SCHEDULE OF JANUARY
APPEARANCES
Cecile Pineda will be talking about Apology to a Whale: Words to Mend a World and signing books
during the month of January:
January 17: Silk Road
House, 1944 University Avenue between MLK Jr. Way &
January 23: San
Francisco Mime Troupe, 855 Treat Avenue at 22nd Street on San
Francisco, Saturday, January 23 at 2:30 PM. Space is limited. Please call first
to reserve your place (415) 285-1717.
January 24: Berkeley
Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, Cedar at Bonita Streets, Sunday,
January 24 at 7 PM. The evening is a fund raiser for the Drone 4 whistleblowers.
The event is wheelchair accessible. For information call
Copies of Apology to a
Whale may be ordered at Wings Press.
ELEVEN LITTLE WORDS
FOR 2016
Could a short visit to
another language offer some new ways of thinking? The linguist, Benjamin Whorf. observed that compared to
Hopi, English has all the subtlety of a bludgeon. Ever since my Apology to a Whale project got me
hooked, I’ve been looking more deeply into how the force of language shapes a culture,
and how it affects Being in the World.
A visit to a few heavy lifting Japanese expressions might
lend New Year resolutions some weightier meaning. The 11 words that follow may
suggest new relationships to nature; to appreciation for others and for all
things good; to recognition of beauty and transcendence from the smallest bowl
to the great wheel of sky we call the universe; and to entering the realm of
acceptance in life. They evoke vast complexes of meaning. English has no words
for them.
NATURE
Forest-grazing is the clumsy English usage for what
the Japanese refer to simply and elegantly as shinrinyoku. It describes that need for the wilderness in which to
find peace, and the stillness that comes of experiencing deep silence.The Japanese use komorebi to refer to sunlight filtering through the leaves.
Kogarashi is
the name for the chill wind that announces winter coming. Unlike the classic
name Boreas, the Japanese name the winds according to their gifts.
BEAUTY & TRANSCENDENCE
Kintsukuroi refers to the art of repairing broken
ceramics using silver or gold to join the shards, but encompasses awareness that
the object becomes even more exquisite for having been broken. The Japanese lend mutability its correct poignancy. Monoaware literally means the pathos of things, not just their impermanence, but the soft sadness that lingers at their passing.
Beyond words has its Japanese expression. Yuugen evokes awe and mystery beyond words of the universe itself.
ACCEPTANCE
Shoganai in
Japanese literally means “it can’t be helped,” but far from evoking
discouragement or despair, it acknowledges the need to accept things beyond
human control and suggests the freedom from guilt, and regret that allows
moving on.
Wabi-sabi pinpoints a whole way of living that uncovers beauty in life’s imperfections, and leads to a path of acceptance for the natural cycle of life from its beginning to final decay.
APPRECIATION
Before a meal, the Japanese say itadakmasu! Although its literal meaning is I will have this! it acknowledges the person
who prepared the food, the person who served the food; and it includes appreciation
for nature and for life itself. (It also includes everything else related to eating, maybe even thumb sucking.)
The Japanese themselves acknowledge heavy lifters by
saying “you are tired.” But otsukaresama embraces lots more feeling. It recognizes the hard work that led to that tiredness, and it expresses thankfulness
for the work itself.
I am indebted to Marie Sugio who must be tired after
offering such poignant insights into Living Well
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