杜拜，City of Gold.

這是個金錢打造的城市，金錢堆砌出來的社會。如果購物是你的最愛，這裏是你的天堂，有20幾個大得讓你驚嚇的購物中心。還有數不清的奢華，享受，服務，任君挑選，有全世界僅此一家的7星級飯店，還有數不清的豪華旅館，提供各種服務，讓你有如帝王般的感受。高樓大廈一棟接一棟，棟棟要叫你睜眼驚嘆，身處市區，你很快忘了這裏是沙漠。這裏就是中東化的迪斯耐樂園。這裏是中東的杜拜，是物質化的放大。
但它不是一直都是如此的，過去它不過是一個波斯灣區的小魚村，而且它也不如其它產油鄰居，油量並不多，而是靠著前國王將之打造成灣區的港口而興盛。但如今它是全世界富豪名人聚集的所在，它是全中東最西化的城市，甚至一度締造世界金融中心的野心，大膽而絲毫沒有羞怯。然而今天的杜拜也不再是過去的杜拜，人口結構裏百分之七十八是外國人，只有百分之二十幾是阿拉伯原住民。但在法令下，外國人永遠不得申請成為公民，也就無法享受這國家公民享有的免費健康保險，教育學費等等措施。這些外國人裏，又有絕大部份是來此求生的勞工，大批的勞工階級生活方式與來此度假的富豪人士形成強烈的對比。
我們先到離它約兩個多小時車程的阿布達比待了幾天，接著到杜拜。我只能說極度奢華在此是沒有罪惡感的。然而在全世界蕭條的當下，我不知它還能繼續這樣的奢華至何時？也好奇當地人是否還記得他們先民的傳說，他們的沙漠,他們的天空？

The history in making, and I was there watching.

The weather was freezing cold. The crowd was huge. The people were happy and emotional. The spirit was high and hopeful. The air is changing. The good will is coming. The day Obama becomes the first muti-racial president of The Unite States of America. I pray all this postive experience will last for long time, not only for America, but for the whole world.

"He is all for peace." The lady in blue said.

I remembered just last summer while I was visiting an Bedouin village in Israel, a school's worker who was an Israeli, pointed the picture the ex-premier and said: I want him to be our next leader. Because he is all for the peace.
Knowingly, the Arabic Origin Bedouin people's poverty is caused not only by the fact they are the second class in this country, but also their own cultural factors, I had a notion about how important it is to have a enlightened people for a country. It is no doubts in my mind that the Arabic's culture once thrived on the earth and brought a lot of new ideas and innovations to the world. In a sense , almost conquered the whole world. But somewhere in the river of history, the power of the Arabic culture slowly run down. History always shows its ironic side. Today, it's seemed that the Arabic culture as whole has been hijacked by the religious fundamentalist Muslims then once a grandad civilization in the world. The world see the Arabic's through these people's actions nowadays, and often forgot, if not overlook, about the Arabic culture's old and wise wisdom. It is sad. How, then, the Arabic people see themselves through their rich history without buying into religion? The same question fall upon to the Israel as well. How, then, if no one want to stop hating, the peace will reveal? Do people really want to hate so badly and so deeply to each other? Do people just want to destroy the enemy totally? What if you have no one to hate, to kill, to destroy? Should one always create an enemy? I don't believe it.
The truth is all of this has everything to do with power play and nothing to do with ordinary people's life. So, it falls into the politicians' interests again. It makes you wonder why politicians always drag people into a war for their personal political gain, and at the same time claim it is all for the people they serve?
In the world like this, I am always cynical toward people who have power. But we should not dismay by it. We look at them with a sharp insight and make them accountable. We, human beings as a people must become more enlighten, so our leader will serve us better , not the other way around.

隱退

過年其間我們到一處離華府約三個小時車程的靜坐中心，從紅塵裏隱退了三天。 Retreat Centers, 中文裏的道場或靈修中心罷。不管人們要從世俗裏隱退的原因是什麼，來到這種場域，基本上尋求的就是一分安然的身，平靜的心。
一連三天，我們一早起床，在冬天北美枯樹林裏行走四十分鐘，緊接著一個小時的靜坐，然後是中心裏的成員的一些演講，接著在禁語下午餐。下午，中心提供一些 身心上的自然療癒法，學員可自行註冊參加。三點半開始又是中心安排的活動，從演講到身體活動都有。接著又是靜坐，一直到六點晚餐時間。晚上通常是中心創辦 人的開釋性演說，接著又是靜坐。一直到十點左右，一天的活動才算結束。因為隔天需要早起，我們天天早早上床就寢。中心的住宿處沒有電視，電話，甚至連行動 電話都無法接收訊息，只有基本的設備，但堪稱潔淨，舒適。飲食是以簡單，平衡，清淡為訴求，也許在禁語的狀況下，味覺更加敏銳，只覺口味極佳。而中心所有 一切的設計，就是以安住心念為主軸，旁的一些活動只是輔助工具。
我忘記一天裏有幾個小時是靜坐的，有時似乎無休無止的令人難耐，有時又似乎彈指之間數個時辰已消逝，一天往往很快就結束了 。我沒有多少機會去咀嚼一切，但又似乎沒有必要，我只要分秒覺察，經驗這一切。
元旦前一夜，此中心的大師，給予我們每個人各自的加持儀式。老實說，我並沒有什麼特殊感應，只是整個經驗還蠻美，感覺極端舒坦。倒是那晚的夜異常的寒冷， 出得室外，仰頭看見漫天的星斗清澈閃亮，但覺活著已是福氣，生命的順意與否就是跟著我們的心念而已。開車回宿舍的途中，只有安靜陪伴，還有滿天的星斗。