Sunday, March 13, 2011

What does a bonsai tree in chains mean?

A bonsai tree is created mainly for contemplation, according to Wikipedia.

While having breakfast at a local restaurant, I saw a corner store opening for business for the day. They wheeled some plants out to the sidewalk as they normally do, and then they wheeled out something I hadn't seen before. A small bonsai tree. It was chained to the cart with a very substantial looking chain.

It is an expensive plant - they wanted $80 for it. But it looked like a fugitive with the chain around it.

So is a bonsai in chains a deep statement on life? Are we all chained to something? Is it our lot in life to go on as we can within the bounds of our chains?

Does it mean the bonsai was a bad tree? Is it a reincarnation of a villain? What evil deeds did it do to become a bonsai on a chain?

Is a chained bonsai aesthetically pleasing? Who would find a chained bonsai something good for contemplation? Does it have more meaning than an unchained bonsai? Is the fact that it was chained what makes me think about it? What does that say about me?

It almost makes me want to buy the bonsai, to free it from its chain.

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