The emphasis this week is
again on practical applications of aesthetic principles. Aesthetics
is usually associated with art and design, and often considered too
abstract for daily use. However, even a cursory look at the following
four principles of Japanese aesthetics will show them to be eminently
practical.
1. Lose the clutter.
Simplicity is the
key to most of what follows. Everyone knows the kiss
principle. A tired cliché.
Few people take this tired advice to heart. Eliminate what is not
used or needed. Sell it or give it away. Keep only what you must.
Have a place for it. This is called kanso
in Japanese.
2.
Tone it down.
Subtlety
is the wink that goes with simplicity's smile. Better to suggest
than to explicitly reveal. Obviously, this is the problem (one of
many) with pornography, and the reason lingerie still sells. This is
called Yugen, the power of
suggestion.
rock
garden Portland Japanese Garden (photo by
Lscudder)
3.
Take a breath.
Learn
to be still. This is the single most difficult item on the list.
Sitting quietly, doing nothing more than focusing the mind on one
thing until that thing is no more. Too esoteric? Then sit and watch
birds and their business. Watch the wind blow. Count waves. This is
seijaku. Stillness.
Tranquility.
4.
Do less.
Less
is more (see CwHD7). Austerity
in all its definitions describes this principle. Often translated as
shibumi in Japanese, the
nuances of austerity have to be softened with yugen.
Harshness and negativity have no place here. Simply use some
restraint
as your life unfolds.
One
might write pages on each of these principles. Next week I'll apply
this aesthetic to the classic five paragraph essay. Two weeks hence,
I'll introduce Henry. Or was it Hank?
The
link below is to a performance by Esperanza Spalding of Abbey
Lincoln's song 'Throw It Away'. Both the performance and the song
exemplify the four principles.
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