邁向烏托邦網站討論 Working Towards Utopia

(for English scroll to the bottom of the entry)

你知道嗎？我對討論問題已感到厭煩了。我想知道的是，你們周遭的生活什麼才是對的？你們經歷過的事件中，什麼是可行的？我們不如花點時間來談談人和人怎麼互動才能達到好的效果，才能帶來療愈、才能讓事情在愉快的氣氛下完成、才能帶進平順的工作關係，讓你們覺得滿意。
因此，這是一個請求。我想邀請你們寫下你所觀察到的特殊事件，譬如，溝通很好的兩個人；很會領導的老闆或領導人；或者運作得很好的組織，組織內的人都情緒健康，彼此相互尊重，工作愉快。我想要聽到家庭內的、情侶間的、夫妻間的、朋友間的、同事間的、創作族群、或大組織內的例子。當你在寫這些故事的時候，你可以批評現今社會的一些面向，不過只有在你談論如何做會更好的情況下。如果你在文章內花一些篇幅談論這些較好的互動模式，若能在我們的社會上普遍被接受會有什麼樣的影響，像是這麼做事情會有什麼改變？有什麼事情會因此得到幫助？什麼可能因此受到阻礙？我們普遍的習慣有什麼需要改變，這樣的互動才可行？若你能談談這些，故事就會更加有趣。

以下是這個討論模式運作的方式：十個人負責寫文章（至少三百字），每星期我會將文章放在網站上。每名作者不止負責寫一篇文章，也要針對其他每一篇文章寫一段評論。每名讀者也可以評論。我的概念是，就每一篇文章所提出的想法，激發大家網碌基於的討論。

以下是到目前為止的時間表:
7/5: Miyuki
7/12: Angela
7/19:
7/26: Brian
8/2: Stacy
8/9: Fanny
8/16: Erica
8/23: Susan
8/30: Shiu-ling
9/6: Kristina

你想要寫文章嗎？用電子郵件告訴我，我會為你安排一個新的日期。這樣的討論形是沒有限期的。然後，把你的文章在刊登前三天寄給我。文章必須用中文寫作（如果你也想寄英文版給我，會讓我很開心）。如果你知道有誰對這個活動也感興趣，我會很高興你的推薦。

這是寫作範例之一:

在一些事情上，我們對別人也許提供了幫助，自己卻不會知道，這麼想是令人辛慰的。我的一名治療師可能不會知道她做的事改變了我的生活。事實上，我甚至不知她叫什麼名字，我也確信她也早已忘了我的名字。
二十九歲那年，我大部份的腸子在手術中拿掉了，只剩下迴腸造口。我的腹部開了口讓一段腸露出來，一個設計相當精巧的塑膠裝置蓋在上面，每隔幾天我就把它取下替換。對一名年輕女性來說，這麼生活並不容易。雖然這個手術把大部份的生命力都還給我了，但是這個裝置以及我身體完全的轉變，讓我感到毫無希望，永久與女性與高雅的世界隔絕。
一開始在我學會自己更換裝置之前，都是造口治療師幫我更換的。這些穿著白衣的專業人員進到我的房間、穿上圍裙、戴上口罩與手套，然後取下裝置更換新的，做完這些事後，他們會把所有這些保護的服裝脫掉，然後很仔細的清洗他們的雙手。這種精心的儀式讓我感到羞恥。
一天，一名與我年齡相當的婦女來幫我更換。那天已經晚了，她沒有穿白衣，而是穿了一件絲質的洋裝、高跟鞋及褲襪。她很友善地問我是否準備好要更換了。當我點了頭，她把蓋子打開，取了一個新的裝置，用你可以想像的最簡單及最自然的方式取下舊的換上新的，她甚至沒有戴手套。我記得看著她的雙手。她在踫我之前很仔細地清洗雙手，這雙手很輕柔、很漂亮。她還擦了粉色的指甲油，手上戴的戒指還是金的。
我猜她從不知道她願意用這麼自然的方式踫觸我，對我的意義有多大！在她照料我的這十分鐘，她不僅照料了我的身體，還療癒了我的傷口、給了我希望。
– Rachel Naomi Remen, Ph.D. (from “Kitchen Table Wisdom”, p. 246)



Working Towards Utopia

You know what? I’m tired of discussing problems. What I want to know is, what’s RIGHT with what’s around you? What have you experienced that works? How about we spend a little time talking about human interactions that work well, that bring healing, that get the job done in a joyful way, that bring about smooth working relations, that you find satisfying.

So this is a call for submissions. I would like to ask you to write stories of specific examples you’ve observed: of two people communicating well, of a boss or leader practicing leadership well, or of an organization that works well, where the people within are emotionally healthy, are full of mutual respect, and have joyful lives. I would like to hear about examples within families, within couples, within friendships, within workgroups, within creative encounters, within larger organizations. When you’re writing these stories, it’s fine to criticize aspects of society, but only in the context of why something else works better. It would be even more interesting if you would spend some time in the article contemplating the implication if these sorts of interactions were universal in our society: how would that change things? What would be helped? What possibly would be hindered? What would have to change about our general habits for it to work?

Here’s how the discussion will work: Ten people will send me essays (min 300 words), and I’ll publish them once every week on the Studio website. Each author will not only write an essay, but also commit to writing at least one comment on every other essay that is written. Every reader may comment as well. The idea is to start an internet-based discussion about the idea each of these essay puts forward.

Here's the schedule so far:
7/5: Miyuki
7/12: Angela
7/19:
7/26: Brian
8/2: Stacy
8/9: Fanny
8/16: Erica
8/23: Susan
8/30: Shiu-ling
9/6: Kristina

Would you like to write an essay? Send me an email and I’ll add on a new date for you. There’s no limit to this discussion! Then, send me your essay 3 days before it’s due to be published. Essays must be in Chinese, (and if you want to send an English version, too, you’ll make me even more happy.) If there is someone you think would be interested in participating in the project, I will be very happy to hear recommendations.

Here is an example essay:
It is comforting to think that we may be of help in ways that we don’t even realize. One of my own personal healers is probably completely unaware of the difference she made in my life. In fact, I do not know even her name and I am sure she has long forgotten mine.
At twenty-nine, much of my intestine was removed surgically and I was left with an ileostomy. A loop of bowel opens on my abdomen and an ingeniously designed plastic appliance, which I remove and replace every few days, covers it. Not an easy thing for a young woman to live with. While this surgery had given me back much of my vitality, the appliance and the profound change in my body made me feel hopelessly different, permanently shut out of the world of femininity and elegance.
At the beginning, before I could change my appliance myself, it was changed for my by nurse specialists called enterostomal therapists. These white-coated professionals would enter my hospital room, put on an apron, a mask and gloves and then remove and replace my appliance. The task completed, they would strip off all this protective clothing. Then they would carefully wash their hands. This elaborate ritual made things harder for me. I felt shamed.
One day a woman about my age came to do this task. It was late in the day and she was not dressed in a white coat, but in a silk dress, heels, and stockings. In a friendly way she asked if I was ready to have my appliance changed. When I nodded, she pulled back the covers, produced a new appliance, and in the most simple and natural way imaginable removed my old one and replaced it, without putting on gloves. I remember watching her hands. She had washed them carefully before she touched me. They were soft and gentle and beautifully cared for. She was wearing a pale pink nail polish and her rings were gold.
I doubt that she ever knew what her willingness to touch me in such a natural way meant to me. In ten minutes she not only tended my body, but healed my wounds and gave me hope.
– Rachel Naomi Remen, Ph.D. (from “Kitchen Table Wisdom”, p. 246)