“Because the faster you can get from place to place, the more you have conquered the limitations of time and space, the more everywhere is the same place. So the differences between different cultures, the differences between people, the things that we want to see when we go to foreign places are increasingly unavailable” - ALAN WATTS
——
There are two words I learned in college that I think about all the time - “liminal space” and “hinterlands”.
I just realized they mean very similar things, not so far from “places to run to”. They are defined as follows:
Definition of liminal
1: of, relating to, or situated at a sensory threshold : barely perceptible or capable of eliciting a response liminal visual stimuli
2: of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition : IN-BETWEEN, TRANSITIONAL
Definition of hinterland
1: a region lying inland from a coast
2a: a region remote from urban areas
b: a region lying beyond major metropolitan or cultural centers
Examples of hinterland in a Sentence
the colonies hugged the coastline, while the hinterland remained largely unexplored
And when I look to describe my whereabouts, during the break I’ve taken from this website, and the twilight-y days between the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, these two oddly specific words come to mind.
They also kind of sound like NETHERLANDS, which is one of the new places I saw during this time..
But how do I even describe an exploration of Europe over 10 days, 5 planes, 7 trains, 2 buses, cars, endless sprints, and ski lifts? Maybe Alan Watts is right, the pace of modern life is all a bit insane.
But for all the tiny peculiarities I missed by traveling this way, I feel like in my head I have more of of this great big blur called Europe.
In 2019, I spent a good chunk of time getting to know her, even more if you count the hours on bus system of greater Rio de Janeiro listening to Diplo’s EP titled, “Europa”.
I learned about how freely Europeans bop around- German-speaking Swiss heading to Italy on a Sunday to grocery shop and lunch on the cheap. Ryan Air and Wiz Air, Eurorail, Paris Beauvais and Venice Treviso. Portuguese flags in little Swiss towns, doce uvas in Antwerp
I learned about America. And I love the essay the quote at the beginning is taken from, because it explains so many little things. About taking pride in old sweaters, and time to arrange blueberries on a plate. About 2 weeks of vacation and Soylent and peanut butter. Liberal arts colleges and dusty stuffed dalmatians.
How the Atlantic ocean and the Alps still matter…
https://www.organism.earth/library/document/true-materialist-society ** quote taken from “A True Materialist Society” essay by Alan Watts