Enhancing Sensibility: Postnatal Acquisition of Evaluation Metrics
I’ve always been of a scientific disposition, predominantly focusing on thinking rationally and logically in line with reason. Consequently, I recognize that I’m not particularly adept at perceiving things emotionally or intuitively.
That being said, I can appreciate beautiful, tasty, and comforting things. However, there are instances when I’m unable to resonate with certain things that many people or those with keen sensibilities deem valuable.
At one point, I realized that my inability to perceive such value isn’t necessarily due to a lack of emotional depth. The presence or absence of an evaluation metric by which value is gauged greatly influences our perceptions.
When we talk about sensibility, it often feels like something innate or an ability acquired in childhood. There’s a general impression that it becomes harder to nurture or develop as we age.
However, if the real issue lies in a lack of clear evaluation metrics, there’s hope. All that’s needed is to recognize and clarify these metrics.
In today’s diverse society where understanding different cultures is becoming essential, grasping the nature of values is of utmost importance. In this regard, understanding the relationship between evaluation metrics and values is crucial.
In fact, as an adult, I’ve acquired new evaluation metrics that have enabled me to appreciate certain things I previously couldn’t.
In this article, I will share personal anecdotes to elucidate the relationship between the acquisition of evaluation metrics and the understanding of value. I will also reflect on how to acquire these metrics.
Anecdote 1: Cherry Blossoms
Japanese people love cherry blossoms. With the advent of spring, cherry blossoms bloom vibrantly in various locations and fade just as quickly.
What’s striking about these blossoms is their lack of green leaves when they bloom, creating a purely floral display. Their fleeting beauty, both in the way the petals fall and the dance of the falling blossoms, deeply resonates with the Japanese sentiment.
Many prefer the trees when they’re in full bloom and wish to see them up close. I couldn’t understand this. I enjoyed watching the blossoms from a distance or as petals drifted away. I wasn’t particularly interested in viewing them up close or during peak bloom.
However, my perception dramatically changed upon seeing a traditional Japanese painting of cherry blossoms.
I can’t recall the artist, but the depiction of the cherry blossoms in the painting was breathtaking.
As I observed the painting, I noticed that each cherry blossom was painted facing the viewer. All the petals were oriented forward.
This observation piqued my interest, and when I subsequently viewed real cherry blossoms in full bloom, I was stunned. Every bloom seemed oriented towards me, reminiscent of the painting.
I realized why: cherry blossoms grow in a radiating manner from a branch, creating a spherical cluster reminiscent of a small bouquet. This unique structure makes it appear as if every cluster is facing the observer, a feature distinct to cherry blossoms.
The painting had captured this unique structural characteristic of cherry blossoms, not merely as an artistic license but as a faithful representation.
This authentic depiction in the painting provided me with a new evaluation metric to appreciate cherry blossoms. With this new perspective, the blossoms exuded a beauty I had never perceived before.
Anecdote 2: Luxury Food
Although I have encountered many high-end ingredients, many times I couldn’t appreciate their taste.
Often, the more expensive foods were a letdown compared to my expectations. I always thought that if there are other cheaper and tasty options available, why waste money and an opportunity to have a meal on the expensive ones?
However, I later realized that my perception was half right and half wrong. When it came to luxury ingredients, what I had been tasting were just the cheaper versions. In other words, I was judging them without having experienced their true quality.
As I got older, I was fortunate to taste quality ingredients during gatherings with friends or on trips. During such times, I discovered the true potential of many foods, especially those I had previously underestimated.
From those authentic tastes, I could now understand the appeal of some cheaper versions that I had tasted before.
Unfortunately, this didn’t apply to everything, but for some foods, having tasted the high-quality version gave me an “evaluation metric.” With this new perspective, I started to appreciate even the cheaper versions that I couldn’t enjoy in the past.
Anecdote 3: Personal Character
However, being an introverted person, I wasn’t good at initiating conversations with strangers or actively engaging with others. Because of this, I always believed I would never be at the center of a group or become someone people relied upon.
But, as I delved into acclaimed manga, movies, and novels, there came a period of reflection. A common plot is the initially weak-willed protagonist getting inspired by the words or actions of other characters during crises, mustering courage and taking bold steps. Instead of just enjoying these stories, when I placed myself in the shoes of the characters, I had many realizations.
