Dear Iris, I’ve just returned from a wonderful month of holidays. I lived slowly and spontaneously, paying close attention to the people and the world around me. Now I dread returning to my everyday life, which is lived by to-do lists. It seems less of a good life. It seems less true too; it seems we fool ourselves when we treat life and ourselves as if they submit to planning, to management, to our wills essentially. Yet I wouldn’t be able to fulfil my responsibilities and still thrive without to-do lists and the like. Dear Iris, I know receptivity and attention are important to you and also that you lead a productive life. Enlighten me: can receptivity and productivity be reconciled, or only lived in turns? all the best to you, Annemarie
Oh, the times we are living in right now! I wonder so much what your opinions would be on polarisation of society. Why are we once again debating good and evil? Does it go around in circles? Must we hit rock bottom again before we can return to “loving attention”.