One need only go for a walk in the woods
November 18, 2024 4:40 AM Subscribe
"Walking amid a tangle of ancient Sitka spruces and cedars on the island of Gwaii Haanas in British Columbia, Robert Moor wonders how being in the presence of old-growth trees can help us feel, rather than intellectualize, not only the deep past, but also our responsibility to the future."
I just came back from Fès, Morocco, which to me is equivalent to a (moderately) old-growth forest in terms of a built environment. Many of the medina's structures were built centuries ago, and have been maintained by a variety of means. Master craftspeople abound and thrive, as they have done for centuries.
And just as you sense deep time (and how little you understand it) in an old-growth forest, you get the same sense of moving through many different eras at once as you wind your way through the covered alleyways connecting the souks (markets). No cars allowed in the medina, thank God. Donkeys and pushcarts are popular substitutes.
How best to navigate the Fassian multiverse: figure out roughly how to get to your destination by means of a nearby landmark, put the phone and Google Maps safely in your backpack, and ask the locals for directions. Best to put away for later the idea of a fixed schedule as well. If you don't know Arabic, French is commonly spoken, especially by the older folk. Younger ones often speak English. Changes everything.
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 12:27 PM on November 18, 2024 [2 favorites]
And just as you sense deep time (and how little you understand it) in an old-growth forest, you get the same sense of moving through many different eras at once as you wind your way through the covered alleyways connecting the souks (markets). No cars allowed in the medina, thank God. Donkeys and pushcarts are popular substitutes.
How best to navigate the Fassian multiverse: figure out roughly how to get to your destination by means of a nearby landmark, put the phone and Google Maps safely in your backpack, and ask the locals for directions. Best to put away for later the idea of a fixed schedule as well. If you don't know Arabic, French is commonly spoken, especially by the older folk. Younger ones often speak English. Changes everything.
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 12:27 PM on November 18, 2024 [2 favorites]
We now live in the PNW and I feel this on a cellular level. There is some deep deep presence to the land here that’s palpable but ineffable. Eckhardt Tolle said he could write in Vancouver but when he returned home to Germany he got writers block and the only cure was Vancouver.
If you ever get a chance to visit the museum of anthropology at UBC, do it. The totems there are unreal and POWERFUL.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 9:36 PM on November 18, 2024 [1 favorite]
If you ever get a chance to visit the museum of anthropology at UBC, do it. The totems there are unreal and POWERFUL.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 9:36 PM on November 18, 2024 [1 favorite]
If you ever get a chance to visit the museum of anthropology at UBC, do it. The totems there are unreal and POWERFUL.
Absolutely! It's incredible how close you are to deeply restorative nature from downtown as well. Aside from Stanley Park, a quick trip to the north shore and you can be among old growth cedars, rushing waterfalls and natural springs.
posted by thoughtful_jester at 10:40 AM on November 19, 2024 [1 favorite]
Absolutely! It's incredible how close you are to deeply restorative nature from downtown as well. Aside from Stanley Park, a quick trip to the north shore and you can be among old growth cedars, rushing waterfalls and natural springs.
posted by thoughtful_jester at 10:40 AM on November 19, 2024 [1 favorite]
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posted by whatevernot at 8:49 AM on November 18, 2024