I think the value of this tree is in the idea that one day America might give it back to Japan as an act of peace, since it is clearly a very special organism and the value of the act would truly communicate the idea of transcending the causes of hostility. Exchanging such a beautiful life form as an act of peace would surely be the penultimate act of bonsai...
A 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb
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Re: A 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb
#12I think the value of this tree is in the idea that one day America might give it back to Japan as an act of peace, since it is clearly a very special organism and the value of the act would truly communicate the idea of transcending the causes of hostility. Exchanging such a beautiful life form as an act of peace would surely be the penultimate act of bonsai...
Quibble: surely that should be 'ultimate act'. The meaning of 'penultimate' implies a further ultimate act. Since bonsai are essentially immortal, you would never be able to tell if an act involving one was penultimate?
Re: A 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb
#13Since it was so close to the blast, wouldn't it still be radioactive, like Marie Curie's journals?
Little Boy was air burst 580m above the city, so most of the fallout traveled away into the atmosphere.
There were many acute radiation poisoning deaths (though there were far more deaths from the fire and the blast), and about a third of the survivors suffered radiation injuries that increased their risk of cancer, but there was very little to no long-term contamination of the area.
Re: A 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb
#14Since it was so close to the blast, wouldn't it still be radioactive, like Marie Curie's journals?
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Re: A 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb
#15They mention the tree's trunk in the article but it's shaded in the photo. It's glorious: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kjell/3388113528/in/album-7215...
The National Arboretum is the coolest place I've been in DC. It's a bit out of the way, but worth the trip from downtown.
Re: A 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb
#16Since it was so close to the blast, wouldn't it still be radioactive, like Marie Curie's journals?
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Re: A 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb
#17I've always thought the culture and heritage surrounding bonsai is amazing. I was in a local bonsai club when I was younger and the patience required to produce a really great tree is something to be respected. Sometimes the trees will just die for no discernible reason and you just have to start over after months or years of work. Some of the oldest trees are estimated to be over 1000 years old and have been passed…
I always compare software engineering to bonsai. To be happy doing either for a long time, you need to enjoy the work of becoming a craftsman for its own sake -- the things you build or cultivate can die quickly and for no good reason, and all that remains is the appreciation for the work you put in. Whenever someone asks for a fifth round of changes for a button's color, I think about a Japanese monk raking gravel. When the Tibetan monks blow away their mandala after weeks of painstaking work, I see startup pivots and acquihires.
Re: A 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb
#18I've been getting into bonsai also. If anyone reading this wants to do a meetup, it'd be fun to get together with tech bonsai people in Portland.
Why not just get together with tech folks over tech, and bonsai people over bonsai, and cross-pollinate your life a bit? :)
I go to the local bonsai meetup, but it's out in a suburb and not really oriented toward younger folks in the city. I'd still encourage you to go (they have great speakers and material at affordable auctions). But it'd be cool to talk to geeks about geek things like bluetooth soil sensors and watering automation. Or how real trees are like B-trees :)
Re: A 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why not just get together with tech folks over tech, and bonsai people over bonsai, and cross-pollinate your life a bit? :)
Umm .. wouldn't that be not cross-polinating?
He's suggesting jchrisa cross-pollinate his life with people other than "tech people".
Re: A 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb
#20I've always thought the culture and heritage surrounding bonsai is amazing. I was in a local bonsai club when I was younger and the patience required to produce a really great tree is something to be respected. Sometimes the trees will just die for no discernible reason and you just have to start over after months or years of work. Some of the oldest trees are estimated to be over 1000 years old and have been passed…
I always compare software engineering to bonsai. To be happy doing either for a long time, you need to enjoy the work of becoming a craftsman for its own sake -- the things you build or cultivate can die quickly and for no good reason, and all that remains is the appreciation for the work you put in. Whenever someone asks for a fifth round of changes for a button's color, I think about a Japanese monk raking gravel.…
That's a really interesting analogy. I struggle with the idea of working so hard on things that feel pointless and ephemeral, and that's a nice way to think about it.
I'm not sure that's the point of a mandala, but it's definitely an interesting idea to ponder.