Slightly off topic, the concern that today's generation is abandoning the traditions and values of its elders is probably as old as time. Just recently there was an interesting editorial in the Economist about the riots in Britain, specifically about the idea that they are the result of recent tearing of moral fiber. My favorite quote: "it is melancholy to find that some parents are not ashamed to confess that children of seven or eight years old are entirely beyond their control" from 1898.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/bagehot/2011/08/civil-disorder-and-looting-hits-britain-0


@Laman: you probably meant keikogi (or just gi), not kimono. Some martial arts also have hakama. A kimono is something more formal.

Dear John,

Thank you for sharing your insights. There are just a few concluding remarks that I would like to make on this subject. All of your comments are based upon a utilitarian view of various elements of culture which are presented in terms of their function but to which no intrinsic meaning is ascribed, a meaning which in my perspective is derived from tradition. By this term I am not referring not to a mere custom, but that element within which resides the spirit of a civilization, and which is manifested in all elements of life when the civilization has not yet experienced a degradation. This is not to dismiss the functional aspect of things, but rather to witness within them the secondary aspect of symbolism. Such is not a rosy-eyed view of the past but rather an appreciation of the intrinsic genius of a civilization which is becoming ever more inaccessible through the deleterious effects of modernism and a passivity toward the prevailing zeitgeist, what you referred to as keeping up with the times. The modern architecture of the current incarnation of the Nihon Ki-in building in contrast to its original design can be taken as a representative illustration of the degradation that is being considered here and which extends even into the domain of something as simple as one's clothes. Yet despite this simplicity, one should not lose sight of the importance of the vestamentary art as a testament to the character and individuality of a people and as an expression of beauty, both of which are lost in the ubiquitous assimilation of all things western and modern.

Sincerely,
Desmond

Um. Helel, some of us read the forums in places where we really don't want to be surprised by that sort of thing. Please modify your post.

Edit: mod sniped!

_________________
That which can be destroyed by the truth should be.
--
My (sadly neglected, but not forgotten) project: http://dailyjoseki.com

koreans wearing traditional attire is very common during solar and lunar new year.
other than new years it is very strange to wear them.

_________________
"The more we think we know about
The greater the unknown"
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson

All I'm sayin' is, have pity on those of us employed in countries not as enlightened as your own...

_________________
That which can be destroyed by the truth should be.
--
My (sadly neglected, but not forgotten) project: http://dailyjoseki.com

Just put a "NSFW" disclaimer before the hide tag.

I see obscene things here all the time: goban, jubango, kifu, moku, iPad...

Where are the mods when you need them?