Ibane’s ramblings
“The biggest danger, that of losing oneself, can pass off in the world as quietly as if it were nothing; every other loss, an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc is bound to be noticed.” S. KierkegaardArchive for November, 2008
The Frenzy Race to Culture
These days seem to me that there is no time to taste and enjoy all the cultural offer that in an overwhelming avalanche of happenings, events, movies, books, theater plays…is offered to us. The other day I went to see the last movie of Woody Allen (I will review it in another post), and one of the , I went with, stated:”It is ok but I can’t wait for the next one”, I got surprised by this comment. We had barely come out from the dark room and we were talking about next one. Why this rush? where is this anxiety coming from to consume art and culture compulsively?
Nowadays we have the most vast and extense access to culture and art than ever. Even if you have the privilige to have available the time to attend every possible event that you might be interested in you would need three or four lives. My first thoughts about this lead me to that art and culture have been infected also by the immediacy that we live in our daily life. Nowadays nothing is meant to last, everything is instant, you need to consume it and then you throw away.
Most of the times, I feel like fighting against this but this attitude places me immediately in the category of old-fashioned guy that thinks that any past time is better. And it is far from truth, I really enjoy what it is going on and I am lurking all the time new trends and trying to pay attention what it is out of there, but I refuse to enter in this frenzy race, some times even sounds like a competion, to attend events with no criteria. So I am investing my time discerning what is in my opinion worthy and what it is not. And if I find something that I have enjoyed, lately it is challenging (as I have posted it previously I think that mediocrity has gained a lot of space, visiting some Modern Art Musems some crap has literally taken the physical space), I will take my time to taste it and try to hold it as much as possible.
I support and I think that it is great advance that we can access to so much stuff, and therefore we have gained more freedom, however I also believe that also forces us to be more selective and to take care of the quality and be alert.
AlmostAPerfectDawninMadrid
This picture was taken in Madrid, it was an early morning and I had not been able to sleep in the whole night. The city was awakening and I was fascinating by the lights of the city, as always. Especially in Madrid, it seems that the city regains some innocence lost during the wild and rough city night.
Chess Story
I read this short novel last summer, and I found the book among many during my recent moving to my new place. I really enjoyed this novel, not only because I am a mediocre chess player, also Stefan Zweig’s narrative is full of dynamism, everything is rounded and you always have the feeling that he is saying more than you are really catching in the first reading.
The story is taken place in one of those transalantic cruises. I’ve always wondered how it’d be to have been in one of that cruises, having many days ahead and being just in the middle of the Ocean, with no possibility to change your environment, being stuck with certain people and circumstances. In a certain way, I find that attracting. For some odd reason I am always thinking that any past time is better and more interesting that the current one. It does not mean that I am wasting my present living in the past and looking forward to future, it is just that I like to look back some times…
Ibane's ramblings 