編輯部常有訪客。四月份大陸來客告知，民間有耳語流傳：「二○○八，火山爆發」。當時聽之，一笑置之。不料五月十二日，晴天霹靂，四川汶川果真發生數十年未有之八級大地震，天翻地覆，人間變為煉獄，震撼全國，震驚全球。半個月來，遇難人數近十萬。此刻仍然餘震不斷，災後重建，環保失衡，千頭萬緒，海內外莫不同感悲戚。
川震以來，「天象示警」之說，時有所聞，且見諸媒體。最近更有美國明星莎朗史東康城影展放言，四川地震是對中國鎮壓藏人的報應，引來不少批評。中國民間向來對重大的自然災難有習慣性的聯想，一九七六年的唐山大地震和吉林大隕石就被許多人認為是變天的預兆，該年果真有暴君毛的去世，開啟中國的巨變。這種事斥之為迷信易，但卻是源遠流長。歷史上不斷記錄，歷代君主無不將天災人禍歸之於上天對當朝的懲罰。皇帝是天子，農民起義也要打出「替天行道」的旗幟。逆天意而行，必遭天譴，皇帝都要下「罪己詔」，或天壇祭拜，或大赦天下。西漢大儒董仲舒更有一套「天人感應」說，他認為「國家將有失道之敗，而天乃先出災害以譴告之；不知自省，又出怪異以警懼之；尚不知變，而傷敗乃至。」
在一個皇權無邊而科學不昌的時代，人民無權無知，而乞靈於神秘的天道和宿命，自有其可感可憫之處，即使在現代文明發達的今天，在人類已經可以登月上天的條件下，對於神佛的崇拜和敬畏，仍是東西方民族共同守護的精神家園，是當代哲學有機的組成部份。祈求天佑的心理，從美國到香港都滿含真善的價值。我們香港人愛說「人在做，天在看」，就有天網恢恢，惡者難逃，善者必有善報的自我勉勵之意。與古諺「舉頭三尺有神明」的告誡無異。
然而，共產黨在大陸統治近一個甲子，在精神上完全推翻了中國傳統的社會觀念，片面鼓吹人定勝天，不信邪，灌輸所謂「徹底的唯物主義者無所畏懼」，「造反有理」。結果是無法無天的大躍進和文革，害死數千萬條生命。不信神又造出一個殺人如麻的惡神，毛直言﹕「我是不寫罪己詔的！」暴虐無道超過封建帝王。由於毛的罪孽從未清算，毛後的歷屆統治者，依然是天不怕地不怕地霸佔權力，為所欲為，不怕天譴。六十年來之天怒人怨，從來沒有向人民說一句道歉，從來沒有為人民的苦難下過半旗，舉國發喪致哀的都是黨國高幹。
因此，我們今天肯定北京下半旗為川震死難者致哀、開放媒體報導災情之餘，還不能放棄言責，批評他們在這場浩劫中的過失，包括七十二小時黃金時間拒絕外援、大量校舍倒塌造成上萬學童無辜死亡、對國內外專家地震預報的漠視以及巨大財力未改善地震科研及落伍的救災方式等等。我們更期盼中共領導人不要還停留在感悟「天災無情人有情」這樣的淺層面，應該借此天威示警，啟動還政於民的思維，改革違背天意也違背民意的政治制度。
（2008-5-29）
All Human Deeds Are In God’s Eyes
By Jin Zhong
Translated by Isabella Lam
Open Magazine’s office receives quite a few visitors. In April, a mainland visitor told me a rumor of “volcanoes erupting in 2008,” but I laughed it off. To my surprise, a magnitude 8 earthquake, the deadliest and strongest earthquake since 1976, actually hit Sichuan the very next month. This bolt from the blue turned the world of mortals into a living Hell, shocking the nation and the rest of the globe. In two weeks, the number of victims approached 100,000. Adding insult to injury, aftershocks have continued to plague Sichuan. The whole world is lamenting the misery caused.
After the deadly disaster, some claimed it was a “warning from Heaven,” and such remarks quickly circulated in the press. Recently, Sharon Stone, the internationally-renowned American actress, came under heavy criticism for suggesting at the Cannes Film Festival that the Sichuan earthquake might be karma for China’s suppression of Tibet. Chinese people tend to associate serious natural disasters with human deeds. Many saw the 1976 Tangshan earthquake and Jilin meteor shower as omens from Heaven. In that year, coincidently, the tyrant Mao Zedong passed away and China embarked on its era of great change. Some call this superstition, but it has long been a habit of thought among Chinese. Historical records show emperors attributing natural disasters and wars to punishment from Heaven. As emperors were regarded as the sons of God, peasants staged uprisings in the name of God, and those who disobeyed God’s decree would be punished. Even emperors themselves had to announce an “edict of repentance” and worship at the Temple of Heaven or declare an amnesty to pray for God’s forgiveness. Dong Zhongshu, famed scholar in the Han Dynasty, had a theory of “Telepathy between Human and Nature.” According to his theory, natural disasters occur as a warning from Heaven before a country embarks on an unjust act. If the country does not reexamine itself and mend its ways, unusual phenomena will appear to frighten it. If it still does not change, it will soon fall into ruin.
It is truly pitiful that in China’s bygone eras, unlimited imperial power and undeveloped science and technology deprived the people of power and knowledge, and forced them to resort to mysterious omens and prophecies from Heaven. Even today, with our advanced technology that has allowed human being to reach the moon, the worship, respect and fear of gods and Buddha is still common among the nations of both the East and the West. It is an organic component of contemporary philosophy. Praying for God’s blessing has genuine and beneficial value anywhere around the world. Hong Kong people always say, “All human deeds are in God’s eyes,” meaning that nobody can escape the judgment of Heaven; the wicked can never escape punishment, and the virtuous will ultimately be rewarded. China has an old proverb with a similar meaning.
However, nearly 60 years of rule under the Communist Party has completely overthrown the traditional values of Chinese society. The Party promoted man’s triumph over nature, instilling the people with the concepts that “dyed-in-the-wool materialists have nothing to fear” and “rebellion is justified,” which resulted in the chaotic and disastrous Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution that destroyed tens of millions of lives. “I will never write an edict of repentance!” Mao said, and his brutality outstripped that of any feudal emperor. Since Mao never suffered retribution, his successors have fearlessly held the reins of power and have done what they wanted without fearing God’s punishment. In the past six decades, they have never apologized to our people, or flown the flag at half mast for the people’s suffering.
Today, while we approve of Beijing flying the flag at half mast to mourn the victims of the Sichuan earthquake and allowing the media to report the latest situation of the disaster, we should not forget to criticize its faults in the calamity, such as rejecting assistance from other countries in the critical first 72 hours, as well as the deaths of thousands of innocent students due to the collapse of school buildings, the ignoring of earthquake forecasts from experts inside and outside of China, and the outmoded and ineffectual rescue methods employed. We must hope that the leaders in Beijing will take notice of this warning from Heaven by returning political power to the people and reforming a political system that goes against the will of both God and the people.
2008-5-29
