials and tribulations about what was the meaning of all their suffering, his answer was consistently provocative as it expressed a radical view of oneness, but one which gives us a handle on dealing with our predicaments. He echoed what is known as the 「Perennial Philosophy,」 the key idea central to all spiritual traditions. In simplest terms, the philosophy states, 「you are that!」 This mysterious statement is saying that the outside world that you experience and the inner world that you identify as being you are actually one and the same. The outer world is our mirror. The meaning of this mirror, and Cayce would suggest that it is its purpose, is to awaken us to our God-ness. Every experience we have, Cayce contends, is meant to lead us to the realization that we are one with God; that we possess the attributes of godliness, especially in our creative aspects. As we develop spiritually, grooming our thoughts and behaviors to express more perfectly our ideals; as we aim less to get ahead in the world, but instead to become in harmony with the world; we find it easier to learn from our experiences, to grow from them, to realize that everything is God and everything exists to wake us up to our own God-ness. Everything that exists and all that can be conceived to exist is one. It is all ONE.
當凱西被那些經歷艱難困苦的人們問到:他們所受苦難的意義是什麼,他的回答總是影響挑戰性的合一理念,但同時也給予我們處理危機的方法。他的解讀與「長青哲學」共振:全部的靈性傳統核心有一個關鍵理念。用最簡單的術語陳述就是「你就是它!」 這神秘的聲明時在說:你經歷的外面的世界和你的內心世界實際上是一回事。外部世界是我們的鏡子映射。凱西認為這個鏡子的意義和它的目的,是為了喚醒我們的神性。凱西主張,我們所擁有的每一個經歷是要引導我們意識到我們和神是合一的。我們擁有神的內容,尤其在我們的創造力方面。我們在靈性上的發展提升,我們孕育的思想和行為會更完美地表達我們的理想;當我們較少地以在世界上成功為目標,而是成為與這個世界和諧;當我們發現從我們的經驗中學習成長更容易了,意識到一切都是神,一切的存在是為了喚醒我們的神性,存在的一切和全部可以設想的存在都是一,是的,都合而為一!
By Kevin J. Todeschi and Henry Reed
凱文 · 托代斯基和亨利 · 裡德
--------------------------------------------------------
