I have been thinking about this for the last couple of weeks from a different angle and in my post today -- "A rebellion acted out in those small moments where we turn our backs on efficiency, productivity, output, and allow curiosity to draw us a map," I'm on retreat having a rebellion and it has been so enlightening. How to take it back to everyday life of course is the question, but love the notion of soft rebellions.
As I near the end of an average life expectancy, I'm proud and happy to say that most of my life has been spent at play--even getting paid for some of it--and that measurable productivity has been practically nonexistent. Efficiency has been almost totally absent from my life. I still waste too much time staring at screens, but opt for the real thing as often as I can. Thanks for this post. It made me feel vindicated.
oh / i was wondering thru the whole podcast if the sound of birds calling was coming thru my window where there are doves and mockingbirds and occasional cardinals or whether it was coming from the speakers / then i decided well it doesn't matter just let it be a mystery / now i know : ) yes to the soft rebellion / i wave my flag every day
My heart about broke when you said the research you did watching the jackdaws could now be done without you ever getting to know the birds.
This is a brilliant piece, my friend. It is so important that we stop to watch the world, that we notice when we are confusing productivity with a full life lived.
There are things which we can sense when observing something, that I don’t think that technology would ever be able to convey.
And the soft rebellion - I love what you say here. Yes to listening and following our hearts. But sometimes I think it takes careful listening to admit what your heart is really saying, and then courage to follow that path.
Great to hear that you raised sufficient for your rescue kit.
Here’s to the soft rebellion Rebecca, and technology has us here in this space. May capitalism fall on its filthy arse, with its friend the patriarchy. Perhaps then, we will find alignment and coherence with technology 🙏🌀💙
Love how your curiosity opened up an eager pace in your writing, long and then longer sentences, unwilling to be paused by your own voracious appetite for life. Your own beautiful mind and heart, also round-bellied.
Thank you for this essay, Rebecca. I hope that others are favoring the meaningful and wonder-inspiring uses of technology over its distractions and efficiency.
Recently my broker called while I was out walking in the forest - he wanted to tell me how well my investments were doing (to gloat, really) - and I had trouble focusing on the conversation because the wild blackberries were fuzzy and ripening next to me and the warblers were praising the day and the afternoon light was becoming golden…And what was most important was quite obvious in that moment.
“For my PhD, I watched jackdaws for thousands of hours. Just a few years later and all that watching could now be automated; a computer model fed with video footage would spit out all the data I’d need to answer the questions I set out to ask, and so I could move onto the next question, and the next, and the next, without ever actually having to invest time in watching the birds. If you’d told me this during my studies, I probably would have let out a sigh of relief and put that computer model into motion because think of all I could get done if I wasn’t spending hours and hours watching the birds, getting to know them; think of all the extra papers I could write, the lines I could add to my CV, the rungs of the ladder I might then be qualified to climb. I would be so efficient and so productive and I would barely have to look away from my screen . . . “
Your words above are genius, rebecca! Very glad you found a way to extricate yourself from the obsessive climbing of the academic life so you could devote yourself to a different variety of re-search. Reminds me of one of my favorite lines: “As you climb your career ladder, stop occasionally and check to make sure it’s leaning against the right building.”
Your words about being still and listening to the world remind me of my fave quote from a marvelous book which I think you would love if you haven’t already discovered it, rebecca:
“The more silent I was, the more I could hear. The animals relaxed: they knew that I was there but was no threat. The more noise I made, the quieter nature became. Keeping still, I would understand what was around me.” — in How to catch a mole: wisdom from a life lived in nature by Marc Hamer
Loved this. Imagining how we could use technology to avoid deeply attending to what we’re writing about - that’s a powerful reminder of the choices we make. Thank you.
My mind is blown about those parrots! I love the video in the article - so well narrated and illustrated. The Cornell Lab is a gift. Thank you for articulating the dangers of allowing technology to sap the best of our engagement with what truly matters — creative entanglement with the marvelous world.
I have been thinking about this for the last couple of weeks from a different angle and in my post today -- "A rebellion acted out in those small moments where we turn our backs on efficiency, productivity, output, and allow curiosity to draw us a map," I'm on retreat having a rebellion and it has been so enlightening. How to take it back to everyday life of course is the question, but love the notion of soft rebellions.
