Thanks from an old Star Trek nerd for the allusion to ST:TNG; "Darmok" was an amazing episode, second only in my mind to "The Inner Light" as the best of the series. Also, I live so close to the monastery at Gethsemane, KY that your meditation and allusion to Pico Iyer makes me want to visit there some day.
I'm thinking about it too, though I don't know of one nearby. Forest service cabins still look pretty attractive :). "The Inner Light" breaks my heart every time. It's so lovely.
A resounding "Amen!" to stillness, and to the ways that making a life feels opposite to making a living, and to turning the smartphone off. (Lord, we have got to rename those things. They are neither phones nor smart.) One of these days maybe I will figure out something to practically, long-term DO about these truths. First I've got to get off the internet again.
Yes please let's rename them! And "Amen" back to the practical long-term something to DO. In the meantime, if you can get somewhere out of service for a couple of days I highly recommend it.
Smartphone. Mobile phone. Mobile. Handheld. Handheld dopamine drip. DripPhone. Hmmm, still not a phone though. I don't know, but I like the exercise of trying to think about the category of object in ways that are not defined by marketers.
It's doable! A hard thing is finding one close enough to get to without, say, flying. A less hard thing is paying for it; monasteries are usually quite reasonable. Time away from responsibilities might be a hard thing, too.
It's being a primary caregiver/mom, honestly (my kids are 10 and 13). I wish I could say otherwise, but the particular home balance we have makes it very, very difficult. BUT I also need to do better at claiming that space as necessary. And maybe going to a cabin or fire lookout by myself ;)
That does sound like a hard thing. A lovely thing, that has as a corollary a hard thing. I have a particular type of privilege in pursing stillness and solitude: I do not have children.
Also, a good book from 1995, of all times, regarding the lost promise of being online is Clifford Stoll's _Silicon Snake Oil_.
That sounds interesting!
Thanks from an old Star Trek nerd for the allusion to ST:TNG; "Darmok" was an amazing episode, second only in my mind to "The Inner Light" as the best of the series. Also, I live so close to the monastery at Gethsemane, KY that your meditation and allusion to Pico Iyer makes me want to visit there some day.
I'm thinking about it too, though I don't know of one nearby. Forest service cabins still look pretty attractive :). "The Inner Light" breaks my heart every time. It's so lovely.
That American Scholar article is INTENSE. Bookmarking that to re-read.
Isn't it?! I had to reread it before posting the link. The quality of their articles can be uneven, but this one really stood out.
A resounding "Amen!" to stillness, and to the ways that making a life feels opposite to making a living, and to turning the smartphone off. (Lord, we have got to rename those things. They are neither phones nor smart.) One of these days maybe I will figure out something to practically, long-term DO about these truths. First I've got to get off the internet again.
Yes please let's rename them! And "Amen" back to the practical long-term something to DO. In the meantime, if you can get somewhere out of service for a couple of days I highly recommend it.
Smartphone. Mobile phone. Mobile. Handheld. Handheld dopamine drip. DripPhone. Hmmm, still not a phone though. I don't know, but I like the exercise of trying to think about the category of object in ways that are not defined by marketers.
I do kinda like DripPhone. But "not a phone" makes sense.
Possibly dripphone (drip phone?) makes it clear by the first word that the object in question is not actually a phone...hmmm...
Food for thought!
I do Pico Iyer's thing and go to a monastery. It's very conducive to stillness, inner and outer.
Can I quietly admit I'm envious? ;)
It's doable! A hard thing is finding one close enough to get to without, say, flying. A less hard thing is paying for it; monasteries are usually quite reasonable. Time away from responsibilities might be a hard thing, too.
It's being a primary caregiver/mom, honestly (my kids are 10 and 13). I wish I could say otherwise, but the particular home balance we have makes it very, very difficult. BUT I also need to do better at claiming that space as necessary. And maybe going to a cabin or fire lookout by myself ;)
That does sound like a hard thing. A lovely thing, that has as a corollary a hard thing. I have a particular type of privilege in pursing stillness and solitude: I do not have children.