The Greatest Show on Earth

The purpose of pleasure

“What is the purpose of the cherry blossom?” I ask my sister. We haven’t seen each other in months and we are walking through Central Park. The tree canopy is fireworks in slow motion. Petals of fuchsia, peach, pale yellow, and bright white fall to the ground one by one. 

My sister knows a lot about trees. For the past three years, she has stewarded a 13-acre Japanese garden. Cherry blossoms are her specialty. She told me about moon gazing, a Japanese custom of midnight picnics under the blossoming trees. 

“The colors attract the bees and birds for pollination,” she says.

“Yes,” I say. “But they don’t have to be this beautiful.”

I thought about telling her about the “hedonic hotspots” in our brains lighting up from this breathtaking beauty. I thought about telling her about a new study that connected dementia to an inability to experience pleasure. But I didn’t; the trees had already said enough. We walked quietly through the park.

Wishing you all a beautiful week.