Chapter 32 The Mystery of the Sphinx
Sphinx is the Greek name for the Sphinx.However, the ancient Greek Sphinx had two wings.This is lighter and more beautiful than the guy with the limestone head in ancient Egypt, and he can fly from Athens to Philadelphia beyond time and space.
◎The Sphinx of Naxos, 560 BC, marble, 2.25 meters high.
Wings are important.
Yeah, you can't fly without wings.But how to fly depends on what kind of wings you have.Islamic civilization has not yet emerged, and here we only talk about Greece and China.
The wings of China are anxiety and optimism.
Indeed, worry is the background color of our national culture.From "Shi·Xiaoya·Xiaomin"'s "Trembling, as if facing an abyss, as if walking on thin ice", to Mencius' "Born in sorrow, die in peace", and then "March of the Volunteers" as the national anthem, the sense of urgency runs through almost the whole Chinese history.
this is correct.Historical experience proves that any political power will live in trouble and die in peace.The same goes for individuals.Therefore, it is true that scholar-officials must "be concerned about the world's worries" (Fan Zhongyan), and poets must "emphasize their sorrow for new poems" (Xin Qiji), because "worry comes from it and cannot be cut off" (Cao Cao).Even prostitutes, maids, traffickers and pawns know that "everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world", and thus "worry about the country and the people".
However, our nation is optimistic.We believe in "Heaven fulfills people's wishes", believe that "good and evil are rewarded", believe that "everything depends on human effort", and believe that "no matter how bad things are, they can't go bad".Therefore, we "do not change our enjoyment", even if we "enjoy ourselves", we always "enjoy it".
One worry and one joy, there is courtesy and joy.Ritual is "reason", emphasizing ethics, order, and embodying sorrow; music is "pleasure", emphasizing happiness, emphasizing harmony, and creating optimism.Ritual and music are also two wings.
What about Greece?
The wings of Greece are scientific spirit and artistic temperament.
As the Romans were obsessed with law, the Greeks were obsessed with science.The science of the Greeks was not pragmatic, they were "thinking for thinking's sake, science for science's sake".So they could turn the techniques that the Egyptians used to measure land and build pyramids into geometry, and they could turn Babylonian astrology into astronomy.With the wings of science, Greek civilization surpassed its Egyptian father and Mesopotamian mother.
At the same time, the Greeks were extremely artistic.As Marx said, they are "normal children", so they can "art for art's sake and aesthetics for aesthetics".This kind of purity makes them feel no guilt even when they are indulging in lust and lewdness, let alone being sanctimonious.As long as you do a good job, you will be applauded whether you are chatting or having fun.Moreover, applause includes both friends and enemies.
It can be seen from this that science and art are opposite and unified among the Greeks.They are united in simplicity, in nature, in frankness.In fact, Greek art was originally the unity of perceptual spirit and rational spirit.They are called "Dionysus spirit" (Dionysus spirit) and "Apollo spirit" (Apollo spirit) in Nietzsche. The former is embodied in music, and the latter is embodied in plastic arts, especially sculpture.
The Greek spirit is complementary.
Similarly, anxiety and optimism are also "complementary structures".Worry is the background, and optimism is the expression, just as behind the Greek artistic temperament is actually the scientific spirit.They are opposites and unity, complement each other, and jointly shape the spiritual outlook of a great nation.
Perhaps this is where the secret lies-those ruined civilizations are likely to walk on one leg.
However, Greece and China are quite different.
Generally speaking, Greek civilization is outward-looking and aggressive, while Chinese civilization is introverted and seeking stability.Our worries are actually the fear of chaos and the prayer for healing.So while both civilizations had wings, they flew very differently.The Greeks are "voyage", we are "circle".Because of the voyage, they are "reborn from the ashes"; because of the hovering, we are "super stable".After the Qin and Han Dynasties, and even after the Western Zhou Dynasty, no matter how the chaos was curbed and the cycle of dynasties changed, everything remained the same.
Why?
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