The Japanese Character for Rest Helped Me Find It

"When you imagine someone resting, what do you visualize? Perhaps you would describe a person on the couch, or a person curled up under the covers in bed. Maybe you'd imagine a person lounging in a hammock, or suntanning on the beach. If you were to ask a Japanese person, they would probably describe rest as a person leaning against a tree."

"人：person 木：tree 休：rest The Japanese character for rest is the combination of 'person' and 'tree'. It's a universal image, the person leaning against the tree to rest- a representation of rest as not simply sleep or the absence of work, but it's about being in a safe place, a place where we can feel peace. Recent work-from-home set-ups have tempted many of us to blend our environments-"

Rest is portrayed in Japanese kanji as a person leaning against a tree, combining the characters for 'person' and 'tree' to signify rest. Rest means more than sleep or absence of work; it implies being in a safe place where peace can be felt. Common Western images of rest include couches, beds, hammocks, and beaches, while the tree image emphasizes grounded, protected stillness. Recent work-from-home setups have blurred boundaries between work and rest environments, prompting people to eat where they work and work where they sleep. This blending of spaces has turned traditional rest areas into places that are less conducive to finding peace.

Read at Medium