Roy, I think ye be correct.

Part 1 … People are like Water … we become what we touch.

It’s like water. We think of water as water, but the characteristics of water depend on where it comes from and what it touches. Water is the universal solvent. It becomes whatever it comes in contact with.

It’s why I am in business.

It even varies from well to well.

People are like water … we become what we touch.

Part 2 … We is who we is and it shapes how we see.

Each of us will experience life through the lens of self … what I call the Peephole.

Art may be the same, but how we experience it will be an individual experience. Art intersects with the individual … what we experience is influenced by who we are, where we are, where we come from, who we are with, how we feel … etc.

But I think you are absolutely correct.

Our language and our culture shape how we see. Two people can read the same book but come away with very different views.

Different cultures experience the same things differently.

There is a lot that goes into art, architecture, attitude, and all the facets we lump under the umbrella of “culture.”

An example is the term “Wa”. My son traveled to Japan last year. He said the Japanese have a term “Wa”. The best analogy in English is “harmony. But “Wa” is much richer and is woven into the language. Its essence is the Japanese value of working together in harmony, in getting

along, in being one.  But remember, Japan is a very small country and they are all the same race. (I read somewhere that 99% of Japan is ethnically Japanese.)

Contrast “Wa” with our culture in America, especially Texas. We value “Independence” and “Freedom.” Having driven from Amarillo to Austin on numerous occasions I can assure you there is lot of Wide Open along the way. In Japan, the people are packed onto a limited land mass. Land and climate shape our views … and our language.

Texas has flown 6 flags. It has been shaped – and continues to be shaped – by people from different countries and cultures who show up and create new culture. Ever eat Tex-Mex? Wonder why BBQ joints serve such good sausage?

On a more personal level, consider how much we are influenced by our friends and our intimate family members. I can’t imagine Roy without Pennie.

And, thinking as a person who is a tad bit rebellious, there is even a part of us that tends to challenge conventional thinking, values and social mores.

Fascinating gumbo.

t.