Back From The Edge

I normally don’t get a chance to listen to Morning Edition on NPR. However, the other day I caught the last segment. It was an interview with William Powers the author of Hamlet’s BlackBerry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age. The title grabbed me (it is truly an obscure Shakespearean reference). As I listened to the interview, I realized it fit the theme of slowness I have been exploring this week. I haven’t read this book yet, so I can’t recommend it. However, it is intriguing to me.

The author begins with the following: “This book is about a yearning and a need. It’s about finding a quiet, spacious place where the mind can wander free. We all know what that place feels like, and we used to know how to get there. But lately we’re having trouble finding it”. That bit sings to me. As I venture back from the edge, I have become increasingly aware of how busy my mind is. I have been exploring different ways to get to a place where my “mind can wander free”.

I have begun reading Carl Horné’s book In Praise of Slowness: How A Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed. The two books appear to explore much the same theme but from different angles.

Since I haven’t read the book yet, I didn’t include it in the rotation of weekly recommendations. I decided to go ahead and post in a rare Saturday posting so I could include it in this week’s theme.

If you’ve read it, I’d love to know what you thought of it.