本週我想提供前往海外打工度假或旅行的年輕人一些忠告，這是我長居在台灣的一些想法。大多數的人自小在親友的愛與關心下被保護，有時會對西方國家產生不正確的想法，認為他們高人一等、擁有更優質的環境以及有著接納各種族群的包容心，他們遐想著當他們從別的國家歸來時會接受到不同的待遇，但這些其實都是嚴重的謬誤。
首先，在西方國家他們彼此所稱道的朋友兩字可能和你心中的定義有所不同，我稱你為朋友，但我們的關係僅止於一起運動的朋友、一起爬山的朋友、一起開派對的朋友，雖然我道你一聲朋友，但我們之間的關係只是點頭之交，要在異地找到知己不是那麼容易的，這種所謂的友情常常都在你歸國後煙消雲散。其次，西方國家並沒有你想像中的那麼安全，你的私人物品很有可能在搭車途中上洗手間時不翼而飛，理論上北歐國家是比南歐國家要安全些，而加拿大和美國則是處處潛藏著危險。第三，西方國家普遍有著嚴重的貧富差距，這其實是資本主義下彼此過度競爭的後果，無階級的概念根本不存在。千萬不要因為這樣感到震驚，這是即便在大城市都會發生的景象，你需要了解哪個區域是你不可踏入的禁區。最後，毒品的氾濫在各地層出不窮，尤其在青少年間更為如此，大麻在某些州是可以合法取得的，如果你讓自己接觸它，我們都明白誰會承擔後果。你必須培養一個能夠保護自己的第六感，這個內在感應會在你遇到狀況不對時給你警訊，不管它是否正確你都應該立即做出反應。
超感官知覺，俗稱第六感，是一種某些人認為存在的能力。此能力能透過正常感官之外的管道接收訊息，能預知將要發生的事情，與當事人之前的經驗累積所得的推斷無關。普通人的感官（五感）包括眼（視覺）、耳（聽覺）、鼻（嗅覺）、舌（味覺）、肌膚（觸覺）或是其他現今科學熟悉的感官。由於感官的定義很模糊，所以「超感官」的定義也很模糊。但通常認為「超感官」是指現今科學還不熟悉的訊息。這些能力與現代研究的神通有相應之處。
接下來是一個發生在我身上的真實故事，我求學期間曾前往巴黎進修，當時瑞典是歐洲唯一可以在暑期合法打工的國家，在身上金錢並不充裕的情況下要到達那邊並非易事，當時我的朋友，現在在歐盟擔任翻譯的Yurek提議我們可以一路搭便車前往，我毫無考慮的接受了他的提議，我們從位於發法國的Porte de Clignancourt開始旅程，讓我們不敢置信的是，有一輛車竟然在我們還沒伸手招呼前就停下來，當時歐洲各國家邊界地區的審查並不是那麼詳細，你有被攔下來的機會，但大多數的車輛都可以直接通過，我還記得那個衣衫襤褸的大叔連衣服扣子都沒扣好，在路途中，他隨收掏出幾根大麻點了就抽，還問我和朋友是否也要來一根，我開始覺得自己像是某個故事的某個角色，我和朋友都在當下拒絕了他的分享，而車窗在一路上都持續開著藉以排掉車內的菸味，當我們接近比利時的邊界，他突然像躁鬱症發作一樣質問我和朋友是否有攜帶任何非法的藥品，我和朋友被他突如其來的反應嚇到就算有也不敢讓他知道，當下我們當然保證沒有，而那也是事實。比利時的邊境管理人員也沒有把我們攔下檢查，在進入比利時境內十多公里後，他突然又像一個中了樂透的贏家一樣欣喜若狂的喊叫，「我做到了！」他說，「做到什麼了？」無知的我們問著，他便坦承他是運毒販，並且將他的運毒流程娓娓道來，他將我和朋友找上車是想尋求一個掩護，「一個人總是比三個人還要可疑對吧！對了，你們要去哪裡？」他還不忘好心的問，「就是這裡，我叔叔的房子就在眼前。」我們就在比利時的一個鄉間地區下車，幸運著兩字在我腦海裡打轉，我想沒有任何警方會相信你是碰巧搭上一個運毒販的車子，最好的情況你也得花好幾天待在牢中解釋你的冤屈，哲學家Andrew Jackson Davis說道，「第六感是內在重要的元素，我們可以從教育中提升自我，但卻無法創造這個感官，我認為第六感比希望和信念的層次更高。」
This week, I would like to offer a cautionary note to all young Taiwanese that “embarque” on a year-long working holiday or a short summer abroad. These are my opinions and observations predicated on my long-term Taiwanese residency. Here we live in a very protective cocoon nurtured by the love and emotions of our family and friends. We believe that Westerners are intrinsically good and the West, ultimately, is a warm and inviting place filled with compassion and understanding for all peoples and all cultures. It affords us a better reality than our home country and it will elevate us in social standing once we return to Taiwan. These are profoundly incorrect assumptions that can do nothing but scar the average Taiwanese person for a lifetime.
