Porch Culture: The Metamorphic Treatise
Porch Culture: What can I say but I want desperately to live in a culture that values porch activities.
So what goes on "on the porch"? In my mind the porch is a place where you sit to relax, where the worries of everyday are less important than enjoying the moment that you are in. The porch serves both as a place for introspective thought and as a place for developing interpersonal relationships. It welcomes neighbours and friends, but can be reserved for the solitude of a single rocking-chair.
What makes a porch culture desireable? It is not to say that our daily tasks, jobs, and responsibilties should not be a focus in our lives but I really love to leave these things behind when they don't need to be a focus. I want to be able to turn my attention to other things that are important.
What does porch culture leave behind? Time. Time has no place in porch culture. The porch has many purposes, intelligent conversation, good laughs, enjoying silence, and the list goes on. Not one of these is better than the other. In a porch culture you accomplish the same amount in 5 minutes as you do in 3 hours because the value is found not in accomplishing but in just being invloved.
Don't we all wish that TIME != MONEY.
The beauty of this type of thinking: If I stop valuing what I can accomplish and start valuing the way I accompish it, immediately a new perspective emerges towards any type of activity. That is not to say that there are not times in our lives when what's accomplished is what is important but that in many situations viewing the end-product as a source of value is going to have its problems. I lose sight of the REAL importance of the journey if I only focus on the destination.
In the past two days (and week) I have participated in an extensive discussion on the topic of networks with my frineds, my family, and one of my university professors. I have accomplished nothing! In the end after these many discussions I have not produced anything of any value to myself - (the paper that I am suppose to be writing is actually further from being done than when I started). This means I have wasted a week of my life. But I haven't. Trust me. This week has been very positive.
---------- more coming still I think ---- we will see
In the mean time, the point is to value those around you more than value what you are accomplishing with them.
So what goes on "on the porch"? In my mind the porch is a place where you sit to relax, where the worries of everyday are less important than enjoying the moment that you are in. The porch serves both as a place for introspective thought and as a place for developing interpersonal relationships. It welcomes neighbours and friends, but can be reserved for the solitude of a single rocking-chair.
What makes a porch culture desireable? It is not to say that our daily tasks, jobs, and responsibilties should not be a focus in our lives but I really love to leave these things behind when they don't need to be a focus. I want to be able to turn my attention to other things that are important.
What does porch culture leave behind? Time. Time has no place in porch culture. The porch has many purposes, intelligent conversation, good laughs, enjoying silence, and the list goes on. Not one of these is better than the other. In a porch culture you accomplish the same amount in 5 minutes as you do in 3 hours because the value is found not in accomplishing but in just being invloved.
Don't we all wish that TIME != MONEY.
The beauty of this type of thinking: If I stop valuing what I can accomplish and start valuing the way I accompish it, immediately a new perspective emerges towards any type of activity. That is not to say that there are not times in our lives when what's accomplished is what is important but that in many situations viewing the end-product as a source of value is going to have its problems. I lose sight of the REAL importance of the journey if I only focus on the destination.
In the past two days (and week) I have participated in an extensive discussion on the topic of networks with my frineds, my family, and one of my university professors. I have accomplished nothing! In the end after these many discussions I have not produced anything of any value to myself - (the paper that I am suppose to be writing is actually further from being done than when I started). This means I have wasted a week of my life. But I haven't. Trust me. This week has been very positive.
---------- more coming still I think ---- we will see
In the mean time, the point is to value those around you more than value what you are accomplishing with them.
posted by michael at 1:01 PM
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