I
love art, and I especially love sculpture.
Modern art is my favorite because to me, it’s not just about the actual
physical artwork, it’s about the idea behind the art. So, obviously, I was excited about visiting a
sculpture park that was also an Olympic park (in Seoul, South Korea). I love the ideas behind the Olympics- they
inspire us to bring out the best in ourselves and the best in humanity.
So,
when I wandered over to a sculpture of
interlocking circles, and I saw the title “Unification,” I almost didn’t bother
to read the description. I thought I
knew what it was about- all of the athletes coming together from all over the
world, joining together in peaceful competition, kum ba ya and all that good
stuff. Seoul hosted the Olympics in
1988, towards the end of the cold war, and I just assumed the artist meant to
convey harmony and peace on earth- a worthy theme for a sculpture.
And
then I read the plaque:
“The
sculpture has open spaces, and is unified with the surrounding landscape. Viewers can experience the diverse shapes and
changes in volume made by linear and curved lines, cones, and circles, and
other elements depending on their viewpoint.
The title ‘Unification’ implies the specific experience of being in a
perfect condition under any circumstance, rather than suggesting harmony.”
The
last line struck me the hardest. This
was certainly not what I expected it to say, and it stopped me in my
tracks. Here was an idea that was
completely new to me- an entirely new way to think about unity- and one that
was very relevant to me as a nomad.
Unification,
in this sense, is what happens when you ‘pull it all together.’ It’s what Olympic athletes experience when
they perform ‘in perfect condition’ even under difficult circumstances- on
another continent, 13 time zones away, under incredible scrutiny and
pressure. This is what I strive for, in
my own way, as a nomad: to be myself, in ‘perfect’ condition, under any
circumstances- anywhere I go, no matter what the environment and situation- to
be unified as myself. To have this
experience is true unification. To be
able to pull it all together, no matter what.
Unification is the essence of Maslow’s self-actualization. It goes beyond being ‘present’- it’s being
WHOLLY present, and for that, you have to be WHOLE. It’s bringing your best, complete version of
yourself to any situation, anywhere in the world, no matter what goes on around
you. It’s not quite harmony… harmony happens
when we each live in our own unification and interact as our best versions of
ourselves.
Later,
I went back and looked more carefully at the whole description. I was so struck by the last line that I’d
barely notices the beginning the first time I read it. “Viewers can experience the diverse …
elements depending on their viewpoint.”
From the outside world, there are a million facets, an infinite number
of viewpoints, each with their individual perspective. But, for the sculpture, there is only one way
of being. It exists in its own perfect unity
no matter what happens around it. And
that’s how I strive for- to have the ‘experience of being in a perfect
condition under any circumstance,’ wherever I am in the world.
* * *
(This post was
written after visiting the Olympic Park in Seoul, South Korea.)
