In Japan, I live in a little neighborhood in the middle of nowhere. I don't have a bicycle or a car or anything, so my only movement is within the boundaries of my feet. I feel there's a need for that kind of conscientious objection to the momentum of the world.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the importance of slowing down and being mindful in a fast-paced world.
Pico Iyer's quote emphasizes the value of being present and intentional in a society that often prioritizes speed and constant movement. By limiting his means of transportation to only his feet, he advocates for a conscious choice to resist the pressures of modern life and to engage more deeply with one's surroundings and thoughts.
In practice
During a speech on mental health, this quote can highlight the necessity of slowing down in our hectic lives.
Quitting, for me, means not giving up, but moving on; changing direction not because something doesn’t agree with you, but because you don’t agree with something. It’s not a complaint, in other words, but a positive choice, and not a stop in one’s journey, but a step in a better direction. Quitting-whether a job or a habit-means taking a turn so as to be sure you’re still moving in the direction of your dreams.
I think one reason, obviously, that I spend so much time in one place is that I've been lucky enough to travel a lot, and now there are other different, invisible trains that are more interesting to me.
I've never meditated in my life. I don't practice yoga nor any religion. I'm a tourist on the realm of stillness.
We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate.
I'm no Buddhist monk, and I can't say I'm in love with renunciation in itself, or traveling an hour or more to print out an article I've written, or missing out on the N.B.A. Finals. But at some point, I decided that, for me at least, happiness arose out of all I didn't want or need, not all I did.
The one thing perhaps that technology hasn't always given us is a sense of how to make the wisest use of technology.
Plenty of people did not care for him much, but then there is a huge difference between disliking somebody - maybe even disliking them a lot - and actually shooting them, strangling them, dragging them through the fields and setting their house on fire.
Bureaucracy is a giant mechanism operated by pygmies.
My VIP patients often regret so many things on their deathbeds. They regret the bitterness they'll leave in people's hearts. They realize the no money, no church service, no eulogy, no funeral procession no matter how elaborate, can remove the legacy of a mean spirit.
Western interests: imperialism, colonialism, exploitation, racism, and other negative -isms.
The greatest myth about mass incarceration is that it has been driven by crime and crime rates. It's just not true.
How can I make difference so that I may bring peace to this world that I love and cherish so much? A name flickers instantly in my mind.
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