Notes From My Knapsack 7-19-18

Notes From My Knapsack 7-19-18

Jeff Gill

 

Putting on the brakes, stepping on the gas

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While plenty of folks have said to me that their fondest hopes for Granville are that we all just slow down, I have to admit that I'm not sure this would win an election.

 

To anyone thinking "oh, Jeff, you must be wrong, that's all I hear" I have to invoke the Kael Principle. Pauline Kael was a noted film critic of the last century who became a bit of a cultural commentator; in the Seventies she was much respected in New York literary circles and read all over the country. And it was Kael who famously said, of Richard Nixon's election, that she couldn't believe he had won because no one she knew voted for him.

 

(I also had the privilege of running into Tim Kaine in an elevator about two months after he lost the election with Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump; most of the admittedly jam-packed vehicle said "we voted for you," and he smiled sadly, replying "oddly enough, everyone tells me that.")

 

Looking at the streets and stores and schools I am just not that confident that there's a plurality in favor of everyone slowing down, say, 25%. As Lightning McQueen would say, it seems many are quietly saying to themselves "I. Am. Speed!"

 

So what if the "slow it down" caucus is a minority party in Our Fayre Village? Mind you, I'm working on the assumption that if you're reading a community newspaper like the Sentinel, you have at least some sympathy with that perspective. There are some of us, and I think the point of view for now is to expand the circle, not push for a majority right off.

 

Reading slows the spirit, I would argue. Off a page or pixels, but if you're reading, that's a different pace than videos or earbuds offer. Thank you for reading this, and see where you can find some other local connections with stories to share; thanks to Denison, we have journalists and novelists in our midst, who write for national outlets with next-door perspectives. Margot Singer's book is now in paperback, "Underground Fugue," and Jack Shuler's journalism is available online at "Between Coasts" and other venues.

 

Walking is good for the heart in any sense of the organ; Henry David Thoreau wrote an essay titled "Walking" that's easy enough to find online, and it should cause you to saunter out as soon as you finish. Dennis Cauchon has many community irons in the fire, but is always interested in walking, walkability, and how taking a walk can benefit more than just the walker.

 

And then there's writing. I've found a meditative practice in just making lists sometimes; even with my smart phone and tablet devices and keyboards in every room (or so it seems) I like to find the time to put pen to paper. I almost wonder if cursive writing might someday find a modest resurgence as a spiritual practice, just learning how to loop and link and lay out your thoughts by hand. Jimmy Buffett in "Twelve Volt Man" doesn't seem to think much of having been taught penmanship as a class in school, but what happens when it becomes a part of spirituality like Zen calligraphy?

 

How do you slow down and seek peace in an everyday fashion?

 

Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and pastor in Licking County; he hasn't gotten a speeding ticket in years. Tell him about your deceleration skills at knapsack77@gmail.com or follow @Knapsack on Twitter.