AMOROUS MUSINGS

Moving House

As you may have gathered, I had a semi-nomadic childhood. We typically moved at least every two years and spent most summers abroad in some combination of Malaysia or China. And before we ask, we are not a military family at all. (Have I written this before? I think so. HA!) 

This is all to say that at the moment I am the midst of moving house yet again — but this time it is just about 4 big NYC blocks from my current location in Geneva. 

I love almost everything that comes with moving into a new place — organizing, throwing out things that no longer have a use, donating clothing that I no longer need, etc. (Things I don’t love: physically carrying a small elephant’s weight in books and magazines). 

Our new place is nearly 3 times the size of our current place too — and I am SO looking forward to having empty spaces around me. In all things I think it is necessary to have a place where not only you can rest, but where your eyes can rest as well. Empty spaces give you a sense of breathing — and we could all use some more of that. 

Our new place also has a large dining room, so for those of you either in the Geneva area or visiting the Geneva area, an open invitation for dinner at my new place. 

# reflections Ramblings

Posted 3 months ago
This idea (that man is perfectible and so should strive for perfection) has been around for 2,000 years, but it has lately been streamlined and turbo-charged: in its contemporary incarnation, it regards any unfulfilled human potentialities as a particularly sad and sclerotic form of entropy.

—

From “Our Imperfect Search for Perfection” by Carina Chocano for the New York Times via K. Chu

I would add that the internet has made this worse as we no longer compare ourselves to the people in our immediate circle, but now we must grapple with the world at-large — where those people succeeding seem to outweight the failures and their self-created or society-created pedestals grow higher everyday.

On the flip (as in interpreting this as a good thing) — with the ability to see the successes of people seemingly similar to ourselves — we are buoyed in our own aspirations to do more, achieve more, work harder to realize our dreams to their full extent. If so and so can take an idea, run with it, and make it work - why can’t I? Perhaps pushing ourselves to achieve something that we wouldn’t do on our own.

Also, I am reminded that this all comes back to my Intro to Political Philosophy course that I took in 2004 - and the key question of our semester: “What is the good life?” A question that I never answered with any amount of satisfaction.

# New York Times Inspiration Ramblings Good Life

Posted 1 year ago