DREAM DESTINATIONS
Almost every night, we travel without planning to. When we sleep, we dream; visiting strange lands, foreign countries, and even other dimensions.
Dreams can hold memories of our past and images of our future, but they can also be relaxing, a break from our ordinary lives.
IN SEARCH OF SOLITUDE
In an overpopulated world, solitude remains one of the most exclusive forms of luxury.
Seeking seclusion is about looking for complete relaxation, perfect tranquility and peace, if only for a few days.
THE TRANSIENT EXPERIENCE OF BEING ALIVE
As children, we often experience that the world begins and ends with ourselves. It is difficult to fathom that our parents once were our age, or that we will one day be adults. To imagine that everything already existed before we were born, and that it will continue existing after we are gone. However, death is a natural part of life, and thinking about it and making it a natural part of the everyday can make its inevitability appear less threatening.
AUTUMN / THE BEAUTY OF LETTING GO
Life is constantly changing, a series of events occurring one after another. Day follows night the same ways as spring follows winter. To follow these changes without resistance is to live a life in harmony, letting go of preconceived notions of identity and existence.
DESERT LIVING
Throughout history, the desert has been used as a symbol for a number of occurrences and events, often with mythical and religious undertones.
For many people, the desert is also their home, a place for introspection, silence and rest.
WITH A DESIRE FOR LESS
In recent years, spending habits have shifted from commodities to experiences. This suggests that contemporary consumers operate based on a new kind of value system.
The increased spending on food, wine and travel of immense significance, and a reason to be hopeful for the future.
DIVINE INSPIRATION
Everything we see around us – from the smallest paper clip to the largest skyscraper – once began as an abstract idea, gradually developed by a creative mind.
By transforming ideas that will benefit society, we can choose to make the world a better and more inspiring place to live in.
THE TWO SIDES OF TRAVELLING
Travelling is an essential part of being human and connects us with one another, but it should be done with respect for local culture and for the environment.
Avoiding the beaten path and keeping distance between oneself and the destructive ways of mass tourism.
ENERGY OF THE EARTH
What affects the energy of a place?
Esoteric thinkers have suggested it has less to do with a subjective experience of a place, and more to do with how earth’s energy fields are organized, while traditional Chinese philosophy speaks of energy lines that run under the earth’s surface.
A DOG'S LIFE
A dog lives his life in the moment, experiences life as an everlasting “nowness”, and invites humans to do to the same.
A dog doesn’t understand linear time, and has never heard of approaching deadlines, which can serve as inspiration for a better and more relaxed life.
OPERATING MANUAL FOR SPACESHIP EARTH
Intitally published in 1969, and one of R. Buckminster Fuller’s most popular works, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth is a brilliant synthesis of his world view.
In this very accessible volume, Fuller investigates the great challenges facing humanity, and the principles for avoiding extinction and “exercising our option to make it”.
BORO / A JAPANESE SENSE OF STYLE
The Japanese textile practice “boro”, dating back to medieval times, is based in a belief system praising circularity, ensuring that everything is put to good use in a way that benefits several generations.
It is a resistance to wastefulness and a reminder that natural resources are limited
MIND OVER MATTER
Carl Jung believed that everyone was connected through a collective unconscious, which gives us access to profound, ancestral knowledge and imagery.
This makes daydreaming, fantasy and play important, as this can help forward humanity.
RIDE THE WAVE
The sun and the moon, yin and yang, are two aspects of the same movement.
Learning how they move in harmony is like a surfer learning how to ride the waves of the ocean.
QUAKER AESTHETICS / TENET OF SIMPLICITY
In early America, Quakers dominated the political and social landscape in the northeast.
They had remarkably high material standards, while practicing a spiritual kind of simplicity, paradoxically viewing the concept of “less is more” as words to live by.
READING AND TRAVELLING
When you read, you discover new worlds and unchartered territories. You travel using your mind’s eye, seeing things in the forms and shapes designed by your imagination.
Picking up a book is not so much about learning how the story ends, but about expanding one’s mind.
DESIGN AS ART
Bruno Munari often contemplated on matters concerning aesthetics, with particular focus on objects that were part of the everyday, like cars, advertisements and kitchen utensils.
In the collection of essays Design as Art, some of his most noteworthy thoughts are gathered.
ANYWHERE BUT HERE
To be on the road, travelling but not caring about the destination, has been an influential cultural trope for centuries.
It signifies restlessness and a longing for adventure. It is not as much about arriving, as it is about leaving a place behind.
THE SHARED ILLUSION OF MONEY
Money is a strange phenomenon – without inherent value but still among the most valuable resources in the world. It is meaningful because people ascribe meaning to it. Because we believe in its power, it is powerful.
ROSE IS A ROSE IS A ROSE A ROSE
All molecules carry an inherent vibration. Even when things are seemingly perfectly still, everything vibrates.
In particular, flowers have been found to have very high frequencies, with roses having the highest frequency.
LIGHTNESS & DARKNESS
Before the invention of electricity, the world was completely dark during the night. Now, artificial light has challenged darkness in many ways and places. But darkness is needed for balance, not least when it comes to the wellbeing of many animals and birds. Instead of turning on the lights, we need to create more dark spaces.
MANMADE BORDERS AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Borders are lines that run across the earth, dividing people and separating nations from one another. Throughout history, their placements have shifted, as friends have turned into foes and back again. There are also natural borders, marked by mountains and oceans, often not only more forceful but also more in tune with the surrounding eco-systems than their man-made counterparts.
SHIFTING TO LOCAL
During the last decade, many companies, in various industries, have moved factories closer to their consumers.
Producing goods closer to where the consumers are eliminates unnecessary transports, which is not only more efficient but also better for the environment.
THE BEAUTY OF EVERYDAY THINGS
Sōetsu Yanagi made it his life’s mission to raise awareness of the beauty of handicraft, in particular Japanese and Korean, often writing on how Japanese aesthetics were grounded in a deeply philosophical worldview.
This collection of essays gathers his most important texts.
THE MEANING OF LIFE
Happiness is not something that can be forced, but appears as a side-product when we engage in behaviour that we perceive as meaningful.
In this way, the will to find a purpose creates in itself a sense of meaning.
NATURE VS. CULTURE
Earthquakes and other natural disasters may happen suddenly, without warning. In a few moments, everything changes – lives are forever lost, and buildings are ruined. This reminds us that culture doesn’t exist outside of nature, but as part of it.