Jiang Xiaoyuan’s concept. He says that astronomy in ancient China served politics: anomalous changes in the heavens corresponded to anomalous changes among human affairs, especially changes in dynasties. In particular, major events like solar eclipses signaled crisis or moral failure. The emperor had to hurry to examine himself, offer sacrifices and reports to Heaven, and even grant a general amnesty, and so on.
Modern people know that celestial phenomena are objective facts; one can even predict the time of a solar eclipse millions of years in advance. How, then, could they possibly be linked to the fortunes of human dynasties? And worshipping Heaven is only an empty ritual—what meaning could it still have?
But in fact modern people have not rejected empty rituals. Aren’t opening ceremonies, military parades, anniversary celebrations, and all kinds of other rituals being held with great enthusiasm? Aren’t these rituals also nothing but empty forms?
It is clear, then, that modern people have not ceased to care about ritual; rather, they no longer care for that kind of ritual that expresses humility, no longer care about a sense of crisis, are unwilling to admit how limited their power is between Heaven and earth, and have even less inclination to openly reflect on and criticize themselves. People are complacent and intoxicated with themselves; all the rituals in the tradition that carried a sense of crisis have been abolished, while all the rituals of display and grandiosity have been greatly strengthened.
So even if you can predict a solar eclipse a thousand years in advance, when it happens, it is still a portent.
A brainless idiot is no big deal; democracy can take care of that. An autocrat is no big deal; enlightened rule can take care of that. But if one is both brainless and fond of slapping one’s forehead in feigned revelation, then it becomes a joke…
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- uniceros
2009-06-25 16:41:08 Anonymous 115.155.143.90
“既脑残又爱拍脑门，那就搞笑了……”
— If one is both brainless and fond of slapping one’s forehead in feigned revelation, then one can only be made a joke of.
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Translated from the Chinese original with AI assistance. The original text is authoritative.
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