Note- I published this one on my original blog on March 30, 2016. The following post is identical to what went up on that day save for some formatting adjustments to the footnotes.
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Hi,
We roll along in round one with the next two matchups. If you have no clue what this post is all about- I suggest you start here:
March 18- Introduction
March 28- First round, part one (of four)
Hope everyone enjoys. Back on Friday at the usual time.
Tim
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*saudade / Portuguese noun
A vague, constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist, a nostalgic longing for someone or something loved and then lost
--vs--
*tima /Icelandic verb
Not being ready to spend time or money on a specific thing, despite being able to afford it
Breakdown
If we had a #1 seed for this tournament, 'tima' might have been it. It suggests explanations (at least after the fact) for basic surface differences I have with most people.
I still use the most basic flip phone I can find. Up until two months ago, I did not have proper internet access in my apartment. And I don't really do any activities (*).
But, to be blunt, 'saudade' had little chance in this tournament. It expresses a theme that applies to my past year in some ways but hints more at 'could have been' than 'used to be'. The word appears inherently directed away from the young- it gets at feelings I might expect to have as I grow older (go ahead and accuse me of match fixing- this tournament could use a good scandal or two). Right now, mostly anything I desire (or could conceive desiring) are within reach and, generally, within my control as well.
Tima gets to take on the winner of the following in the second quarterfinal without having to provide any additional justification (despite being able to afford to).
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*shlimazel / Yiddish noun
Someone who seems to have nothing but bad luck
--vs--
*komorebi /Japanese noun
The sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees
Breakdown
The toughest first round decision. Our first Yiddish entrant seems to hint at my last year (and the latter half of it, in particular) while Japanese returns to action with the only word that I remember telling other people about after my first reading of the book.
Let's start with bad luck. This word immediately brings to mind two events of the past year- my mother's death in July and my job layoff in January. Not ideal events, either one. Other trivial little 'bad luck' events occurred in the past year but they are broadly irrelevant alongside those two major events.
I suspect, though, that this word does refer more to the trivial little events of life. For example, missing a concert last May because I made a commitment months before the announcement of the show is the trivial kind of 'bad luck' that might apply better here. I'm not entirely sure I've grasped the concept here but that is the impression I got from it.
I also considered the distinction between bad luck and bad timing. Layoffs are never ideal but I think my particular job was sliding from 'providing needed daily stability' toward 'needless emotional crutch' (*) while I tried to sort out some of my own feelings over the past few months.
Plus- most of us work in order to stop working (aka 'retirement') so a temporary stop of employment (*) is a bit of redistributed retirement, no? This line of reasoning is in line with a timing concern, not a luck fiasco.
All this reasoning, though, brought me no closer to comprehending why I felt komorebi was the better word. If I cannot explain why I picked one word, did this mean I actually should go with the other? Was this simply a case of hometown bias- a favoritism shown to a Japanese word at the expense of a deserving opponent (*)- which required some proper honesty on my part to sort out?
A realization came when I reconsidered the comment each word made about its subject. 'Shlimazel' is a label- it states 'this person is having bad luck' and halts any ongoing discussion or debate about alternate explanations. Instead of choosing to withhold judgment until events fully play out, this word finds victims of misfortune and gives them destinies to fulfill.
'Komorebi' takes an altogether opposite view. 'Komorebi' just states events- in this case, sunlight is filtering through the trees. That's all. It makes no remark about the fundamentally beautiful or ugly nature of sunlight's interaction with a tree.
I view this word brightly because I like the sun and I like the way its light filters through leaves. A person with sunburn prone skin (or perhaps unreliable sunglasses) might take a dimmer view.
The key distinction, I realized over the weekend, was that 'komorebi' leaves interpretation to the viewer. It does not label an event as negative in the way 'shlimazel' does.
Instead, it sits back and empowers its witnesses to place events into the context of their own choice. Taking this approach lets people face their clouds, find their own silver linings, and use their so-called 'bad luck' as footing for their next step forward.
So, even though I feel a bit unsure about using the 'luck/timing' technicality and, more importantly, at the risk of being accused of 'hometown bias' for favoring Japanese words, komorebi filters through to the next round.
Quarterfinal matchup #2- tima --vs-- komorebi
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Upcoming bracket
April 4- first round, part three
April 6- first round, part four
April 18
Quarterfinal #1: wabi-sabi --vs-- kabelsalat
Quarterfinal #2: tima --vs-- komorebi
April 20
Quarterfinal #3: to be determined on 4/4
Quarterfinal #4: to be determined on 4/6
May 1
Semifinal #1- to be determined on 4/18
Semifinal #2- to be determined on 4/20
May 10
Final- to be determined on 5/1
We roll along in round one with the next two matchups. If you have no clue what this post is all about- I suggest you start here:
March 18- Introduction
March 28- First round, part one (of four)
Hope everyone enjoys. Back on Friday at the usual time.
