incense dreams JOURNAL - issue 3.1 - SPAZIO e TEMPO

However, the idea of relishing the present moment has been associated with
most Japanese arts as BBC reiterates in the article, The Japanese skill copied
by the world: “Tea ceremony, haiku and cherry-blossom viewing, for
instance, all share a heightened appreciation of the moment. In tea ceremony,
participants take time to notice the design of the cup before drinking and
appreciate the decoration of the tea room, which reflects the foliage and
blooms of the month. But beyond that, the ceremony celebrates the fact that
this moment with this person in this place will never happen again.” But the
philosophy that haiku and other Japanese arts center primarily on
the experience of the present moment is not factual, as many other aesthetics
and principles play into the equation.
Another tricky thing about talking about the “now” is that it is elusive. As
you soon as you mention, remember, write, or do anything about it, it’s not
in its original state. The present moment exists in itself only. All you can do
is to experience it. That being said, the flipside can be argued for. English
poet Stephen Spender (1909 – 1995) said, “A memory once clearly stated
ceases to be a memory. It becomes perpetually present, because every time
we experience something which recalls it, the clear and lucid original
experience imposes its formal beauty on the new experience.” So, the past
can become our present with enough deliberation. Additionally, quantum
theory suggests that our future might be influencing our present by what’s
called retrocausality. This makes the present moment even more obscure.
But what might be more useful for haiku poets instead of mulling over the
conundrum of the “now” is seeing how powerful we can convey our
moments—no matter how they come about.
whalebone
from a beach near Savoonga—
winter rain
BILLIE WILSON
Incense Dreams 3.1