Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician Vaclav Havel passed away on Sunday. SP editor Mary Barringer saved the excerpt below from his book Letters to Olga, written when he was in prison and notes, Havels words echo the spirit of mindfulness that can adhere to ordinary activities, and reminds makers everywhere to honor the potential of utilitarian pots to participate in meaningful life. The Prison and the Cult of Tea Tea, it seems to me, becomes a kind of symbol of material freedom here: (a) it is in effect the only fare that one can prepare oneself, and thus freely: when and how I make it is entirely up to me. In the preparation of it, I realize myself as a free being, as it were, capable of looking after myself. (b) Tea – as a sign of private relaxation, of a brief pause in the midst of the hubbub, of rumination and private contemplation – functions as the external, material attribute of a certain unbridling of the spirit, and thus as a companion in moments of focused inner freedom. (c) The world of freedom considered as leisure time is represented by tea in the opposite – in the extroverted and therefore the social – sense: sitting down to a cup of tea here is a substitute for the world of bars, wine rooms, parties, binges, social life – in other words again, something you choose for yourself and in which you realize your freedom in social terms….I drink it every day…I look forward to it, and consuming it (which I schedule carefully, so it does not become a formless and random activity) is an extremely important component in my daily “self-care” program. From Letters to Olga by Vaclav Havel Potters market rondebosch saturday 22 8am till 3pm
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 05:48:33 +0000
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