Anyone looking for a tournament summary should start here and read my summary post from the first two tournament rounds. You will also find links to all the original tournament posts there.
I also posted on Friday. It is a 4500 word nonsensical preview of the Euro 2016 soccer tournament. Umm, good luck reading that? Anyway, I did not mention that blog at the end of last Tuesday's post so if you missed it go back and have a look.
Ready? On we go, then. Enjoy the post and I'll see you back here next Tuesday for the second semifinal.
Tim
Lost In Translation- First Semifinal
'Wabi-sabi' / Japanese noun
Finding beauty in the imperfections, an acceptance of the cycle of life and death
--vs.--
'komorebi' / Japanese noun
The sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees
This is a tough matchup. Each word shares much at a base level and such similarities make comparison a difficult task.
At the core is a shared essence of observation. 'Wabi-sabi' challenges us to find beauty despite imperfection. The word brings value and meaning to life through its acknowledgment and acceptance of its single irreversible opposite- death. The brightness of a well-lived and impactful life often is seen most brilliantly in the wake of its end.
'Komorebi' parallels these reflections. A sunny day to most means one not marred by shade. It brings to mind the warm feeling of the sun reaching us uninterrupted by cloud or building. 'Komorebi' takes what may mar this idea and defines its value by stating its value regardless of the manner it takes to reach us. Through the filter created by tree cover, the planet's source of life is seen in a new light and we come to appreciate its resilience in the face of nature's obstacles.
The semifinal comes down to the difference in the words. In this case, the distinction was subtle and it took me some time to think through it in full.
'Wabi-sabi' is the word of the result. It looks for the beauty that is already there and implores us to uncover it. With this word, imperfections are the required opposite and the comparison against it reveals relative beauty. Death brings the needed balance and perspective to life. It is the map that indicates the way out when the forest around is dark and mysterious.
'Komorebi' is the word of the process. It gazes on what is already there and challenges us to filter it through the lenses we wear to see beautifully. Such a view of imperfections reveals absolute beauty. Death and life exist on the same bench, not on opposite ends of a see-saw. It is the 'philosophy of how', the underbrush we push into because it is how we blaze our own trail out of the forest.
As I examined my reasons for and against each word, I saw that 'wabi-sabi' contains both the essential understanding needed to live fully while also grounding us in ways that make a full life difficult. It brings understanding and acceptance to what life brings by stating the truths that apply to us all. Though this balancing brings us back to life when we inhabit a place of death, it also kills off the discovery driven by our individuality.
'Komorebi' beautifies our own experience. As I stated in the quarterfinal round, there is no iron law which states that sunlight filtering through leaves is a thing of beauty. This word exists only due to one person who sought to see beautifully and found the resulting experience so meaningful that a name was created for it.
I am sending 'komorebi' into the final because I find the idea it presents more meaningful. There is an infinite element to 'komorebi', one that suggests there is always more where it came from. Unlike its opponent, which creates value in life by framing it around an acceptance of death, 'komorebi' fails to acknowledge the difference and instead looks for value by asking that we bring our best view to the world at all times. It hints that the value of a full life is knowing that each frontier is not a place in which to settle but the foundation from which we look for the next horizon.
Lost In Translation Final (July 15):
'komorebi' --vs.-- winner of semifinal #2 (June 28)
