一子家庭的衍生效果

忽發奇想，假若一天所有家庭都只有一子或一女，如此延續幾個世代，那世界就再沒有姨媽姑姐舅父叔叔，也沒有表弟表妹、堂兄堂弟，更遑論三姑六婆，七叔公和姑婆了。

到時要教小朋友何謂表哥，就只有靠字典的解釋，要進一步講解「表哥表妹hood」可能比說明相對論更舉步為艱。

每蓬農曆新年家聚，再沒有如上一代般有十個八個堂姐堂弟濟濟一堂的場面，只有和公公婆婆，爺爺麻麻食餐飯。兄弟姊妹聚首一堂暢談兒時迭事的情形也不復再。沒有叔伯舅姨姑，小朋友利是的數量也下降啊！

而更重要的是，沒有了這些衍生親戚，會對下一代的成長過程有何影響？對從前以大家庭為基礎變成小家庭為單位的社會否又起了迥異的變化？人脈關係又會變得怎樣？既沒有大量親戚，會否就減少了貪污舞弊，徇私護短的情況？而中國歷來都是以大家庭為基礎，直至近代這情形才有急劇變化，傳統價值如兄友弟恭會否消失得無影無踪？

我感到萬幸我仍在一個有三姑六婆的時代，未來太不可知，而且變化通常是負面的。不過讀人類學的話這絕對是個可取的論文題目。

Unloading some reflex

"I want to live . . . to experience the blessing of agedness," an African teenager said, whose parents passed away because of AIDS. Many in his city are unable to reach middle age. Probably even more children die because of the disease.

Can anyone in his lifetime not feel, for a brief moment, the deep sense of shame by doing nothing as his very own kind is dying slowly helplessly in front of him?

x x x x x x x

"She is at a much higher level," an once renowned actor in the 70s talked about his ex-wife, showing uneasiness.

Can a lasting marriage exist without an intellectual match?
Modern "love" is initialized by feeling. What are the other possible forms? Calculated match?
I guess when people say "I love you," they mean "I love the now you."
Mathematically: People (time) & Love (time)
By 6th sense I guess
God = constant
may help somehow "stablize" people and love as function of time on relationship context.

x x x x x x x

The difference of people lies in:

perceived self, which is a function of
use of language
appearance
body language
emotions
known information

projected self, which is a function of
perceived perceived self
self-confidence
experience
unclassified stimuli