View Single Post
Old 02-28-2015, 02:50 PM   #28
Keith Larman
Dojo: AIA, Los Angeles, CA
Location: California
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,604
United_States
Offline
Re: The relevance of origin.

Quote:
David Skaggs wrote: View Post
No, at times it is a distraction from enjoying the beauty of the experience.

When I stop to smell the roses I enjoy the beauty and fragrance of the rose, not think " is this a
William Lobb, a Zephirine Drouhin, or a Bailey Red.

The enjoyment does not need any knowledge of the rose.
dps
But sometimes a deeper, more nuanced enjoyment is possible only if one knows and is able to appreciate what the hell they're looking at.

I can't count the number of times I've had people ask me why a nearly priceless antique Japanese sword is any better than a Chinese made knockoff for cutting stuff up. For them, the difference is irrelevant. And for their needs and purposes it is also probably a distinction without a difference. But for those who know the difference there is a lifetime of appreciation and joy to be found in the antique. The lack of a (apparent) functional difference does not imply there are no differences. Nor does the fact things can be appreciated on different levels mean that all levels are equal in value.

Forest for the trees...

In other words, it all just depends. And adopting a "know nothing" approach is no better than insisting that everyone must "know everything" to begin to enjoy something.

But spend a little time learning something about antique Japanese swords and, lo and behold, one learns to see what was before obscured. And suddenly one can't help but see the difference. And the appreciation changes profoundly.

Then again the world is full of folk who like to believe that a position of ignorance is somehow a more pure point of view. There may be some merit to that position in some very limited cases, but more often than not it is ultimately an excuse to avoid the work (and discomfort) of dealing with a world of vast subtlety.

It's not like having knowledge somehow prevents you from simply enjoying the rose... But not having the knowledge leaves you ill equipped to "see" that you may be looking at a variety that is somehow different and/or unique.

Just rambling on...

Last edited by Keith Larman : 02-28-2015 at 02:52 PM.

  Reply With Quote