There was a time, particularly in my college days, when I deliberately ignored television. If I sought entertainment, I would listen to the radio, mostly BBC4. And I can't believe that some of the shows have stood the test of time. The afternoon plays; Desert Island Discs (about the music celebrities would bring if they were to be stranded on a desert island); Woman's Hour. There are also great news bits, like this programme on the traditionally anti-government stance in the US.
I could quickly sound like one of those imbalanced souls who sings the praises of something just because it is old. As a friend of ours, who was an antique appraiser in Asia, used to say, "They created trash in the Qin Dynasty, too."
But there are some "advances" in society that I fail to take to. I feel such respect for what we call, if sometimes a little too broadly, traditional crafts and ways of doing things - like writing notes by hand, or making wine without dousing it with chemicals (there's a beautiful article about that in this month's Sweet Paul). It seems to me that the result is healthier that way.
And the radio! The art of listening to conversation... And letting one's mind build the picture. It is possibly even better than reading a book, because there is the vocal element, with all its intonations and accents.
I have been thinking a lot about which blog voices I seek on the internet, on the computer. Computer, after all, could be taken to mean thinking together. So, what are the shared topics of conversation, their sayings that overlap?
People reading books to lend meaning to their lives; talented young people with cameras who go out to appreciate nature; people working to respect each other, and successfully exchanging ideas and inspiration; lots of handicrafts - if we make with awareness, there is a chance that we awaken to the world. To my mind, these are old-timey topics (forgive my sense of humour in using that phrase). And by that, what I really mean is ways of doing things that make sense, and thus which stand the test of time. It is curious to think that with all this technology, we have come to think that we ought to leave behind the old things, when really, the technology could have been used to better preserve the ways of doing things that had already made sense.
I would feel alone, but everywhere I look on my circles of the internet, I see words like retro; knitting; weaving new friendships. Symbols of slow time, a time that is made real through the investment of meaning, more than money. What old-time activity would like to see more of?
Elements: needlework; starburst; ribbon; notebook; medallion;
magazine in photo: Marie Claire Maison.
