[CR]Re: Making bicycles, for instance

(Example: Racing:Jean Robic)

Comment: DomainKeys? See http://antispam.yahoo.com/domainkeys
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2005 10:23:33 -0800 (PST)
From: "Joe Starck" <josephbstarck@yahoo.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
In-Reply-To: <41fe35c8.4676.28240@mail.rochester.edu>
cc: dbrk@mail.rochester.edu
Subject: [CR]Re: Making bicycles, for instance


--- dbrk@mail.rochester.edu wrote:


"There is an irony to perfection because it is far more process than result, not only held out as the "thing" done but the soul invested in the doing. To wit, perfection is on-going, achieveable, and filled with aspiration for its accomplishment. (A glib comparison would be the ordinary way "we" use perfect to mean something that cannot be achieved (as in "nobody's perfect" or "only God is perfect".) It is not so much the imperfection of perfection that is revered in Japanese Buddhism (or certain segments of Hinduism) but the notion that the person who provided the relic (or craft or item) was a perfect heart no matter their personal flaws or those flaws found in the craft. And yet there is work "more perfect" than others done even by the same hand and no one much disputes this."

Douglas, "Perfect heart" is a concept without bounds, and much of the origins of the philosophies you discuss, as well as any other classic philosophies or religions you could include, were, really now, developed to guide peoples personal and spiritual relationships with some extensions into the natural or supernatural. To reach into these classics for inspiration and guidance in matters of peoples relationships to man-made things is putting the cart before the horse, to me. I suppose these theoretical concepts are elemental to a basic education, but ya know, a good way to learn about peoples relationship to things is to make the things; and in the process you'll learn about the people too. That said, I talked about "Imperfection is Perfection" with Richard last August, and I thought his post below on the framebuilder's list was pretty fair shootin'.

http://search.bikelist.org/getmsg.asp?Filename=framebuilders.10408.0942.eml

But, when classic religions and philosophies are dragged down like cheap clip art into a company's products or services, that's just copywriter sleight of hand.

Joe Starck, masidon, wi

http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250