Three Wise Monkeys

When I was little, some of the fond memories I have of my Dad are the things he collected. He had a wooden set of the three monkeys - an ancient Japanese collective called sanbiki no saru - literally 'speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil'.

I don't know what it was about these monkeys, but I loved them as a child.

I still love them today. There is something about Mizaru (covering his eyes), Kikazaru (covering his ears) and Iwazaru (covering his mouth) and the ideology they represent, that I feel so strongly about.

Sure, we all love a good gossip every now and then, but essentially, I try to live by this credo. In a world where every last horror is televised nightly on the evening news, I choose to circumnavigate the 'need to know' and live as much as I can in the moment. I also choose to surround myself in beauty - with beautiful people, beautiful moments, beautiful ideas.

I have my three monkeys in bronze and in stone. One day I hope to find them in wood. And then my simian triptych will be complete.