10個正在改變世界的Ideas
當舊的答案無法回答新的問題時,全球經濟危機重塑了世界,很多原有的觀念已經不能指導我們面對新的生活,美國TIME雜誌推出「改變世界的十大觀念」文章,目前正在改變世界的新觀念:
1) Jobs Are The New Assets 工作成為新資產
就在一兩年前,人們還不屑于談自己的工作,整天談論的是房子和投資,似乎周圍的一切都比工作有價值。正如居住在波士頓的短期資本經營者大衛•艾立森所言:「房產很重要,資本很重要,工作——誰在乎?只要我能買幾處房產,投資一支對沖基金,我就能怡然自得地躺在椅子上看足球賽。」
顯然,這一切都已成了過眼雲煙。投資縮水了50%,抵押貸款遠遠高於房子的實際價值,錢包也變得空空如也。於是,我們重新發現了工作的價值,並將其當作一個人最重要的資產。
過去,我們將全部注意力放在房產和股票上,卻忽略了經濟學者們稱之為人力資本的東西。要想提取人力資本的價值,有賴於我們的工作。據諾貝爾經濟學獎獲得者加里•貝克爾估算,與土地和機器設備的作用相比,人力資本對現代工業經濟的貢獻比高達75%~80%。
這似乎是一個圓滿的結局:經濟衰退使我們認識到只有工作才是家庭財政穩定的真正根源,我們終於明白工作是多麼地有價值。
2) Recycling the Suburbs 城郊得到再利用
城郊受房市泡沫破裂的影響尤甚,許多城郊因此走向了衰亡。許多大型購物中心、零售店和其他商業設施逐漸沒落。據估計全美去年有14.8萬套這類設施關門大吉,這是自2001年以來關閉規模最大的一次。同時由於有孩子的家庭比例下降,無論老少都日益覺得在城區居住更方便,渴望在郊區擁有大草坪、大戶型住宅的夢想開始不復存在。有研究者估計,到2025年時,全美將會空置多達2200萬套大戶型住宅。
環保主義者會對城郊的沒落感到高興,因為隨著城郊漫無目的的擴張,人們越來越依賴汽車。但既然鋼鐵、混凝土和瀝青已進入郊區,就不能平白無故地捨棄。我們需要做的事情是,對這些現存的社區和基礎設施重新規劃。在美國科羅拉多州萊克伍德、在紐約長灘,大型購物中心被改造成由零售店、寫字樓和公寓住宅組成的多用途設施。而在另一些城郊,可以讓購物中心發揮城市商業中心的功用,重新塑造此前沒有得到充分利用的空間。
3) The New Calvinism 新加爾文主義流行
最近,保守基督教派加爾文主義又回來了。16世紀,以法國神學家加爾文為代表的基督教福音派(即基督教新教),在和中世紀天主教派的一場論戰中取得了勝利。在這場論戰中,加爾文提出「先定論」,主要內容為:在創世之前,上帝就已經決定了他將拯救誰,或者拋棄誰,人類的意志和行為並不能改變上帝的決定。
很多批評家認為,加爾文塑造了一個穩如磐石的造物主(上帝),他完全安排了世間的一切,包括疾病(甚至很多房主的房屋贖回權)。按此種邏輯,我們即使無法理解上帝的安排,也不必因此而懷疑。
今年7月是加爾文誕辰500周年的日子。加爾文的遺產將面臨怎樣的命運?是受到批判,還是會成為基督徒們通過信仰上帝而找到安全感的避難所?這將是一個有趣的議題。
4) Reinstating the Interstate 州際高速路新用途
奧巴馬政府的刺激經濟計畫當中,包括斥資80億美元開發城際高速鐵路線的內容。但美國基礎設施最大的一塊內容是連接全美各大城市、總長達7.6萬公里的州際高速公路,應該賦予它以新的意義。它可以成為擴大的軌道交通網絡和寬頻電纜的中樞,甚至也可以成為電力輸送網路的中樞。
有些州已經開始將想法付諸於實踐。在俄勒岡州波特蘭市,輕軌就沿著高速公路建設,公路兩旁還設有用於路燈照明的太陽能電池板。甚至還有環保組織提出,人們可以沿著公路鋪設電網,從而推動電池驅動和混合動力汽車的發展。試想一下,每天你駕車來到輕軌站,當汽車正在充電的同時,你已經踏上了通往上班地點的輕軌。
5) Amortality 自由選擇生命時段
並非人到了一定的歲數,就一定要怎麼樣。越來越多的人開始自己選擇生命時段。這是伴隨著二戰後出生的一代人開始阻止衰老而出現的。
選擇生命時段的人大有人在。在他們十幾歲、二十多歲的時候,有人表現得異常老練而圓滑。在這之後,他們又看起來年輕,而且著裝打扮也比實際年齡小。
