incongruity

::: kenneth burke wrote pointedly on the incongruity of perspectives and its dialectical and linguistic consequences...as outsiders looking in, we continue to learn a lot about japanese values through incongruity, particularly those times when mundane things present a glimpse into larger cultural differences...

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...as we've noted previously, the fastidious recycling practices of our neighbors continue to amaze us...today being designated the monthly cardboard/newspaper day, a high-school aged boy supervised the collecting effort...learning comes not only from our neighbors...the eco-consciousness which governs our church family's approach and preparation for events is illuminating...for example, an ice-breaker game involving 10-15 pieces of tissue paper was deemed too wasteful because there was no viable way to reuse the tainted tissue...empty milk cartons are refashioned into decorative gifts, such as bookmarks and business card holders...

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...another point of illumination through incongruity...last night, after dinner with friends, a short conversation concerning a mundane task reminded us of the japanese value of group harmony and its apparent incongruity with the western emphasis on individuality...the task: cutting a watermelon...undoubtedly in response to my (bobby's) method of cutting watermelon into thin triangular slices, our friend motioned us to watch her cut the watermelon that she had planned on serving...instead of thin slices, she cut the watermelon into large pyramids..."this way everyone can share the sweetest part [the belly] of the watermelon and everyone is happy and feels equal"..."the way you cut," she added, "no harmony, only some people get to eat the sweet part"...

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...learning through incongruity...

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