Yami's Corner - Origami for Peace

Forward

In a single sheet of paper exists unlimited beautiful forms waiting for us to discover in the world of origami. I have enjoyed origami for over 15 years. While folding paper quietly by myself, I discovered many wonderful things through origami. I would like to share some of them with you.

The beauty and simplicity of origami, I believe, celebrates the peace in the world we live in. All origami models, simple or complex, have one thing in common - they are folded from a simple sheet of paper. Cutting, gluing, or drawing on the paper is avoided, and only folds are used to create the desired result. (Some of my models for children require gluing and drawing. I have overcome feeling guilty about this as many beginners, young and old, enjoy those models.)

Like the art of origami symbolizes, I believe that people have one wish in common - Peace on Earth, which is folded by our hands. Let's keep our hands folding and creasing. In the act of folding paper, I feel the importance of human hand in adaptation, survival and creativity.

First Things First

A simple truth is that none of the origami models are too difficult for any new folder who pays attention to the directions.

The hardest thing in our life is to pay enough attention to anything.

Take Your Time

One frequently only finds out how really enjoyable origami is after considerable acquaintance with it. Things never go smoothly in reading diagrams, folding, or creasing.

It is just like anything else in our life. Don't ever give up your dream of being good at it.

Sharing is the Joy

Mastering origami models can be done by yourself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.

Origami Awakened Me

When I was successful in getting what I wanted, the my whole world was so small and I could hardly stand to have others around. But when I lost everything I had, I was astonished at how much the world had changed in a short time.

That was the time I started origami, in my late age.

Don't Get Angry - Get Even

Like most other people, I often feel unconfident and act accordingly until I have over come the complexity of the model.

I learned to make up my mind to get even through my origami practice.

Joy in Little Hands

A child's success in folding an origami space shuttle and an astronaut's landing on the moon are events of the same size.

A Good Small Thing

Origami needs the right kind of advertising by each folder. Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.

Easy Start!

Let us not be too particular; it is better to try easy origami than none at all. April is one of the best months to start origami. Other good months are May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, January, February and March.

Gentlemen vs. Origamian

Origami has never been as respectable as money in California and New Jersey where I spent most of my time practicing origami. The love of money is natural to all, for money is a food and strong friend. But, origami will be a good friend even when you don't have money.

Do origami and some call you an origamian. People call you a gentlemen in America when you pay the bills.

A Simple Truth

Origami is an acquirement - like music, like a foreign language, like riding a bike - no man is born with it. Practice makes perfect.

Perseverance

When lost, try again and again four more times; when still lost, swear and get on with an easier model. But don't give up for good. You must come back to it to complete it sooner or later if you want to succeed.

It is worth it as long as you enjoy it!

I was an origami teacher at my free classes for children of the neighborhood... and never charged anything for my teaching, and it was worth it too. I learned from children more than I taught them. I don't know that it hasn't harmed me very much, and it hasn't made me any richer.

Talking vs. Doing

Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. We talk about origami and most of us enjoy doing it.

Perpendicular Folding

A lot of folds require you to make one edge of paper perpendicular to another. Whenever I see it, it reminds me of my bad habit of criticizing people on grounds where I can't stand perpendicular myself.

Hidden Values

Whenever I enjoy origami models folded by someone, it means that they showed the trace of eager discipline to complete the models. It is not artistic skills, but the beauty of a good amount of patience and perseverance required to complete the models through which the folder earned the joy of origami.

Everyone's origami is, therefore, better than it looks.

Miss Margaret Wright

Origami brought me a great many new friends. Margaret is one of them, a beautiful, wonderful lady, retired after 40 years of teaching social science, a grandmother of a 6 year old boy who found the joy of origami through my free origami classes. She was my new landlord then. I enjoyed sharing origami with her.

Traveling with people is a sure way to find out whether you like people or hate them. Origami practice with people is a sure way to do the same. I liked her. She wasn't quite good at origami, but she loved doing it.

Money

A thirteen year old boy visited me with his mother and two younger sisters to find out what origami is all about. Seeing dozens of models of all kinds, the boy was astonished at the wonderful world of origami. He asked me, "What can't you make out of origami?" I said, "Money!" Everyone laughed loudly.

To tell you the truth, I was seriously thinking of making money out of origami. My first book on origami was an introduction to beginners and was in the process of being published. I was, however, not sure whether I would be able to make money out of it. But I believed that I would be very happy when I succeeded in transmitting the exact joy and excitement I had for origami to thousands of people.

I feel the very intangible value that origami has in fascinating people, young and old. We all feel good to discover that we can manipulate paper so well, after some practice, like magic, to create beautiful forms which enrich people by folding it rather than writing or drawing on it.

Columbus Discovered America

Children love origami! A child's success in folding an origami sailboat and Columbus' setting sail are events of the same size. But only a few opportunities are given to children. The world of origami can be discovered more by all the people who know of Columbus.

Origami was discovered in American back in the 1950's by a lady named Lillian Openheimer, the founder of the Origami Center of America, now know as OrigamiUSA. Lillian brought up the spirit of sharing origami, which had not existed in the art of origami in Japan.

I understand Japanese origami societies were formed after the British Origami Society (BOS) and the Origami Center of America. Does Lillian live there?

Magic of Origami

Nothing will fill up the goody bag better than origami models completed by children's own hands. It reminds them of the wonderful moments enjoyed together with their friends and family. To give my love for children who fold the future of the world by their hands, I chose origami.

Having associated with many groups of children and adults in my origami activities, I have always been delighted by the simple fact that people are always fascinated with the joyful moments in the activity of paper folding - the magic of origami.

Better Origami Models

Take a simple sheet of paper in your hands, close your eyes for a second and imagine how your completed model will look. It shall look exactly liked you wished. Practice makes perfect. Your endless joy of origami starts right there. One model at a time. Take your time.

A truth is that any origami model you master is always better than the ones you don't.

Illusion

When I'm depressed, I often feel like I am surrounded by foes on all sides. My hands reach out for origami paper. Sometimes I wonder if that is my bad addiction to illusion to relieve myself from problems in reality.

Once I start folding paper, my mind is occupied with it and I enjoy hanging in there although none of my real problems are resolved by the act of paper folding.

I must be in an illusion of resolving problems while enjoying paper folding. It is, however, better than doing nothing but being depressed. I, therefore, keep enough paper around me. No pills at all.

Happy Folding!

I believe in the charm of origami that fascinates people, young and old alike.

I believe in the spirit of sharing that Lillian demonstrated in origami circles.

Let's take a sheet of paper in our hands now, close our eyes for a moment, pray for a good one, then practice, practice, and practice... to fold our dream - Peace on Earth!

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