Firstly, in Western culture, “You are not my friend!” I call you my friend: perhaps you are my exercise friend, my hiking friend, my partying friend, etc, but you are not my “real or good” friend. This takes many years to cultivate. When you return home, I will probably not keep in touch with you. Secondly, Western society is not as safe as Taiwanese society. If you leave your bag on your seat in a train or a bus to go and wash your hands, it will probably be gone: in Europe, northern countries (Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, etc.) are usually safer than southern countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, etc). Canada and the United States are dangerous everywhere. Thirdly, profound poverty on a massive scale exists in the West. It is a fact of life produced by a highly capitalistic and competitive system. It is not a classless society: period. Do not be shocked by these images; some areas in any city, even if they are connected by a public transportation system (metro, bus or light rail), are dangerous. You must be informed where you can safely go in a city. Finally, recreational drugs are everywhere and many seemingly “normal” young people do them. In some states it is legal to buy marijuana; in others the possession of this “drug” can put you in jail. It is best to refuse to involve yourself in all drugs including alcohol. If you do, the consequences are yours and yours alone. You must develop a “sixth sense” to protect yourself. This is the innate sensation of when something or some situation is not good for me: I must vacate this reality immediately, whether I am correct or not!
“What is often called the sixth-sense intuition can be defined as the ability to sense or know immediately without reasoning. We all have hunches, gut feelings, or intuitive insight. The feeling one gets when first hearing about something or someone, or the first impression when we meet someone new … these are all simply our intuition.
Intuition is often considered the ability to synthesize and deduce from all of our accumulated unconscious experiences. Therefore, we ‘know’ much more than we realize. It is also through the perception of our other five senses, which, allows us to ‘tune in’ to our intuition. Paying attention to this form of intuition can be a useful tool in our lives.” (1)
A personal story: I went to school in Paris, as I have mentioned before; Sweden was the only country in Europe that a student could work in legally during the summer break. Now to get there was a “bit of a trek” for I didn’t have any money. My friend Yurek, who is now an esteemed translator for the European Union (EU), proposed that we hitchhike to our destination: why not? We went to the Porte de Clignancourt (2) to begin our journey. What luck, even before we put our thumbs out, a car stopped: it was a great enormous Citroen. (3) The EU was just becoming formalized and the border crossings between countries were not necessarily well enforced: you could be stopped, but usually you were not. I always remember that the man’s shirt was unbuttoned and he had an uncaring air about him. As we drove along, he pulled a marijuana cigarette out of his pocket and lit it: proffering it to me and my friend. The whole situation appeared surreal: I politely refused, as did my friend. The windows remained open to vent the smell from the car. As we approached the Belgium border, our mysterious chauffeur became extremely agitated. He, rather aggressively, inquired whether we were carrying any drugs with us, à la Al Capone. (4) We assured him that we were not. Regardless, the border police opted not to stop us. Ten kilometers inside Belgium, our compatriot began to “whoop” with glee, “I did it, I did it,” he remarked! “Did what?” I rather naively inquired. He matter-of-factly explained that he was a drug courier and had a multitude of heroin packets cached in the car. He had picked us up as a cover: three persons being less suspicious than one. “By the way, where are you going? He inquired. “Right here,” I replied, “there is my uncle’s cabin.” We got out in the middle of nowhere in the Belgium countryside: safe and lucky. Few police forces would believe that you were “accidently” picked up by a criminal. At the very least you would spend several days in jail explaining your innocence: fools beware! This week, spiritualist Andrew Jackson Davis (1826-1910) leaves us with a thought: Intuition is innate or integral. Education may develop, but it cannot create, this faculty rises from beneath, like the sun and, like it, shines over the horizon of Reason. … I affirm that pure Intuition is higher than hope, and far greater than belief.
A small joke: An interviewer questioned a young man seeking a position with the company. “Your application says you left your last job because of sickness. Could you please explain this?” “Yes,” replied the candidate, “my boss got sick and tired of me.”
This week, please reflect on the power of your own intuition. Do you use it wisely?
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: My intrinsic belief in myself and the life path that I am on can only be achieved after a period of deep reflection and personal honesty.
Footnotes:
1) Intuition
3) Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën (1878–1935), Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA.
4) Alphonse Gabriel “Al” Capone (1899–1947) was an American gangster who attained fame during the Prohibition Era in the United States (1920-1933).