Holding onto one’s beliefs and feelings, trusting friends and acquaintances, and finding strength in challenging times. In these stories, such narratives resonate deeply with us. I began to feel the value in such thinking and the actions based on it.
These things weren’t noticeable during my everyday interactions with people. I believe that it’s the pure, captivating narratives in manga, movies, and novels that allowed me to recognize these personal “evaluation metrics” and values that influence one’s life and character.
Acquiring Evaluation Metrics
I have introduced several of my own experiences regarding the acquisition of evaluation metrics.
What I realized through these experiences is that it is essential to directly engage with high-quality, mainstream items to acquire evaluation metrics.
High-quality items possess a high standard when it comes to their intrinsic value, making it easy to understand even for someone like me with less sensitive discernment. Furthermore, high-quality items tend to be pure, with fewer unnecessary mixtures, leading to a clearer transmission of their value without unnecessary noise.
By coming into contact with items of high purity and high standards, one can clearly recognize and remember the evaluation metric. Once you’ve grasped this evaluation metric, it becomes easier to appreciate the value of other items using that metric in the future.
Mediocre items, with their mixtures and lower standards, make it difficult to discern the evaluation metric. Thus, those without this metric find it challenging to understand their value. However, with the metric in hand, one can grasp the value even of lower-standard items and avoid being misled by irrelevant additions.
Considering the Evaluation Metrics
From this perspective, if you encounter something you can’t understand, it might be worth contemplating its evaluation metric. Reflect on whether you’ve truly engaged with the highest quality version of that item.
Even if you’ve encountered what is considered very high quality and still can’t understand or feel its value, it might be better to give up. However, if you haven’t yet had such an experience, there might still be a chance to acquire the evaluation metric and understand its value.
Moreover, when introducing something valuable to someone else, consider whether they have yet acquired the relevant evaluation metric. Introducing them initially to mediocre representations might not be a good strategy.
Ideally, introduce them to the best version first. For instance, if you want a friend to appreciate soccer, showing them a World Cup match will likely be more effective than a regular league game.
In music, art, or literature, when introducing your favorite artist or author, it might not be wise to start with your personal favorite piece. It would be better to begin with a universally acclaimed work. After gauging their reaction, you can then share your favorite, increasing the chances of a shared sentiment.
Culture and Evaluation Metrics
Similarly, if you want someone from a completely different culture to understand the value of the culture you cherish, it’s best to first expose them to something with a strong impression and high purity. For events, rather than everyday occurrences, it would be best to choose those celebrated by a large crowd or conducted grandly. For entertainment, as in the earlier examples of music or art, it’s preferable to choose mainstream items that many can easily relate to and understand.
The opposite standpoint is true as well. When exposed to a foreign culture, touching just a mundane aspect and judging the entire culture based on that, or disregarding it as incomprehensible, is not only disrespectful to the other party but also a missed opportunity for oneself. Even if something seems incomprehensible, it’s wise to recall the idea of evaluation metrics and withhold judgment until encountering its purest and most advanced form.
Even if something is different from one’s own culture and seems irrational at first glance, there must be some inherent meaning and value that humans can universally understand. The inability to grasp that might not be due to fundamental cultural differences or individual differences but rather the absence of the appropriate evaluation metric.
In Conclusion
In this article, I shared my personal stories regarding cherry blossoms, food, and individual personalities to discuss evaluation metrics and value. I reflected on the importance of recognizing the need to acquire these evaluation metrics to truly understand a subject or another culture.
While some might think that perception determines value, based on my experiences, even without a keen sense, we can still acquire evaluation metrics for a wide range of things and come to understand their value.
If you believe perception is innate and there are numerous values you can’t comprehend, you might miss opportunities to grasp those evaluation metrics. On the other hand, knowing that they can be acquired postnatally means you can create opportunities to attain them.
This difference in perspective is significant when considering enriching life mentally and enhancing mutual understanding between different cultures and individuals.
Many are eager to achieve material affluence. However, some view attaining mental richness as something special or as adhering to an irrational belief.
Yet, as mentioned, understanding values, whether in nature, art, food, personality, or human relations, that once seemed incomprehensible contributes to mental prosperity. Perhaps we should be more greedy in this pursuit.
I can’t pinpoint how much can be postnatally acquired, and it might vary from person to person and depend on the subject. However, recognizing the potential of postnatal acquisition is vital.