行為方式要與年紀相適應的概念很快就會過時,就像當年的黑白電視機一樣。牛津大學未來人類學研究所所長尼克•波斯特羅姆表示:「重要的事情在於,不要惦記著自己已經活了多久,只要瞭解你現在所處的人生階段,你自認為自己怎麼樣,有能力做什麼、願意做什
麼。」
6) Africa, Business Destination 非洲成為投資新熱土
很長時間以來,在人們的觀念中,非洲就是一個只能不斷給予、而不期望從那里獲得任何回報的地方。那里充斥著戰爭和饑荒,生活沒有多大希望。
事情正在起變化。在當今全球表現最好的銀行當中,居然有一家來自一個叫做多哥的地方。這是西非的一個蕞爾小國,貧窮,偶爾會出一兩名出色的足球運動員。但在其他銀行的業務江河日下時,總部設在其首都洛美的Ecobank卻在不斷擴張。自2006年以來,它新開了200家支行。Ecobank的成功並不是孤立現象,援助也不再是非洲的外匯收入的主要來源。非洲正在成為新的投資熱土。牛津大學經濟學家保羅•科利爾和威特尼•施內德曼曾向奧巴馬建言,非洲現在是世界上投資回報最高的地方,基本上不受當今銀行危機的影響。
7) The Rent-A-Country 海外屯田種口糧
當今人們所吃的食品,早已不全是產自於自己的國度。為因應油價飆升,許多國家大力發展生物燃料,卻意外地引發全球食品價格暴漲。36個國家向國際社會求援,25個國家下達了糧食出口禁令。
一些手頭寬裕、卻因缺乏土地和水源難以自食其糧的國家(如沙特、科威特、卡塔爾和韓國),開始在海外尋找能夠種口糧的地方。韓國和蘇丹開始討論糧食合作計畫,沙特商業組織與印尼簽訂了租用土地種植水稻的合同。巴基斯坦和哈薩克斯坦與緬甸和菲律賓也有類似合作。
為外國人種植農作物並非新鮮事。但以國家的身份出面在海外屯田,從而將其作為國家糧食安全戰略的一部分,卻是十足的新思維。
8) Biobanks 生物銀行
美國癌症學會的研究人員正致力於創建全美首個全國性的生物銀行——保存人類的生物組織樣本,腫瘤細胞、DNA,甚至連血液都可以存儲在這里。這些儲蓄將被用來研究治療各種疾病的新方法。
銀行所吸納的醫療素材越多,你就越可能在未來某個時候受益。英國、加拿大、挪威、瑞典和冰島早已建立了自己的生物銀行。冰島這個國家雖然瀕於破產,但是其生物銀行依然運轉良好。在這個島國的成年人當中,60%多的人都向銀行捐獻了自己的DNA。
之所以由美國癌症學會來主導創建美國生物銀行,原因在於目前已發現癌症與幾十種基因變異有關。只要能搜集到足夠多的生物組織樣本,通過對健康人和患者的樣本進行對比,研究人員不僅可以為癌症、甚至可以為任何疾病找出相關DNA方面的原因,對患者的篩選和治療也就更有針對性。美國癌症學會的專家卡洛琳•麥普頓表示,隨著生物銀行的出現,將徹底改變醫療界觀察疾病發展的方式。
9) Survival Stores 生存型商店
翻開報紙,每天都能看到商店關門歇業、員工被解雇、零售商出血大拍賣的消息。然而對大多數商店而言,減價已經不靈了。消費者再也不會像過去那樣揮霍無度。整個零售體系亟需大規模整頓。
未來的商店應該是什麼樣?或許正如有人提出的「生存型商店」理念一樣。這里的商品僅僅是為了生存所需:廉價食品、可穿好幾個冬季的服裝、替代汽車出行的自行車,以及其他一些有助於消費者應對經濟蕭條的商品。一些零售商已將此付諸行動。比如法國零售業巨頭家樂福就開設了這樣的超市。至少在當下,生存型商店可以幫助人們省錢,也不會使人因為專門挑選便宜貨而感到難為情。購物環境變得異常單純而簡單。
10) Ecological Intelligence 生態智商
當人們提及保護環境時,主觀意圖總是要比實際情況簡單得多。比如說你為了環保,購買了一件由100%有機棉製成的T恤衫。你是否會想到棉花生長期間也曾使用污染土壤的殺蟲劑?在T恤衫的染色過程當中,所使用的化學物質也會殃及地下水?
最近,被譽為「情商之父」的美國心理學家丹尼爾•戈爾曼,又提出了「生態智商」的概念。他的依據在於,一門稱之為工業生態學的新興科學正在興起,工商界和環保人士可以借此評價人們的每項決定對環境和生物界帶來的影響,並以一種淺顯的方式將事實告訴給消費者。這是一種以生態思維考慮問題的方式,讓人們知道自己的行為會對全球環境造成怎樣的影響。
戈爾曼深信,這種新思維方式必將對今後人類的商業行為方式產生深遠影響。
資料:網路
沒有留言:
張貼留言