24 December 2007

The Optomist's Skull

A lot of people ask why, as a typically conservative guy, I tend to like things with skulls on them… belts, cuff links, etc. Why choose something so scary or morbid they often ask. So I thought I would delve a little into that, and share what the symbolism means for me. There are a plethora of interpretations on the meaning of the skull; it is after all is one of the oldest symbols civilization has, but I am going to just share the ones that work for me.

To me, the skull’s most important meaning, and something that is a current that has always run through my life, is as a reminder of the fleeting nature of life. The skull is a universal representation of death, a clear reminder of our mortality and that our time on earth is limited. For example the skull was used by Freemasons to symbolize the hierarchic structure and the transience of the material world.

Another good way of expressing it comes from the inscription found in the ossuaries of the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione in Rome. Built in the Baroque style with skulls and bones, including a skull and bone chandelier, the inscription reads: “Noi eravamo quello che voi siete, e quello che noi siamo voi sarete.” (We were what you are; and what we are, you will be”).

Many read that and think that the transience of human existence is dark and saddening. To me it is merely a part of life, and the skull a momento mori, a reminder that everyone dies so one must make the most out of every day because you don’t know how many you might have in store.

As a symbol of transience, it has also become a symbol of transcendence. In its representation of the essential finiteness of human existence and the limitation of human knowledge, the skull also represents the higher wisdom that is infinite enough to see the end of Man. of idea is sometimes further represented by a skull that has a serpent winding through it. The serpent, which symbolizes immortality because of its ability to shed its skin and start a new life, is also the chthonic god of knowledge and of immortality. In Greek myth, the serpent guards the Tree in the Greek Garden of the Hesperides which is later appropriated by Christianity as the serpent in the Tree in the Garden of Eden. The serpent in the skull is a symbol of knowledge surviving death.

There are other layers of meaning that the skull has that resonates with me. Perhaps the group of meanings that resonates most is that of power and defiance. Where the skull symbolizes fear for many, the symbol then became co-opted for others to mean that the person brave enough to tempt the fates by wearing the symbol have no fear of death, and that they defy the cold bony touch of that Horseman. Bikers and members of the military use skull imagery in this way, as a symbol of defying death and of machismo. Defying death or at mastering one’s fear of death and of things out of our control, it allows these Men to work through disasters, to accept what fate may have in store and to be steeled in their resolve and bravery. This has also makes the skull a talisman of luck, or a symbol of luck in adversity.

All of this, the symbolism of death, the power of the symbol as a symbol defying death and the mastery of fear, has made the skull a symbol of power. Pirates and the SS chose this symbol as a warning of their power, and their fearlessness. The skull’s other meanings combine to make it an object of power.

There are other meanings too that have sway with me. The skull is also a symbol of resurrection, of passing through death to something more. While I am not convinced of resurrection in the religious sense, the idea that wisdom and spiritual growth is gained through the constant death of old ideas and the rebirth of new ones from those ashes and bones certainly resonates me. The skull is also a symbol of freedom. If death is the ultimate liberation, the freeing of the essential energy of a person into the universe, then the skull is the symbol of being free from the bindings of the flesh. The skull is thus a talisman of hope, a symbol that there is more to be had beyond whatever kinds of death you may find.

As a side note, the skull features largely even in Christianity, where Jesus Christ is said to have been crucified at Golgotha, which translated is known as the Place of the Skull. In the Christian tradition, when Jesus was crucified, his blood washes away Original Sin as it fell onto Adam’s skull that was buried below him. Golgotha is commonly thought to be located under the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the holiest place in the Christian world.

A different history

As an interesting little tidbit of family history, I was in the car with my mother the other day while she was visiting, and we had an interesting conversation that gave me a little more insight into my family's history. My mother has told me in the past and repeated it during this conversation that at some point during their engagement, my grandmother realized that she and my grandfather were not really right for each other and said that they should not get married, but my grandfather, crying, pleaded with her and they ended up as a couple. Time would show that my grandmother was probably right, particularly given the animosity and separation between them at the end of their lives.

