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Originally Posted by Raden Usman Djogja
David,
Referring to your statement, would you please to elaborate "both daring and brave"?
merci beaucoup,
Usman
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Hi Usman. Let me give just one example. The world wide web is indeed a wonderful thing. It has given us a whole new universe in which to communicate, research and do commerce. It is open to anyone who can access a computer, which is quite a hefty sum. It is free to all, indeed a wonderful thing. But anything i post here, or elsewhere falls completely out of my control. Any image i post here (or anywhere on the web) can be taken and used by anyone else for what ever purpose they desire. I have seen many keris for sale on eBay, for instance, which do not belong to the people pretending to be selling them. I do not wish any of my keris to every be counted amongst them. I consider those that risk this to be daring and brave.
But to go deeper into Vogan's questions, I am very open with friends, in my home, who show an interest in my collection and quite willing to show them many of my keris. I don't, BTW, keep most of them wrapped up in the cabinent. They are mostly on display around my home. I feel no great obligation to share them with the world at large. I'll tell you a secret... Not everyone is my friend.
In fact, i wouldn't be surprised if i have made a few enemies along the way, some of whom even check in on this forum from time to time. I have no intention of every showing my collection to them.
Finally, some of my keris i consider working ritual tools on my personal spiritual path. I would show these blades to an extemely select few.
My keris are not a Van Gogh painting. There were never intended to be "public art". They are, for me if you will, a part of my family and in some ways a part of my own psyche. While i would not disagree that there is a spiritual component to a Van Gogh painting i would put forth that it is not at all the same as that of a keris. They were not created with the same purpose in mind or with the same intent. You are basically comparing apples and motorcyles.
I am not making any value judgements here, nor am i judging anyone else who may choose to show parts of their collection here. In fact, i encourage them to do so, so long as it is alright for them in their own personal approach to the keris. We all collect with different purposes in mind. I do not collect keris as a way of amassing wealth or for investment purposes as some do. I do not collect them solely because i have an interest in edged weapons in general as others do. I do not collect them because it is a part of my heritage and culture as still others do. I have been drawn to collect them for my own very specific and personal reasons. I am sure others on this forum feel the same as i. It is for each to choose whether or not they share their collections with an audience as large and as random as the world wide web. I consider it a great gift when people do, for those of us who can appreciate it, but it is certainly no ones obligation to ever make such a gift.