Writing and repairing
My editorial is due in 10 days or so. I decided to take my time and write slowly. It will be my first editorial, so I've been reading (slowly) my fellow humans' editorials to see how others have done it. Naturally, I will still write it in my own way. In the past few months I've been talking so much with my fellow humans about the state of academia. It feels to me that there is not enough gentleness and care, and I want to take extra care to manifest these values in my writing and being in the world generally.
While contemplating the editorial, I was repairing this snood that my partner gave me some time ago (it was his old snood). There was a hole that I repaired but I noticed another one. By repair I don't mean anything sophisticated. I'm not very good at it, but it's ok. It's so interesting how meaningful, humbling, and therapeutic simple, everyday activities such as repairing, cooking, and cleaning are. I would not want someone else to do them for me, unless I don't have the skill (or capacity, e.g., when I'm ill) myself. Perhaps these activities are enjoyable because they are made easy by modern technology, such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines. But even when I chose to live without these devices for some time (10 months in Finland), I still enjoyed my life and these activities, though they took more time. I feel that being present deeply in and with simple, everyday activities makes me a better human, better researcher and editor. I pay more attention to details that matter.
These days, my partner and our colleague and I have been working on a piece about academia and transformations. I've been thinking a lot about slow living and how important it is to me. I would never want to give up cleaning, cooking, walking, being with non-humans, reading for hours, writing this autoethnography (not the most popular method in the social sciences!) and so many other activities to pursue conventional success. Apart from the fast pace, normalisation of precarious position and overwork, something that makes me feel uncomfortable about pursuing conventional success is utilitarian approach to fellow humans. One's value is reduced to their status and position in the academia hierarchy. At times, it feels that communications are not genuine, or they depend on who one is talking to. I would love to see and feel more authenticity, kindness, gentleness, care in academic spaces. Less hierarchies, utilitarianism, exploitation.