I went to a wedding in a small village south of Daejeon last weekend and was a bit disappointed that I'd missed the discussion on Wendell Berry's piece, but the wedding turned out to be a lesson in itself.
Over the last couple of years I've attended numerous weddings of co-workers and friends (not to mention my own) in wedding halls, and the jarring experience that the first one was, turned out to be a template for the rest of them: people talking throughout the ceremony, children running around, and from my perspective, a basic disregard for the couple who was getting married. Comments from fellow guests have generally included the word "rude", with varying amounts of salt and pepper for flavour.
Which is why I am so happy I finally went to a more traditional wedding, under a tree in a farming village, with chickens being thrown in the air and panseori singers urging the groom to (repeatedly) kiss the bride. Everyone still talked and laughed throughout the wedding, and the kids caused havoc (but at least they brought the chickens back). This time round, however, it was fun!
At some point under that tree, it dawned on me that the behaviour that so bothered my and my fellow-waegooks made perfect sense in its original context, a celebration of marriage and a good laugh for everyone there. The problem is that everyone wants to move up, and "up" in the world of weddings is defined by Charles and Diana and a complete collection of Hollywood wedding movies.
Completely out of context, but as Wendell Berry commented, "it does suggest that 'up' may be the wrong direction."
wow! fantastic connection to berry- and it is most certainly not "completely out of context". i think your point about the interactions taking on a different meaning in the 'original' context is quite insightful, and it's a reflection that wendell berry would agree with. thanks for this....
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