To see things in the seed, that is genius.

- Lao-Tzu (604-531BC) Chinese Philosopher, Co-founder of Taoism

Neighbor Chuck (I will protect his name so will refer to him as Mr. Smith) called me the other evening; he was working in the yard and had given one of his larger/heavier Bonsai trees a good soaking and was hoping for an assist to lift it up onto a pedestal. I was glad to help and when we moved it he was sad to see that the dark place it had been sitting had caused a baring of several key branches. I looked at it and commented that I personally saw a beauty in the dead parts of the tree, that it demonstrated the struggle which I personally think is the essence of Bonsai. I told him that it had great Ka.

Ka is the force in Stephen King's Dark Tower series that leads all living (and unliving) creatures. It is the will of Gan - the approximate equivalent of destiny, or fate, in the fictional language High Speech. It is the force that causes a destiny to happen, but is not necessarily impossible to surpass. Ka can be considered to be a guide, a destination, but is certainly not a plan - at least, not one that is known to mortals. Ka is not necessarily a force of good or evil; it manipulates both sides, and seems to have no definite morality of its own.
From Wikipedia

Personally I really admire this strength, it outweighs Chi because it goes beyond the measurement of soul. It is the strength that keeps us moving forward, the goal that is in play but it is open to change. We can't modify destiny, but we can influence Ka.

The tree looks rather content on its new perch, and the bare branches in my estimation are a reminder that all that happens in life is not good, but it may be necessary to achieve destiny. I need to keep that thought.