I have been thinking about the Japanese
notion of Aida (written as 間，あいだ）. Aida literally has two meanings: one
is a spatial gap between two things, and the other is a certain time interval
between two events. The conceptual basis that is common in those two usages might
be the "betweenness."
Aida seems to be a very practical notion to
describe interpersonal relations. Aida is a spatial distance between two (or
more) people such as personal space. Aida is also a temporal interval that
happens in verbal communications between two (or more) people. If I can share
an appropriate Aida with another person, I may have a meaningful communication,
or at least, I may have the sense that we have something in common.
Consider, for example, an appropriate
spatial distance with another person. If it is too far, there would be no
communication between you and that person. If it is too near, there would be a
certain communication but it becomes awkward and unnatural, unless you are
familiar with that person. Aida itself is invisible and empty but it is the
grounding condition which makes possible the interpersonal communication. Aida is relevant to the interpersonal coordination too.
.....Writing all this reminded me of the Japanese
phenomenological psychiatrist, Bin Kimura. He has left a lot of writings on the
notion of Aida. I am going to read them again!
