INTERNATIONAL BONSAI ACADEMY with Walter Pall - The Plato's Cave Analogy

Thanks for sharing Sebastijan!

Do you know? I was about to post a picture of a forest that I had copied from Walter's Nr.3 field maple, and ask for comments re it's progression. Now I have to think about it again before I dare to do that! He really is an inspiration, and I am not ashamed to be a distant follower. After all we cannot all be Rembrandt, but there is no reason why we should not try to paint.
Thanks for posting the vid.

Many more videos with Walter Pall coming...

Great food for thought!

What a wonderful reason for creating the Academy and a great analogy about the "people in the cave". It applies not only to bonsai as a whole but on every little aspects of it. Soil, wiring, fertilizer, pest control, trimming, re-potting, collecting, wound sealing, etc.

I just pray that he keep the vision going. Often times, the goal shifts as time passes...due to change of people on the helm, success, fame, wealth, etc.

It is also possible that one thinks he is outside but actually facing the cave wall not knowing it. It is nice to have a reality check every now and then.

More power to Walter!!!

Hi Sebastijan,

Thanks for sharing Walter's wise words

"Plato" is pronounced with a hard 'A' , like Face or Game.
-Jay

drgonzo wrote:"Plato" is pronounced with a hard 'A' , like Face or Game.
-Jay

Let me put things in the right perspective.
The proper and correct name of the philosopher in Greek is Platon and it is NOT pronounced with a hard "A". It is pronounced as in "apple" or "graft".
I am a native greek speaker (and my english is quite good too ).

Jay,

names of folks can either be pronounced as they are in their native language or in the language that one speaks, Both is correct. Welcome to globalization.

Stavos,

Thats interesting to me as the phonetical pronunciation in English is written as 'pleɪtoʊ' indicating a hard 'A'. Thank you for mentioning how his name is pronounced in modern greek.
Cool!

Now back to bonsai....
I watched the whole video and I think Walter has made a clever argument based on viewing the cave analogy backwards. I tend to agree with his "philosophy" in this regard as its similar to my own regarding bonsai. He does mention a name towards the end of someone who told him Bonsai is not about real trees, it was Ryan...something I didn't catch the last name.

Walter Pall wrote:Jay,

names of folks can either be pronounced as they are in their native language or in the language that one speaks, Both is correct. Welcome to globalization.

I'm glad about that Walter as i have always read your name as Pall pronouncing the 'a' as apple.I recently heard people calling it different to that. Having read it my way for years i find it hard not read it my way.
Hope that made sense.

Hope you don't mind as i find it hard not to after so long.

So much for the deeper exploration of bonsai when you can't get by a word or two! Says alot about us and how we approach the deeper truths of what we are intrested in.

Just say'n!,
Randy

A wise man once said something to the effect of "never pass up an opportunity to keep quiet." So I will.

lordy wrote:A wise man once said something to the effect of "never pass up an opportunity to keep quiet." So I will.

And I should have. I'm sorry If I offended anyone. It genuinely wasn't meant in any disrespectful way, and I didn't mean to inhibit "the deeper exploration of bonsai" because I couldn't "Get by a word or two" (give me a break)

I have had MY pronunciation of words (chelation, Bonsai, Palmatum etc.) corrected many times and have always been grateful to the other person for educating me. But I often make the mistake of assuming what was good for me will be good for others.

-Jay

Smithy wrote:

Walter Pall wrote:Jay,

names of folks can either be pronounced as they are in their native language or in the language that one speaks, Both is correct. Welcome to globalization.

I'm glad about that Walter as i have always read your name as Pall pronouncing the 'a' as apple.I recently heard people calling it different to that. Having read it my way for years i find it hard not read it my way.
Hope that made sense.

Hope you don't mind as i find it hard not to after so long.

And in my mind I have always thought 'ALL,' as in sounds like Paul for Pall.

drgonzo wrote:. He does mention a name towards the end of someone who told him Bonsai is not about real trees, it was Ryan...something I didn't catch the last name.

He quoted Reiner Goebel of Toronto, Canada. (I probably misspelled Reiner's name and probably mispronounced it also.) I recall the exchange and he and Walter used to get into quite heated forum discussions.

The concept of real trees in a pot is interesting. I like to think of the bonsai process using the concept of selective compression. (Google it). Not everything on a full size tree can look believable as a bonsai - so while real trees can serve as models there are certain tricks to make little trees look like real size trees. Now if I can just get that shrinking machine to work the argument would be moot.

These are really interesting. Its nice to hear Walter give us a solo, uninterrupted, take on his thoughts and sense of bonsai aesthetics. For those of us who don't get to attend a live demo or lecture of his very often. Please keep these coming.

Jay

drgonzo wrote:These are really interesting. Its nice to hear Walter give us a solo, uninterrupted, take on his thoughts and sense of bonsai aesthetics. For those of us who don't get to attend a live demo or lecture of his very often. Please keep these coming.

Jay

Oh I will. I still have at least 10, maybe 15 of those videos...
I'm glad you like it. Well, Walter is unique figure in todays bonsai and a very complete person and artist...a technician, an inventor, a philosopher, theorist...great performer and speaker. I have learned immeasurably from him...and I think I was very lucky. I just have the need to share his thoughts with you

Sebastijan Sandev wrote:
Oh I will. I still have at least 10, maybe 15 of those videos...
I'm glad you like it. Well, Walter is unique figure in todays bonsai and a very complete person and artist...a technician, an inventor, a philosopher, theorist...great performer and speaker. I have learned immeasurably from him...and I think I was very lucky. I just have the need to share his thoughts with you

And we thank you and Walter for sharing.

I've seen the videos on your blog and I think they really help answer many of the questions people have regarding bonsai care among other topics. What's nice about them is that Walter keeps the information short, to the point and very understandable.

Great job to both you and Walter; that's the type of education and information, I think, many forum members would like to see and hear from the highly experienced members.

Very interesting. Walter Pall is right. We all, including Walter Pall has a choice. In every bonsai including Walter Pall's, there is a real tree and a real shadow. We all including Walter Pall can chose to see the real tree or the shadow.

Cheers,
CJ

"It's true what they say, you should never meet your heroes, you'll only be disappointed." In Walters case he NEVER disappoints.

Walter once said I was "like a dog with fleas" and this was a compliment!

Treasure these insights: Watch and learn people