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The art of Stillness : : Adventures in Going Nowhere

Iyer, Pico. Book - 2014 302.231 Iy, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Religion & Spirituality / Mindfulness & Meditation / Iyer, Pico 2 On Shelf No requests on this item Community Rating: 3 out of 5

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Call Number: 302.231 Iy, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Religion & Spirituality / Mindfulness & Meditation / Iyer, Pico
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Westgate Branch

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302.231 Iy 4-week checkout On Shelf
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Adult Book / Nonfiction / Religion & Spirituality / Mindfulness & Meditation / Iyer, Pico 4-week checkout On Shelf

"A follow up to Pico Iyer's essay 'The Joy of Quiet,' The Art of Stillness considers the unexpected adventure of staying put and reveals a counterintuitive truth: The more ways we have to connect, the more we seem desperate to unplug. Why would a man who seems able to go everywhere and do anything--like the international heartthrob and Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer Leonard Cohen--choose to spend years sitting still and going nowhere? What can Nowhere offer that no Anywhere can match? And why might a lifelong traveler like Pico Iyer, who has journeyed from Easter Island to Ethiopia, Cuba to Kathmandu, think that sitting quietly in a room and getting to know the seasons and landscapes of Nowhere might be the ultimate adventure? In The Art of Stillness, Iyer draws on the lives of well-known wanderer-monks like Cohen--as well as from his own experiences as a travel writer who chooses to spend most of his time in rural Japan--to explore why advances in technology are making us more likely to retreat. Iyer reflects that this is perhaps the reason why many people--even those with no religious commitment--seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation, or tai chi. These aren't New Age fads so much as ways to rediscover the wisdom of an earlier age. There is even a growing trend toward observing an 'Internet sabbath' every week, turning off online connections from Friday night to Monday morning and reviving those ancient customs known as family meals and conversation. In this age of constant movement and connectedness, perhaps staying in one place is a more exciting prospect, and a greater necessity than ever before. The Art of Stillness paints a picture of why so many have found richness in stillness and what--from Marcel Proust to Blaise Pascal to Phillipe Starck--they've gained there."--from publisher's description.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Summary / Annotation
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

From the Mayhem of Thought & Action to The Stillness of Being submitted by sVfGI7Glt2pz7GZgVB90 on August 1, 2019, 10:00pm An inspiring analysis of the need to escape the persistent distractibility of the mundane. Iyer makes a persuasive argument for the startling pleasures of “sitting still as a way of falling in love with the world and everything in it.” Must read to reflect upon the importance of taking a timeout from busyness.

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PUBLISHED
New York : TED Books/Simon & Schuster, [2014].
Year Published: 2014
Description: 74 p. : color illustrations ; 19 cm.
Language: English
Format: Book

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
1476784728
9781476784724

ADDITIONAL CREDITS
Einarsdóttir, Eydis.

SUBJECTS
Simplicity.
Mind and body.
Spiritual life.
Spirituality.
Information society.
Technology -- Social aspects.