You are reading my mind, Ron. Japanese keeps a whole shelf of words for behavior it disapproves of, and they reveal the norms far more honestly than the flattering ones do. Kuuki ga yomenai, unable to read the air, tells you everything about what the air demands. I already have seken tei, the weight of being watched by others, waiting on my list. A culture confesses most in the words it uses to scold.
Kokoro. Ron, you have picked the one word this whole newsletter has been quietly circling. It refuses to choose among heart, mind, and spirit, which is exactly why English has never known where to put it. I am penciling it into the August plans now.:)
Do appreciate how you make a point to discuss some of the pitfalls of certain norms.
Thinking it might de-idealize Japanese culture a bit to explore some terms which are critical of certain kinds of behavior.
You are reading my mind, Ron. Japanese keeps a whole shelf of words for behavior it disapproves of, and they reveal the norms far more honestly than the flattering ones do. Kuuki ga yomenai, unable to read the air, tells you everything about what the air demands. I already have seken tei, the weight of being watched by others, waiting on my list. A culture confesses most in the words it uses to scold.
Kokoro
Kokoro. Ron, you have picked the one word this whole newsletter has been quietly circling. It refuses to choose among heart, mind, and spirit, which is exactly why English has never known where to put it. I am penciling it into the August plans now.:)