memorial for those we have lost. Even, in a pinch, a sound machine
loaded with the noises of the crashing ocean waves.
To those reeling from trauma or a stressful profession as much as
to those suffering from the ennui of modern life, Professor John
Stilgoe has simple advice:
Get out now. Not just outside, but beyond the trap of the
programmed electronic age so gently closing around so
many people.... Go outside, move deliberately, then
relax, slow down, look around. Do not jog. Do not run....
Instead pay attention to everything that abuts the rural
road, the city street, the suburban boulevard. Walk. Stroll.
Saunter. Ride a bike and coast along a lot. Explore.There is peace in this. It is always available to you.
Don’t let the beauty of life escape you. See the world as the temple
that it is. Let every experience be churchlike. Marvel at the fact that
any of this exists—that you exist. Even when we are killing each other
in pointless wars, even when we are killing ourselves with pointless
work, we can stop and bathe in the beauty that surrounds us, always.
Let it calm you. Let it cleanse you.