Tim
*****************************************************************
*saudade / Portuguese noun
A vague, constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist, a nostalgic longing for someone or something loved and then lost
--vs--
*tima /Icelandic verb
Not being ready to spend time or money on a specific thing, despite being able to afford it
Breakdown
If we had a #1 seed for this tournament, 'tima' might have been it. It suggests explanations (at least after the fact) for basic surface differences I have with most people.
I still use the most basic flip phone I can find. Up until two months ago, I did not have proper internet access in my apartment. And I don't really do any activities (*).
*Which reminds me of the only new album I've listened to this year (Courtney Barnett's 'Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit'). Generally, I just think, but sometimes...I sit and think. In fact, if you are just sitting at the moment, check it out:Shame that this lovely Portuguese word encountered such a buzzsaw of inaction.
But, to be blunt, 'saudade' had little chance in this tournament. It expresses a theme that applies to my past year in some ways but hints more at 'could have been' than 'used to be'. The word appears inherently directed away from the young- it gets at feelings I might expect to have as I grow older (go ahead and accuse me of match fixing- this tournament could use a good scandal or two). Right now, mostly anything I desire (or could conceive desiring) are within reach and, generally, within my control as well.
Tima gets to take on the winner of the following in the second quarterfinal without having to provide any additional justification (despite being able to afford to).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*shlimazel / Yiddish noun
Someone who seems to have nothing but bad luck
--vs--
*komorebi /Japanese noun
The sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees
Breakdown
The toughest first round decision. Our first Yiddish entrant seems to hint at my last year (and the latter half of it, in particular) while Japanese returns to action with the only word that I remember telling other people about after my first reading of the book.
Let's start with bad luck. This word immediately brings to mind two events of the past year- my mother's death in July and my job layoff in January. Not ideal events, either one. Other trivial little 'bad luck' events occurred in the past year but they are broadly irrelevant alongside those two major events.
I suspect, though, that this word does refer more to the trivial little events of life. For example, missing a concert last May because I made a commitment months before the announcement of the show is the trivial kind of 'bad luck' that might apply better here. I'm not entirely sure I've grasped the concept here but that is the impression I got from it.
I also considered the distinction between bad luck and bad timing. Layoffs are never ideal but I think my particular job was sliding from 'providing needed daily stability' toward 'needless emotional crutch' (*) while I tried to sort out some of my own feelings over the past few months.
*Crutches help you get by and protect you from further harm but they don't do the hard work of healing.
Plus- most of us work in order to stop working (aka 'retirement') so a temporary stop of employment (*) is a bit of redistributed retirement, no? This line of reasoning is in line with a timing concern, not a luck fiasco.
*Just a few days? Just a few weeks?Just a few months?
All this reasoning, though, brought me no closer to comprehending why I felt komorebi was the better word. If I cannot explain why I picked one word, did this mean I actually should go with the other? Was this simply a case of hometown bias- a favoritism shown to a Japanese word at the expense of a deserving opponent (*)- which required some proper honesty on my part to sort out?
*At least 'shlimazel' would understand the bad luck of being knocked out.
A realization came when I reconsidered the comment each word made about its subject. 'Shlimazel' is a label- it states 'this person is having bad luck' and halts any ongoing discussion or debate about alternate explanations. Instead of choosing to withhold judgment until events fully play out, this word finds victims of misfortune and gives them destinies to fulfill.
'Komorebi' takes an altogether opposite view. 'Komorebi' just states events- in this case, sunlight is filtering through the trees. That's all. It makes no remark about the fundamentally beautiful or ugly nature of sunlight's interaction with a tree.
I view this word brightly because I like the sun and I like the way its light filters through leaves. A person with sunburn prone skin (or perhaps unreliable sunglasses) might take a dimmer view.
The key distinction, I realized over the weekend, was that 'komorebi' leaves interpretation to the viewer. It does not label an event as negative in the way 'shlimazel' does.
Instead, it sits back and empowers its witnesses to place events into the context of their own choice. Taking this approach lets people face their clouds, find their own silver linings, and use their so-called 'bad luck' as footing for their next step forward.
So, even though I feel a bit unsure about using the 'luck/timing' technicality and, more importantly, at the risk of being accused of 'hometown bias' for favoring Japanese words, komorebi filters through to the next round.
Quarterfinal matchup #2- tima --vs-- komorebi
************************************************************************
Upcoming bracket
April 4- first round, part three
April 6- first round, part four
April 18
Quarterfinal #1: wabi-sabi --vs-- kabelsalat
Quarterfinal #2: tima --vs-- komorebi
April 20
Quarterfinal #3: to be determined on 4/4
Quarterfinal #4: to be determined on 4/6
May 1
Semifinal #1- to be determined on 4/18
Semifinal #2- to be determined on 4/20
May 10
Final- to be determined on 5/1
