Flaneur

To be a flaneur?

I like the word flaneur. So what is a flaneur? Well a flaneur is I suppose a gentleman Stroller, an observer of life and I have always been an observer of life.

A lot of this website is centered around the observation of life the universe and everything, and no the answer is not 42.

The Sad thing about modern life is that it is lived at a pace that even Victorian industrialists would be surprised about it's pace. Everything moves at full speed ahead, moving at this speed perhaps we should look at for the obstacles ahead.

I live in a tourist town and I am surprised that people live their holidays at full speed. I sometimes wonder if they truly enjoy ther holidays and I wonder if they need a holiday after their holidays. Life here operates at a different pace and it takes a while to get used to that slower pace. If you don't slow down here then you are ultimately sunk. Do people really enjoy holidays in our town? It is a highly desirable place to live in but, is it a place that is understood? I cannot truly answer that question. I have lived here for decades and it is a place that I often say is beguiling. Is it understood by me after all this time maybe?

I enjoy photography and because of my disability my area of 'operation' so to speak, is limited, so some of my pictures may seem repetitive and at first glance they are, but as my Aunt pointed out, the light, and the sea, just for starters are different. She is right. One place in my town is often photographed, and is always different. Even though the subject matter seems the same it isn't. My Aunt is right.

Do I understand it? As I said, I am not sure, but I hope that one day the penny will drop! I hope. So being a flaneur is not a bad thing. Maybe we should all step back from the hurly burly of life and watch the detail of life. I had a friend called Mary, and she used to say that God is in the detail. Well she would say that because she was a Catholic nun, but she has a point people should look at the detail in nature. Now I am off to try and read Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance again, and try to understand WHAT EXACTLY the author meant. I suppose it is about value perception and judgement. I think? Answers on a postcard please.