Chapter 19 Sky net

Someone else is using their brains. The Taipei County Government plans to spend 505.2 million yuan to build a park and a stone sculpture park on Guanyin Mountain and the mouth of the Tamsui River. Building a park is always hospitable, right?The life of modern people is so tense, and the space for activities is so cramped. A park is like a comma that you can hardly hope for after reading a sentence that is too long to catch your breath. However, the Taipei County Government has high expectations for the planned park. It must "combine traditional art and modern features, and also have the functions of culture, education, leisure, and entertainment." In addition, it must be "modern" Taking social progress and excellent traditional ethics as themes, it expresses traditional stone carving art and plays the role of aesthetic education." (April 14, "China Times Local Edition")

This park has a long way to go.The stone carvings inside must not only express traditional craftsmanship; they must also promote the progress of modern Taiwanese society.To whom is it preached?Of course, most of them are citizens of Taipei County, so why publicize it?Obviously to let the public understand "what the government has done for you".How to promote it?The so-called social progress, in Taiwan, roughly refers to things that are hard, big, and made of cement: highways, airports, dams, oh, don’t forget the nuclear power plants, all of which are our proudest achievements .In Bali Township and Wugu Township, there are probably a lot of Caodilang who have never seen the world. They have never seen any highways or nuclear power plants, and they don’t know the progress of our society. Therefore, the Taipei County Government believes that this stone sculpture park can take on the task of publicity. .Take a big stone and carve out a model of a nuclear power plant with one knife at a time, so that you can fully "combine traditional art and modern style".

But wait a minute, this park has to carry forward "excellent traditional ethics". Our "excellent traditional ethics" have accumulated for five thousand years, which is too much. The most important thing is loyalty, filial piety, love, faith, justice and peace, right?How to express such an abstract idea?Lacking artistic accomplishment, I can only think of two ways; one is to imitate, for example, to carve a stone out of a soldier saluting posture, which represents "loyalty"; to carve two stones, one standing and one kneeling, representing "filial piety" and so on. .The other method is relatively simple. Simply carve eight stones with the characters "loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, love, faith, righteousness, peace" and line them up so that everyone who enters or exits the park can see them as soon as they look up.This kind of direct enlightenment is more effective for Cao Dilang in Wugu Township, but it has a disadvantage. Taipei citizens who visit will think that these stones are engraved with road names.

It is the progress of modern society, and the excellent traditional ethics and morality, so that the two-pronged approach ("two-pronged approach" means that the middle of the two tubes are filled with the food of thought, and poured down one throat at the same time), the park at the foot of Guanyin Mountain is possible. To achieve the planned multiple functions of culture, education, leisure, entertainment, aesthetics, etc. These functions are translated into the slogan "Moral, Intellectual, Physical Education and Entertainment" written everywhere on the walls of elementary schools.The Taipei County Government really covers everything. A park is also a classroom, an art gallery, a playground, and a museum, waiting to educate everyone who walks into the park.

This kind of park is really chilling.Take a look at the world outside our park: roads are for people to walk on, but some people think that roads should also play a role in publicizing and enlightening.So when we walk, our eyes have to be busy absorbing knowledge; straight slogans and horizontal slogans are whipped on our eyes like a whip: respecting teachers, eliminating mess, two children just happen to be... the train is for people Take the bus from A to B, but as soon as you sit down, your eyes are closed, and your ears start to be trained: We must unite and cooperate, be self-reliant, strive hard, and make progress from scratch. We must... Envelopes are used to hold letters If it is mailed, if you turn it over, you will see "preserve our national culture and return our national freedom".A restaurant is a place for people to enjoy food, but while drinking soup, they cannot avoid the stickers on the red pillars: "Pay attention to food safety, pay attention to hygiene habits", "Loud noise disturbs people's peace".

Or, go to Tamsui to see the historical sites!Entering the Hongmao City, a first-class historic site in Taiwan, you can see signs with words written everywhere, not to introduce the explanation of the historic site, but "It is forbidden to urinate here"!Forbid peeing here?In Red Hair City?This brand may be for dogs to see immediately, but the human eye has to see it, and it is hard to forget after seeing it. Well, then take a walk in the green countryside!There is no "writing" pollution in the suburbs.Look at the distant mountains, ah, there are several huge characters on the distant mountains, which are cut and arranged from vegetation, either the name of the school or the name of a great man.Looking at mountains is not mountains, looking at water is not water.Then look at the near tree!It is close to a tree, cut into a fish, a bird, a rabbit, a tortoise, it is not a tree anyway.Then go to the edge of the rock and look out!There is a pavilion made of cement by the rock, and on the bright red pillars of the pavilion, there are words: All evil and adultery are the first, and all good and filial piety are the first.Go to the open sea, where there should be only water and sky.No, there is a beautiful small temple by the sea, and the words on the temple pillars tell people to wake up early, turn around and be right.

Word by word, word by word, why no one protests the pollution of words, mountains are not mountains, water is not water, trees are not trees.Mountains, water, and trees, to some people, seem to be just tools to propagate moral thoughts.Our "education" process begins very early.When I went to kindergarten, I had to sing to the teacher "Brother and Dad are so great... I am a soldier and laugh haha". When I became a primary school student, celebrating Children's Day meant standing under the hot sun and listening to the principal's speech "How to be filial to my parents"; after middle school, You must recite the twelve articles of the Youth Code. In college, the composition topic will always be "learning and being a man".Leaving school, I thought that my "educated" mind could take a break, but unexpectedly, walking, taking the train, buying envelopes, and going to restaurants, dogmas and words are everywhere, domineeringly stabbing meaning into tired eyes , planted in the brain that has no space left.Even the mountains, forests, and vegetation that originally only had cosmic significance have been deliberately arranged, with artificial consciousness added, as props for propaganda.

No room for comfort is left, and the dogmatic living environment is like a huge net that covers the sky and the sky, and there is nowhere to hide. So there is another stone sculpture park.This row of stones reminds you of loyalty, filial piety, love, faith, righteousness and peace.Go forward and turn a corner, and a big stone tablet is engraved with words, telling you that the row of stones you just passed explains the progress of modern society, and the other row of stones reminds you of good traditional ethics, oh, you also missed the one in front of the toilet The stone is engraved with "Do not defecate here". The row of stone sculptures behind the toilet tells you that this park cost 505.3 million yuan, provided by taxpayers, and its purpose is to provide you with moral, intellectual, and physical recreation; The park is educating you, beautifying you, awakening you, elevating you, cultivating you, transforming you...

A future I am afraid of: the rhododendrons outside the window emit the word "Struggle", and a large stone tablet appears on the Guanyin Mountain in the distance, with the words "Revival of Chinese Culture" written on it.The white clouds in the sky are blown into words: see the virtuous and think of the same.On the Guandu Bridge in Danshui, there are four signs: "Drinking Water Thinking of the Source".A big balloon floats on the new building area, and the balloon says "Strive Up".The lawn on the campus, looking down from above, forms a "loyalty" character.Then, add another loudspeaker, broadcasting a hard female voice every hour: We're going to make... great...

Ah, who is creating such an environment with no commas, no blank space, no space, no freedom of thought, so tight and dense that you can't break free, and the eyes, ears and mind are exhausted? Give us a park, a park with no words, no meaning, no enlightenment, only green grass growing!