Christmas lights: unplugging from routine

Breaking away from the daily working routine at the beginning of the holiday season has not been easy. For me, it requires a conscious effort to stop checking and responding to emails that keep appearing in my inbox. Still, both my wife and I are doing our best to unplug after a marathon of dealing with academic matters at the end of the term.

Today, we spent the entire day in the downtown with our friends, looking at Christmas trees at the Empress Hotel, having a leisurely lunch and walking along the inner harbour under rain. Breaking the routine takes me out of a comfort zone, but I know that this is necessary for avoiding burnout. For example, it is the lack of everyday comforts that makes travelling so effective in making us experience the World in a new light. The same effect can be obtained by simply walking in our home town, without any particular goal, looking at the place with the eyes of a tourist.

The term flâneur, which emerged in Paris at the end of the 19th century as a reference to urban exploring through strolling and observing the city life, is based on the same principle. Modern street photography is the extension of this urban observing. Having no particular goal for the stroll and the photo shoot enables one to be present and responsive to the experience of the city life. This exploration mode is similar, in some respect, to the “beginner’s mind”, a state that is tremendously conductive to personal development in zen buddhism and Eastern martial arts, such as kendo.

I think that being in the company of two three-year-olds, who exemplify the beginner’s mind by definition, is particularly amazing. Naturally, my photos today were mostly of them – enjoying Christmas lights and colourful window displays of the local shops.