On form and substance

Fragments from imaginary dialogues

“What do you think of my tattoo?”

“I’m thinking Wabi-Sabi, the beauty of the impermanent and the imperfect.”

“You mean you don’t like it?”

“I do, for the beautiful idea it expresses, the deep journey of meaning it represents. That’s the substance. To me it feels much more real than the form. The form is just a signpost along the way, useful to the extent it performs its intended function, which it does.”