In any case, the conversation my mother and I had revolved around my grandmother and grandfather. I had known that my grandfather's family had been a part of the vast number of scholars at the imperial court, but I did not know some of my grandfather's more immediate history. Apparently, he was a child of a wealthy merchant. His mother, being unhappy with his father's prolonged absences on business, defied convention and went home to her own family, leaving my grandfather in the care of his father's family. My great grandmother's family was in itself wealthy enough to shield her from the shame and social ostracization that normally came with leaving her husband and returning to her maiden family.

Well, that did not change the fact that his father was often away on business, and it seems that he was passed around among family members to be raised up. My great-grandfather apparently thought that being rich and giving my grandfather plenty of money made up for good parenting, which explains why my grandfather always carried a playboy's air around with him.

As for my grandmother, apparently she was a middle child of a family that had at seven daughters and a number of sons. Her family was also quite well to do. My grandfather, being the rich romantic swept my grandmother off her feet with his romantic chivalry. At a time when air travel was still in its infancy, my grandfather had the luxury of taking my grandmother down to Hong Kong from mainland China for a weekend getaway photo safari. Aside from the air travel, the fact that they were going for pleasure and that they were going to take photos, another bourgeoisie pastime in those days, is a good indication of how well of they were.

It amazes me that they lost all of that. When my mother was born they fled the Japanese invasion, and one would have thought that the experience would have taught them to plan better. Nonetheless, when the communists swept across the nation, my grandfather decided that it was a good time to take a vacation in Hong Kong, as a last hurrah as it were. What stuns me is that knowing that the communists were coming, and being an educated man who was on the side of the Kuomintang, one would have figured that he would have the presence of mind to move his money somewhere safe, and that instead of a vacation, he would be moving his family altogether. I guess hindsight is 20/20 but the truth is that my grandfather was never very good at planning either.

Well, they made it to Hong Kong, with a retinue of servants, and the Communists took over their property in China, and they lost most of their assets and money, and they were trapped in Hong Kong. Amazingly, my grandparents somehow thought that the tide would reverse shortly, and moved the family into a hotel where ended up living there for many years before finally deciding that they should move to an actual apartment. Apparently, that is how my mother's family ended up in Hong Kong!

Another break

Well, it has been another few months since my last post. Tempus fugit!

In the time since I last posted, my immigration attorney managed to mess up rather severely and put the kaibosh on my once in a lifetime trip to Italy (they threw a freakin' parade for our group, had movie stars there, and the trip was covered by the New York Times!). I barely got everything settled with that in time to go on my trip to the Caribbean with rudder, and here I am now back from our wonderful trip.

My dog and I had a glorious time aboard the Royal Caribbean vessel Freedom of the Seas. I have to admit that I am not really a huge fan of the Caribbean -- I don't like basking in the sun endlessly, I don't like the beach much, the islands are not loci of culture nor do they really have histories that are all that interesting and in fact are often fairly much the same. Yet, this trip was fantastic, mostly because of rudder. To see him discovering things for the first time, to see him smile and really enjoy everything is amazing. To have him meet my family, and for us to really spend time together for a week as just vanilla lovers (even if only when we were out of the sight of my relatives) was rewarding on its own. The trip was definitely one where the journey was far more interesting than the destinations.

And now its Christmas time here, and I can say that I am more than a little sad. This has been a tough Christmas season. Business has been horrible, thanks to the giant downswing in home sales, and there is a great deal of uncertainty n the future. Rudder is not here of course, and that makes it worse, even though we talk more than a few times a day. With the tight time schedules, Christmas becomes more and more of a chore and less and less rewarding. Certainly the fact that I spend plenty of time obsessing over what to get people, or making something for people that I think that they will enjoy, and then receiving a thoughtless gift, or a trinket in exchange does not add to the "joy" of the season (there is a certain deflation that occurs when you give someone a gift in advance that shows thought, and a certain amount of expense, and they return the favor with something that is a tenth of the value and shows minimal thought).

On top of that, there is this anxiety that comes with not being ready for Christmas as well. None of the cards I would normally send have gone out yet. I am anxious to get the ones I love something that they will truly like, and yet torn by the fact that the upcoming year will be really tough financially just because business is so bad.

I am still very much hoping to find the golden lining in this year's Christmas, but the hours tick by and it seems less and less likely. At least, I still have my pup!

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A music video for this post:


Queen, David Bowie, Under Pressure