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Fri | September 16, 2005

Saving Paper

A respect for paper plays a role in Asian culture I am not sure I entirely understand. It has some historical basis, I am sure, and an anthropologist of Asian culture might know. It plays a role in some Asian cultures and not others, and in some Asians and not others. Some Asians have told me they have no concern with saving or wasting paper. My Japanese friend says saving things is not a Japanese thing. But what of all the Japanese stationery products? Surely it shows a reverence for paper.

I will speak from my experience and judge later whether it's Taiwanese or Chinese or how far it goes around Asia (or if it's just me). Speaking for myself: I have a respect for paper, for saving paper, and for saving things in general. I am a little bit over it now which is why I can write about it. For a long time I hesitated to write because I did not want to deface the paper with my imperfect words. And then in writing class not only do you deface the paper with words, you make ten copies of it and distribute it to your peers.

But I am over it now and I print ruinous things all the time. I wasn't always this way. Growing up I revered books, and it took me awhile to shed this and take books with skepticism. Now unfortunately I am disinclined to believe that anything written will be good simply because it's been published. Even things that get good reviews turn out to be bad.

It's a bit of a disillusionment and those were definitely happier times when I believed every book, everything written on paper, was a piece of magic. That belief in the sacredness of print came from my mother and father who continue to this day to have a reverence for things written on paper. My mother once read aloud to me what was written on the shoebox of some moderately priced winter boots she had bought for my brother: "'The best, softest leather.' See? The best." "Mom, it's not the best just because it says so," I said. I've more or less gotten over the phase of snapping testily at my parents for exhibiting the same flaws that I have suffered from and with much effort excised from myself. No one likes to see someone mirroring the things we're trying so hard to repress or rid ourselves of.

I still save jars and make them into pencil and pen holders or containers for hair ties. And feel remorse when I throw things away. You take what you like from your culture and do your best to shed what isn't useful. In the case of paper, you don't worry about wasting it. But at least you recycle it.

Posted by Lily at September 16, 2005 01:39 PM

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