© Roger M Tagg 2009-2011
The idea of this book, reflection on why we travel and go on holidays, seems excellent. But I felt disappointed that, in the end, all the author seemed to want to do was to advocate a sort of mysticism as something we all need. Well, I for one don't feel that need, and am perfectly happy about feeling that way.
The "icon" in question does not refer to anything on a computer, but to the sort of picture one sees in an Orthodox church.
All the same, I found quite a lot of value in the author's reflection, as long as I ignored his main thrust!
| Chapter | Page | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 - The outward journey | 1-40 | Why do we go on holidays? For relaxation, change, a search for "something more"? Commercially, it's very idealized, hyped up "holiday of a lifetime". We set great store on photos, souvenirs, stories to dine out on. But it's difficult to just switch off from the flat out daily grind, and some people don't escape the phone or email. The many forms include package holidays (seaside, activity and sightseeing); backpacking, gap years, bumming around, pilgrimages. But half the world aren't in on this - many have to serve us. |
| 39 | Experience-oriented individualization is growing, while interest in party politics and societies is waning. | |
| 41 | Some travellers are romantic idealists, remainders of a disillusioned group of survivors from 1968. | |
| 45 | A journey can be a pause for reflection about our life; we may collect things to provide for later nostalgia. | |
| 60 | Some people may have a guilty conscience about having a good time. | |
| 63 | There is in some cultures a habit of "averted gaze" - not looking other people directly in the face (e.g. Japan, Sweden) - but is this significant? [RT: like English circumlocution?] | |
| 66 | Some people experience melancholy in private communion with nature. | |
| 67 | Another cultural habit is conflict avoidance (e.g. Swedes) - "let's not argue". | |
| 76-7 | After the decline of theocracy, 'ism-ocracy' was a disaster; even psychoanalysis didn't give any answers for the reality of suffering. | |
| 79 | We may well ask "why does evil so often triumph?" | |
| Part 2 - The inner | 80 on | The author takes us on 3 trips, to Paris, Rome and Venice, but really just as a background for stories of people he saw or met, and mainly just to push his view that what we really need is more mysticism. |
| journey | 83 | We feel the need to re-evaluate our lives at some times more than at other times. |
| 84 | He pushes the idea that we all experience a troubled heart and "homelessness". [RT: but do we all? I don't think I do that much, even after having made my home in 4 different countries.] | |
| 85 | He likens the "inner journey" to a pilgrimage, advocating "death of self" and "surrender". But is this the only, or even best, path? | |
| 86 | Reaching out to others - [RT: this might be a better line, but not "forgetting oneself", surely. If one reaches out to others too much, one may risk becoming a busybody and a pain to others who don't want you intruding.] | |
| 91 | Seneca: you must know who you are, and where you are heading. [RT: this doesn't seem to tally with "surrender"]. | |
| 93 | Only those who have an identity can forget themselves for the sake of others. | |
| 101 | A true friend isn't obsequious, but helps us to develop our own authentic individuality. | |
| 111a | Character building is good. [RT: OK, but what about the many people who can't "hack it"?] | |
| 111b | Seneca's view of academics: "such people whose time is taken up by studying and publishing worthless Knowledge ... they have achieved nothing of any use." [RT: I often agree, but I suppose they are driven by the reward system: "publish or perish, get PhD completions".] | |
| 112 | "Only he who swims against the tide reaches the source." | |
| 120 | Culture vultures: they are a bit like external tourists. It's not too different from snobbishness, and putting others down. | |
| 121 | It's better if we are seeking nourishment for ourselves. | |
| 128 | Art opens up passageways into the real world (Proust). But the "other world" is never distinctly described (no faith, church, religion). | |
| 131 | Montaigne - the polite, chivalrous or courteous gesture costs virtually nothing and gives out a lot. | |
| 133 | Beauty can activate homelessness. | |
| 155 | Religious places and icons are not symbolic, they are "performative", i.e. they create something. He says "they look at you" - [RT: like Kitchener's WW1 poster?]. Do they "illustrate a paradox"? | |
| 160 | Many long for a world that is not cold or indifferent [RT: and many don't]. | |
| 169 | His summary: there are 3 stages on the internal journey: 1) recognition of where one is, friendship and integrity; 2) active searching via aesthetics; 3) ethics and spirituality: meeting with the glance of "the other". | |
| 175 | He admits he hasn't advanced many rational arguments. But he says he has a sort of reliance on "the other's" gaze. | |
| RT reflection | Early on I thought that this book was going to be better than it turned out in the end. He seems to just present a sort of mysticism as the answer to life's problems, facilitated by looking at icons. This doesn't help much if the reader doesn't feel this need, or the call of an icon. Certainly, he is not taking the biblical, evangelical line, nor the "mother church will do your thinking" line. However he quickly dismisses any other approach but Christianity - he is just so sure he is right. I suppose it is a sort of mega sermon, applying Kirkegaard's general drift to the phenomenon of making holiday journeys. |
| Back to Book Highlights index | Back to Re-think home | Back to tagg.org |
The links below lead to the other components of PLOVER
| Philosophy | Language | Ontology | Value | Evolution | Religion |
This version updated on 17th January 2011