“In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating that going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still. You can go on vacation to Hawaii or New Orleans three months from now, and you’ll have a tremendous time, I’m sure. But if you want to come back feeling new – alive and full of fresh hope and in love with the world – I think the place to visit may be Nowhere.”
Pico Iyer, The Art of Stillness
Beyond the Quote (101/365)
In his book, The Art of Stillness, Pico Iyer writes about an unconventional approach to adventure that involves, not traveling to New Orleans or Hawaii, but to “Nowhere.” And yes, that’s exactly what he means. Rather than taking the time to venture off to far and distant lands, he makes an argument for the opposite—adventuring to nowhere in particular and taking that time to turn inward. This idea may not be what people want to hear—after all, who would want to give up the idea of going to Hawaii… to go Nowhere? But, when you look a little closer at the dynamics of far and distant travel, the notion of “Nowhere” may begin to make more sense.
The idea behind “Nowhere” is a simple one at heart. Rather than travel to far and distant lands, Pico is encouraging the reader to travel to the far and distant lands within. “If your car is broken,” Pico explains, “you don’t try to find ways to repaint its chassis.” You, of course, need to fix what’s wrong with its internal workings. Painting it isn’t going to fix it—it’s simply going to make it extrinsically more pretty. And that, Pico warns, is one of the problems with constant and never ending movement in our lives. Most of our problems (and therefore our solutions, our peace of mind) lie within.
By constantly painting for our eyes new sights and wonders, we certainly might feel glimmers of inspiration and awe. But, until we actually put the car up on the lift or “pop the hood” and get down and dirty with the inner-workings, we won’t be able to diagnose and fix what any of the underlying issues are. The same is true for our inner-workings. Think about this according to your own experiences. When did the magic of an adventure or the inspiration from travel really sink in? Was it right then and there in the heat of the moment? Or was it after the fact, once you were settled, still, and reflecting back on the experience? For me, insight always manifests during moments of stillness.
To be clear, stillness doesn’t necessary mean you have to be physically “still.” Stillness refers to the idea of limiting your inputs so that you can get into a state of calming or “stilling” the mind. If, for example, your “Nowhere” is in your loud, noisy, stimulating, distracting house—then yes, you may need to go somewhere else. But, to Pico’s point, that somewhere else doesn’t necessarily have to be the other side of the globe. It simply needs to be a place where you can limit the chatter and distractions. This might be in a park, near a river, or even at your grandparent’s house.
The important advantages of traveling to “Nowhere” are that it’s more easily accessible, more convenient, and requires less planning, and less resources. Far and distant travel is complicated, planning intensive, resource consuming, and incredibly stimulating—sometimes for the entire trip. It’s quite common for “relaxing” and “rejuvenating” travel plans to turn out to be quite the opposite. Have you ever come back from a “vacation” feeling like you needed a “vacation from your vacation?” This is the idea the Pico is trying to point out. Going from a crazy, stimulating, busy life, to a crazy, stimulating, busy trip is just more of the same and doesn’t help your inner workings.
Why not, for a change, try going Nowhere and try adventuring within? Like, actually adventuring within and facing the problems with your inner workings that so many of us are—whether we want to admit it or not—running from. During a time of crisis, like during the COVID-19 Pandemic crisis, when all flights have been grounded and all far and distant travel has been suspended, this is the invitation that has been thrusted upon you. Never forget that wherever you are in the world, no matter where you go, no matter how distant and exotic, there you will be. You might think that sitting on a beach might present you with better moments of “stillness” to do your inner work—but the truth is, that important work can be done right in your own backyard.
You don’t need to take your car to a far and distant mechanic on a special, exotic island for it to get fixed. The mechanic down the street from you will do just fine. But, the inner workings of your car will remain the same for as long as you delay and leave it unattended. You can keep painting and painting away, but eventually, you’ll have to deal with what’s under the hood—it can only be ignored for so long. Best to deal with it while it’s small than to deal with it when it gets progressively bigger (because it will); best to deal with it before it breaks down.
So, here’s your ticket. This is your invitation. Venture to Nowhere in particular and get to it. The paint can wait until later. Right now, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and take a look at what’s under the hood. This way, when you decide it’s time to venture to far and distant lands, your car will be ready—YOU will be ready. Good luck.
Don't Let the Motivation Stop There...!
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