The Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics emblems, as designed by Tokolo Asao
At the ceremony, Asao said,
“Since Sept. 11, 2001, I started a particular concept. There was a big disconnect in the world because of terrorism so I wanted to connect things. This design is based on a similar philosophy.
It's a simple, understated design of 市松模様 ("ichimatsu moyo" or checkerboard pattern) that was colored with indigo to "add some coolness" into it for the summer Games. Its impression on me was subtle at first. Like some non-Japanese residents of Japan, I thought at first it was not so exciting. Yet, taking it in for a while longer, I can begin to appreciate the deeper meaning behind its intricacy. I don't claim to understand わびさび ("wabi sabi" or the concept of old and new intertwining to create a particular, Japanesque impression). Maybe the emblem expresses this quality on a level unbeknownst to Western sensibilities. It's impact is undeniable though.
* * * *
Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party
Meanwhile back on the homefront, Dr. Jill Stein of the Green party has made a very public overture to Bernie Sanders of the Democratic pary affiliation to consolidate the energies of the two progressive, revolutionary movements. Her request is simple.
Stein, who has long called on Sanders to join forces with her in the interest of their “shared goals,” wrote to Sanders over the weekend: “I invite you to join me in pushing the boundaries of that system to a place where revolution can truly take root.”
Attempts at unity, even "political" unity if there is such a possibility, are forthright and imperative. Time will tell how these efforts pan out.
* * * *
A quote from Raul Ramos, my University professor, who gave me the internal tools to succeed professionally.
Meditation is sometimes needed to clear the air, to create a oneness within the self as well as with others on the stage of life. My theater professor Raul Ramos guided us to harness our inner light and use it with focused stage presence to organically cohabitate each performance space with our fellow actors. He taught us to discover the tools within ourselves to bring out the inner life of the characters we portrayed.
I still look for news ways to gather this kind of energy, especially now that I am a father. It's all too easy to let anger become unsettled and to lash out at the ones you care about the most. Case in point, just a while ago, our not-so-frequent reading time was canceled because Lily was too sleepy to want to read together. That was fine, but I found out that she also didn't like the book I got her this month and that I wanted to read to her tonight. She had told her mom privately that it wasn't interesting because it didn't have a lot of pictures. She's nearly 8 and the book is "The Little Prince," a classic that I hadn't read before. I took it personally, got mad and went to my computer room. She came over and apologized to me. Her mom told me to just try another time with another book.
The reason this is a thing is that Lily doesn't have many opportunities to read books in English, although she is quite frequently reading Japanese ones. I want her to have the best chances to be fluently bilingual, but I guess I just have to adjust the selection of books to what might suit her best. Katsumi even suggested that I make my online purchases of books for Lily together with Lily so as to get something she's looking forward to read. As I type this, all of these ideas are converging on one another in sequential, logical order. They make sense. The tide has passed and a new, peaceful wave is forming to replace it.
No comments:
Post a Comment