Touch Grass, Sounds of Beirut
Touch Grass
Every once in a while, I am reminded of Stephen Wolfram’s idea of taking a walk in nature. Instead of it being a good reset for the body and mind, he devised an elaborate contraption so that he could continue working while also moving his body. I find it quite silly, but also a poignant example of internalized capitalist oppression. Dread of unproductive moments leads a person to denying themselves a break. To me it reads as technology encroaching the fundamental, dare I say spiritual, act of pausing for a breath of fresh air. I’m sure Mr. Wolfram would disagree with my analysis, and I hope he lives a long and happy life. I’ll leave the dunking on him to someone more qualified.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the spectrum, I am always inspired by Tom McElroy, and I recently rewatched him survive in the Eastern wilderness. He makes a container out of bark, fills it with fresh water from a vine in the forest, and then fashions a fish hook from a deer bone, and catches trout and bass for dinner. I shared it with my kids, and they were very impressed, but my eldest told me “not to get any ideas”. They feared that I was going to drag them out into nature with only a pocket knife to fend for ourselves as a challenge.
Even if no squirrel for me (yet!), I am inclined to actively resist the notion of “The Pursuit of Productivity” Wolfram so proudly proclaims, and has devised an entire ethos around.
The truth is that in some regards, me and Mr. Wolfram aren’t so different. I am rarely without my bluetooth headphones on my daily walks, and I do like to talk on the phone with family and friends, or listen to a podcast or some music. Perhaps I’m irked by this because I can identify with the urge to maximize and squeeze every little bit out of every day.
Thankfully I’ve found joy and health in consciously disconnecting and I’m working on letting go of the desire to get everything done.
Sounds of Beirut
Ishtiraka, a band from Lebanon, has groovy promotional band photos on their label’s website. They also have an inimitable gut punch beat, for instance in the track zubala. The constant sense of motion, and the Mediterranean themes, all form a combination that really speaks to me.
This is the second Lebanese group that got a hold of me immediately. The previous one was Mashrou’ Leila, and I listened to their 2015 album Ibn El Leil on repeat for much of last year, and still revisit it frequently.