Thomas Sieverts quoted by Matthew Stadler in the Spring 2011 issue of Oregon Humanities:
"Where we live lies between the singular, particular site as geographical-historical event and the sameness of all space in the global economy; between space as a field of immediate experience and space as a distance measured solely by time[.]"
I've been thinking about this all day. It brought to mind a conversation I had at Baldface Lodge. A man trying to understand where Bend is located asked me how far it is from Portland. "Three hours," I said. Then he asked how far it is from Eugene. "Two hours," I replied, and added, to forestall further questioning, "It's six hours from Boise." Ah, said he. "So it's in the middle of nowhere!"
Bend lies in the space between two cities, Portland and Boise; it is also my field of immediate experience. For me, therefore, it's the center of the universe.
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If Bend is three hours from Portland – speaking of distance in terms of time – then at age 40 (speaking of time in terms of distance traveled by car) I am about 1/4 of the way from Earth to the sun.
How about that.
1 comment:
I think it is very cool to be in the middle of nowhere at the same time as you are at the centre of the universe. Not everyone can be in that place.
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