Hum-diggetty, I love libraries. Today, Sunday, I wandered the empty aisles before opening and recalled the peace and awe I felt as a child in them. And today as every day, I found a few books worthy of an 'affair'. I think todays gem has to be "Slipping into Paradise, Why I Live in New Zealand" by American Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. He's apparently written twenty books. How about them kiwi-apples!?!
From the introduction:
"New Zealanders and foreigners do go on and on about the physical beauty of New Zealand. It's not so easy to talk about the beauty of a landscape because we are really talking about a great deal more than landscape. We are talking about us in the landscape. While we bring ourselves--and all our baggage--to a place, we really have little effect on that place, whereas the place has a deep effect on us. I don't mean that we can't ruin a landscape--we are amazingly adept at that--I just mean that our own bad mood does not affect the flowers and the trees around us. We can contaminate a place physically, but not spiritually, whereas landscapes rarely effect us physically but do so by touching our spirit."
In my experience so far, people generally have awkward responses to my ambition(which is yet all it is) to move over there. Understandable, tho I have trouble with the implausibilty many seem to covet. Wouldn't anyone allow themselves such a possibility? In this country awash in mythos and industrial dreaming? What I fear is (recall 9/11) that many harbor an abortive construct deep within, that despite the cacaphonous din of projected dreams (film, self-help, hero-sports), whole avenues of thought remain just aside, out there, an apparition-as-twin.
Sigh
4 comments:
Stats-
(from an article just come across my desk)
Fully 20% of New Zealand's residents were born overseas. The vast majority has come from the UK. Emigrants from India and China are a close second and third. Only three-percent come from the US
And along this line:
http://www.greens.org.nz/searchdocs/other8931.html
I fully understand and support your interest in moving. New Zealand, where you have done some research, is certainly inviting, as well as Austrailia and Canada are. I, too, would consider a move more seriously if I were at a different stage in my life. I have a great deal of life invested here at this point, and would not relish starting anew in a strange land. I have an opportunity to move to Florida for a temporary period, possibly vacation there for each winter season, but even that gives me some pause. I commend your vision, and agree with your motivation.
What he said!
My only reserve is a selfish desire to keep you and yours close to me and mine. But what better motivation for the bi-yearly visit to New Zealand than to family.
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