As the world rages, the mundane can be serene |
Peace amidst such turmoil is found in the most unlikely places.
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These past couple of weeks I've sought refuge in the gritty streets of a Philadelphia neighbourhood wracked by the opioid crisis and a string of murders. Lost myself in the crowded food markets of Kyoto. Explored narrow arcades in Europe. Found calm in tiny bookstores and lush greenhouses. Discovered serenity atop a noisy machine.
All in the comfort of home.
Let's start with Philadelphia. A month or so ago, I stumbled upon a TV series called Long Bright River. Expectations were low - yet another American cop drama, I assumed - but the pickings were slim so I gave it a go.
Intense, dark, empathetic, compelling and complicated, it follows patrol cop Michaela Fitzpatrick, played by Amanda Seyfried, as she searches for her junkie sister, who's gone missing just as a spate of murders begins in the neighbourhood.
The setting is unremittingly grim. Rain lashed streets overshadowed by an elevated train line and full of desperate addicts in constant search of the next fix. Michaela - Mickey, as she's known - is a single mum who grew up here among the Irish diaspora and genuinely cares for the damaged people it's her duty to serve and protect.
I won't give too much away except that the story peels away the layers that make Mickey such a sympathetic and complex character. You'd need a heart of stone not to become emotionally invested. When the series ended, it left a hole, which I filled by tracking down the book on which it was based, Long Bright River by Liz Moore, nominated by Barack Obama as a book of the year in 2020, when it was published.
I normally inhale books but not this one. I'm savouring it, relishing the escape it offers in that half-hour before bedtime. And reliving the story that so moved me on the screen.
I've also found peace with my hands, building book nooks, miniature worlds that have found places on shelves throughout the house. They're highly detailed, clever dioramas that come in a flat pack and can soak up hours of assembly without the frustration and sweat of IKEA's weekend projects.
Putting them together is relaxing and meditative. Most important, every hour focused on them is an hour's escape from the bombardment of alarming news. Peace on the dining room table and peace when I pause over the finished projects.
On the shelf to my left is a scene straight from the Nishi food market in Kyoto. On the desk in front of me is a cosy greenhouse, complete with potted plants, hanging wisteria, a rocking chair and a tiny bookshelf. In the other room, a miniature booklined study and an arcade. Elsewhere, a tiny bookstore and a subway exit into a city at night.
Peace can also surprise in other ways.
Sitting astride the ride-on mower the other day, I mused on the irony of such a noisy machine's ability to calm the mind. Back and forth, round and round in the hot sun, yet I was smiling - at the great value in the mundanity of mowing lawns, especially in times of turmoil.
Valuable, too, are those other household routines: folding washing, unpacking the dishwasher, cleaning the coffee machine, bringing in the wheelie bins. They're the little reminders of certainty in such an uncertain world. Peaceful refuges in unlikely places.
Who knows? I might even take up knitting.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you have a hobby or pastime that takes your mind off the troubles of the world? Is there a book, film or TV series you recommend as an escape? Is there a small chore you find calming? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The High Court has struck down curfew and ankle-monitoring restrictions imposed on a murderer in a fresh blow to attempts to place restrictions on former immigration detainees.
- People publicly displaying symbols associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir could be imprisoned for two years under laws introduced into the NSW parliament.
- One of the biggest cyclones "in living memory" is expected to lash northern Australia, sparking fears flood-hit regions will face more devastation.
THEY SAID IT: "What excites me is just taking some time to breathe in life. The mundane is very exciting." - Viola Davis
YOU SAID IT: Asking politicians to guarantee anything in such uncertain times - when key world events are at the whim of an erratic and petulant US president - is a cheap journalistic trick that benefits no one.
"Only a mug would say yes or no to these types of questions," writes Lee. "Perhaps pollies need to learn to say, 'You can do better than those types of questions.' Call them out for what they are."
Keith from Canberra writes: "Anyone with half a brain (which probably rules out Trump) could tell you that you cannot achieve regime change simply by bombing the living daylights out of a country. Once that became obvious and the Iranian resistance strategy posed greater problems than anticipated, Trump responded by demanding others help him. Thankfully most have followed the path of the 1960s anti-war slogan which asked 'What if they gave a war and nobody came?' Now that nobody is coming to Trump's war he is whining like an eight-year-old with a toy he's broken and saying rather petulantly 'Well I don't need you anyway.'"
"It's plain that the egotistical and dim-witted Trump has been easily manipulated by Israel and Jewish hawks in the administration to get into this war, which can't be easily exited without going 'all the way', whatever that means," writes Ian. "It's clear that Trump doesn't know what it means. I bet Israel does, but they're not saying. The US ex-Admiral on Planet America gave soothing noises that it only needs another two weeks of pulverising Iran, which would be worth it to get rid of a global terrorist regime. Maybe. We should stay out, but some belt-tightening may be in order (for those with any holes left in their belt). One way to save fuel - working from home."
The US has underestimated Iran's ability to fight back, writes Adrian: "Which brings us to America's intelligence capability and war fighting ability. They have none. It would appear, not even the most basic intelligence assessment, strategic or tactical was undertaken. They have failed, now they want to be rescued."
Daniel writes: "I'd love to see the EU, including the Brits, and some other countries, say Canada, Australia, Venezuela - well let's just say the whole world - send a collective message message via DJT's favourite diplomatic cable system, 'Truth Social', reminding him of how US forces didn't enter any theatre of battle during World War II for at least two years after Nazi Germany invaded Poland at which point Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. The message should go something like this: 'Dear Mr President, F**K OFF! Thank you for your attention. Sincerely, the World.' I guess that's what the EU and PM Starmer and most other governments are saying anyway, but he might understand the message better using small sentences."
"We should not avoid stating the fact that we are already involved in Bibi and Trump's illegal war by providing Intelligence to the US from our air force surveillance plane - and Pine Gap," writes Bede from Melbourne. "Very sad, and ashamed of our politicians."
Sue writes: "Standing on the sidelines will take an effort but turning our backs on the US and walking away is our best bet. Trump plays for an audience. We can only hope that at some point, either he will realise the house is empty and change his role or that the Republicans will close the theatre."
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