CAMELLIAS AND CULTURE: Examining the Connections

IMAGE:   A faintly pink camellia blossom superimposed above a woven bamboo mesh 
         with a torus-lens distortion.

Daiki:   Huh? There's nothing particularly "Japanese" about camellia flowers. . .

An-Yi:   Ah, but they have existed in Asia for centuries. Some species of camelia are integral parts of many Asian cultures.

Tim:     Every cultural association we create is but a fiction. The randomness of many things often seems 
         terrifying, so we imagine patterns to preserve the illusion of a coherent narrative.

Daiki:   No doubt. A clear and compelling coherent narrative - even if it is false - often trumps complex 
         and convoluted series of statements that are true.

An-Yi:   (laughing) Ah, how easily we become suckers for compelling stories! However logical we pretend 
         to be, deep down we are very emotional and all too easily fooled. Moreover, we are continually 
         inventing stories to share with others.

Bhäraté: (nodding) Yep! As Frank Herbert reminded us, civilizations require shared beliefs and values. Never 
         underestimate the power of myth.


=====================================================================================
from _Pan-Asian Pulses: Poetry, Art, and Dialogs about Asia_ by T Newfields
SUMMARY:  An image of a camellia blossom on a bamboo mat and conversation about cultural myths
KEYWORDS: cultural discourses, narrative force, imagined connections, camellia conversations

Author: T Newfields [Nitta Hirou / Huáng Yuèwǔ] (b. 1955)
Begun: 2002 in Tokyo, Japan ≜ Finished: 2021 in Yokohama, Japan
Creative Commons License: Attribution. {{CC-BY-4.0}} Granted

< LAST    https://www.tnewfields.info/BambooGroves/no.htm
  TOC     https://www.tnewfields.info/BambooGroves/index.html
  NEXT >  https://www.tnewfields.info/BambooGroves/no.htm

TRANSLATIONS 

ESPAÑOL:  https://www.tnewfields.info/es/cam_cul.htm