Tuesday, August 05, 2008

kundera's "slowness"

"Why has the pleasure of slowness disappeard? Ah, where have they gone, the amblers of yesteryear? Where have they gone, those loafing heroes of folk song, those vagabonds who roam from one mill to another and bed down under the stars? Have they vanished along with footpaths, with grasslands and clearings, with nature? There is Czech proverb that describes their easy indolence by a metaphor: 'They are gazing at God's windows.' A person gazing at God's windows is not bored; he is happy. In our world, indolence has turned into having nothing to do, which is a completely different thing; a person with nothing to do is frustrated, bored is constantly searching for the activity he lacks"

3 Comments:

Blogger Melanie said...

When I first moved to UT from CA, my thought was that it might be a slower-paced lifestyle. I was kind of hoping for it. Instead, I think it was quite the opposite.

I think we have forgotten how to slow down without being bored or lazy. They used to call it stopping to smell the roses.

I love the citations.

9:50 AM

 
Blogger AJ said...

"they" exist here in sandpoint...and i've noticed they all drive a subaru. what's up with that? :) i'm not buying a subaru, but I do love slowing down & breathing in the beauty. :)

7:31 PM

 
Blogger rachel said...

some people are missing out on so much. we forget how to appreciate things.

2:03 AM

 

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