Thrilled you raised the funds for the whale kit.
As I near the end of an average life expectancy, I'm proud and happy to say that most of my life has been spent at play--even getting paid for some of it--and that measurable productivity has been practically nonexistent. Efficiency has been almost totally absent from my life. I still waste too much time staring at screens, but opt for the real thing as often as I can. Thanks for this post. It made me feel vindicated.
oh / i was wondering thru the whole podcast if the sound of birds calling was coming thru my window where there are doves and mockingbirds and occasional cardinals or whether it was coming from the speakers / then i decided well it doesn't matter just let it be a mystery / now i know : ) yes to the soft rebellion / i wave my flag every day
What a beautiful essay to start my day, Rebecca. Thank you.
My heart about broke when you said the research you did watching the jackdaws could now be done without you ever getting to know the birds.
This is a brilliant piece, my friend. It is so important that we stop to watch the world, that we notice when we are confusing productivity with a full life lived.
Thank you for this, Rebecca.
There are things which we can sense when observing something, that I don’t think that technology would ever be able to convey.
And the soft rebellion - I love what you say here. Yes to listening and following our hearts. But sometimes I think it takes careful listening to admit what your heart is really saying, and then courage to follow that path.
Great to hear that you raised sufficient for your rescue kit.
Here’s to the soft rebellion Rebecca, and technology has us here in this space. May capitalism fall on its filthy arse, with its friend the patriarchy. Perhaps then, we will find alignment and coherence with technology 🙏🌀💙
Love how your curiosity opened up an eager pace in your writing, long and then longer sentences, unwilling to be paused by your own voracious appetite for life. Your own beautiful mind and heart, also round-bellied.
Thank you for this essay, Rebecca. I hope that others are favoring the meaningful and wonder-inspiring uses of technology over its distractions and efficiency.
Recently my broker called while I was out walking in the forest - he wanted to tell me how well my investments were doing (to gloat, really) - and I had trouble focusing on the conversation because the wild blackberries were fuzzy and ripening next to me and the warblers were praising the day and the afternoon light was becoming golden…And what was most important was quite obvious in that moment.
Beautiful prose and I feel this so much--we confuse productivity with a good life. Make time for starlings!
“For my PhD, I watched jackdaws for thousands of hours. Just a few years later and all that watching could now be automated; a computer model fed with video footage would spit out all the data I’d need to answer the questions I set out to ask, and so I could move onto the next question, and the next, and the next, without ever actually having to invest time in watching the birds. If you’d told me this during my studies, I probably would have let out a sigh of relief and put that computer model into motion because think of all I could get done if I wasn’t spending hours and hours watching the birds, getting to know them; think of all the extra papers I could write, the lines I could add to my CV, the rungs of the ladder I might then be qualified to climb. I would be so efficient and so productive and I would barely have to look away from my screen . . . “
Your words above are genius, rebecca! Very glad you found a way to extricate yourself from the obsessive climbing of the academic life so you could devote yourself to a different variety of re-search. Reminds me of one of my favorite lines: “As you climb your career ladder, stop occasionally and check to make sure it’s leaning against the right building.”
Your words about being still and listening to the world remind me of my fave quote from a marvelous book which I think you would love if you haven’t already discovered it, rebecca:
“The more silent I was, the more I could hear. The animals relaxed: they knew that I was there but was no threat. The more noise I made, the quieter nature became. Keeping still, I would understand what was around me.” — in How to catch a mole: wisdom from a life lived in nature by Marc Hamer
Thank you for this! It is a lovely reminder.
Also, so excited to hear about reaching the goal for the fundraiser! It's a great cause!
Loved this. Imagining how we could use technology to avoid deeply attending to what we’re writing about - that’s a powerful reminder of the choices we make. Thank you.
My mind is blown about those parrots! I love the video in the article - so well narrated and illustrated. The Cornell Lab is a gift. Thank you for articulating the dangers of allowing technology to sap the best of our engagement with what truly matters — creative entanglement with the marvelous world.