The Blithedale Romance Re: Milton the Anarchist....

Michael Pollak mpollak at panix.com
Thu Aug 22 07:51:03 PDT 2002


On Thu, 22 Aug 2002, Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:


> > > Intellectual activity is incompatible with any large amount of
> > > bodily exercise.
> >
> >I love this passage too. But that last sentence is of course nonsense.
>
> That all depends on the quality and quantity of bodily exercise, I think

Well yes, of course -- bodily exercise that is *too draining* is incompatible with intellectual activity. But that's true by definition.

And non-bodily exercise can also be too draining for there to be any intellectual activity afterwards. Nothing like an all-day deadening office job to make your mind turn to white noise at night.

I think when it comes to blocking one's ability to think and dream, the main problem is too many hours of work that's too alienating. Whether it is physical, mental, or a combination of the two seems less important in my experience then how long it lasts, how intensive it is, and how much you resent and chafe under it.

Michael



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