 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
The habit of constant movement is destroying some things which had considerable value. The practice of reading for pleasure is dying out, especially as regards books that are not quite new. Knowledge of the seasons, and the intimate love of places in their detail that comes of remaining immovable throughout the year, are now almost confined to agricultural labourers. This has caused the poetry of the past, and the ways of feeling from which it sprang, to go dead..
Source: 'On locomotion' in: Mortals and Others; Bertrand Russell's American Essays, 1931-1935, v.1.
More info.: https://russell-j.com/IDO.HTM
* a brief comment (Translated with DeepL.com)
Until I entered university, I lived in a house very close to the station in a mid-sized city (Toyohashi City). At that time, my grandmother was the head (second generation) of a tea ceremony school (Nihon Chakado Honbu), so our home had a small garden (a tea garden) and a small pond, which was a small oasis in the city. There were several koi (carp) in the pond, but our pet cat killed them playfully. So, we had no choice but to make "koi koku" (a traditional dish) out of them and eat it. In the backyard, besides some short flowering plants, there was a paulownia tree that provided a pleasant shade. After my mother passed away, my eldest sister, who succeeded as the fourth head of the tea ceremony school, also inherited the house, but she sold it, saying it was difficult to maintain two houses. Thus, I lost my home of the heart.
These are precious and nostalgic memories for me, but I rarely recall them unless I read such writings by Russell.