As the ‘tagline’ of my blog suggests, life in the city is something which I hope to write about.
However, one thing I have learnt since moving from a quiet town to a bustling city is that time alone with your thoughts is hard to come by. Next time you are on the daily commute to work, stuck in traffic or simply just looking for something to watch on tv, just think about the last time you took a walk in a park, or had 5 minutes to yourself with no distractions.
Most of you will no doubt know the poem which this post is about. For those of you unfamiliar with it, I have provided a link to it here. I am simply that kind :p
This is not going to be a rant about how our beautiful countryside is being destroyed in the name of progress or whatever.
I admit that for those of us who spend our time in the urban forest of tall buildings, glass and concrete the poem may sound as though it is a ode to bygone days. However most cities have parks and green spaces where wildlife can thrive. Indeed, even if they don’t, you’ll be amazed at what you can notice when standing on the train platform or sitting in traffic on the motorway.
In my first post to this blog, I commented on my philosophical interests, and ancient philosophy was one of those interests.
The only thing which sets us apart from animals is that we are able to contemplate, reflect on things as we see them, and we have self awareness. Whilst it has been shown that some animals do have self awareness, we do not know the extent to which this goes.
If you go about life simply moving from A to B, without taking time out for yourself to enjoy your surroundings, experience life in it’s fullest and become a more aware person then you are not enjoying life. You may feel that work and money are giving you enjoyment, however if you’re not aware of what is happening around you, or you do not take time to connect with yourself then how much do you truly value your life?
“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.”
Aristotle
You can go through life in an effort to survive, or you can truly live your life and respect the value which our relatively short time has.
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