If there is a single element of the human condition that defines us and our existence above all else, it resides in the tension between our need for freedom and our need for belonging. To be human is to live with contradiction and opposing desires that so often seem at odds with one another.
Navigating modern life, with all of its complexities, is not always easy. Modern day living demands a lot form us, often at a pace that can feel unsustainable and hard to keep up with. One of the challenges of our time is that our current culture often seems to assess our value as people through the amount of measurable success we have had in areas deemed worthy of admiration: money, prestige and fame, career. And while many of these achievements can be important contributors to thriving, they are but a small fraction of the abundance of diverse ways human beings can lead fulfilling lives...
Our modern, busy lives demand so much from us. In the rush of living, one of the kindest things we can do for ourselves is to allow ourselves a little time to slow. Slowing is not just about the pace of living, nor is it necessarily about relaxing or doing less. Instead, a slower approach to daily life is about allowing ourselves a little more time to pursue those things that feed our souls...
Balance, and all the emotions of calm, contentment and centeredness that are so often wrapped up into its definition, has become an aspirational quality many of us pursue as an emotional goal above most others. The virtues of balance are self-evident and its merits apparent. As a counter for today’s hectic world, it is clear why so many of us crave this elusive state. But in spite of all of the obvious benefits of balance, do we ever stop to consider the potential benefits of the opposite? Might there be some merit in occasionally allowing unbalance into our lives?
Our life is deeply impacted by the quality of the connections we form with others. Meaningful enduring bonds are the cornerstone of thriving for most humans. In current culture, among the most common obstacles to being able to fully connect to other people are the difficult challenges of distraction and self-focus.
There is a tension within modern Western culture between the hurried, busy state of the realities of modern life and the slow, meaningful pursuit of the experiences and knowledge that add up to a life well lived. Western culture values achievement: moving forward in measurable increments, tirelessly smashing goals then setting new ones, diligently striving for more. More money, more power, more recognition, more degrees on our wall. But so much of what we value in life is difficult, if not impossible to achieve within the restrictive confines of the desire to produce more, quickly. But things of value take time…
To truly know oneself takes time. To become familiar with the self requires that we are able to sit still enough to discover what moves us most. Slowing down is not just about speed. It is about taking time to become aware, to process what is happening in our lives, how we feel and why. Through actively cultivating a contemplative practice we slowly become familiar with the fabric of our soul.
Breaking away from stale ideas and perspectives on luxury, we are beginning to witness the emergence of more subtle, individual definitions of what true luxury can really be. Over the past few decades luxury has commonly been associated with excess. It was brash, bold and ostentatious. But modern luxury is evolving and this evolution is creating space for far more personal definitions...