Jan 12
The Marginalian, Conscious Cafe, Simonne’s book launch all in an unexpected afternoon
Over the Christmas period, I came across The Marginalian. It seems at this time each year something such as this falls my way. Maybe it is because I have slowed down, I like to think it is a gift from Christmas.
I was just scrolling through when I came across Maria Popova’s (whose work is The Marginalian) article on New Year’s resolutions. It was the one drawn from Søren Kierkegaard that began an internal conversation.
She quoted from his treatise Either/Or: A Fragment of Life,
“Of all ridiculous things the most ridiculous seems to me, to be busy — to be a man who is brisk about his food and his work.”
She continues with another of his quotes
The unhappy person is one who has his ideal, the content of his life, the fullness of his consciousness, the essence of his being, in some manner outside of himself. The unhappy man is always absent from himself, never present to himself. But one can be absent, obviously, either in the past or in the future. This adequately circumscribes the entire territory of the unhappy consciousness.
She sums it up with his quote
“The unhappy one is absent… It is only the person who is present to himself that is happy.”
Before going on I just have to say how impressed I am with Maria Popova’s ability to read, digest and disseminate so much in a week as reflected in her two weekly newsletters.
She gives this description of The Marginalian,
a thoroughly one-woman labor of love that is also my life and my livelihood.
Well after reading this I lit a candle, switched off the light and just sat for an hour or probably two just ‘justing’.
Just reading what I read threw a light on me ‘who thinks he is forever present’. Well, I am not present if I am flitting between books, phone and social media even if I am sitting without the radio. I too want to be distracted from the present although deceiving myself by believing because the radio is off, I am.
Today was different. I was scheduled to give an opinion on a matter. I was only informed a few weeks previously which meant I spent about 14 hours reading and then writing up my opinion most of which was done in the previous two days.
It was via video conferencing. I got myself to the place where I was ready to go and waited as I was informed the host had not begun the meeting. I kept typing the remainder of my handwritten notes. When I was finished and the host had still not arrived I thought I should check what was happening. I discovered an email sent yesterday informing me that it was to be rescheduled. I had been so focussed on the matter that I wasn’t checking my emails.
I was disappointed as I was ready and waiting. Then I realised I must have had an element of excitement about the task to be disappointed. Did this mean that although somewhat panicked by the task I was up for it? I think that was a pleasant surprise. I had planned after the matter was concluded to reward myself with a free afternoon.
I used the time I now had to complete that stuff that I should have already completed. But I also decided that I would still give myself the free afternoon as I had put in the graft.
I experienced a sense of freedom. I had done my part of the bargain and the fact the other didn't show was not a reflection on me.
While drinking tea I did reflect on these last few days. On Monday I attended Conscious Cafe
We were looking at how to become our true selves. The insight I gained is that I am probably truest when I am by myself. The challenge is to continue to be when I am in the presence of others. My inner world is where I largely live and I am not always happy to be disturbed.
On Sunday I attended Simmone’s book launch (link below). After which she left me thinking about a place where I could go where my full self would come alive. For Simmone, originally from Australia, Jerusalem was and is that place.
This little corner of England has certainly allowed me to come alive very differently from my first quarter of life in Northern Ireland. Well, the traits are the same but expressed differently.
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