John Berger could have written a book called ‘Ways of Listening’. He listened with his whole body. As though my words were rain, and he was the earth. He absorbed everything, gathered every drop, missed absolutely nothing. His listening eyes were lakes in the high mountains. It was love, there’s no other word for it. I don’t think that stillness, that quality of attention, is even possible in digital-age humans, who suckle on mobile phones from the moment they’re born. It’s a generational thing. Lost forever, I believe.
– Arundhati Roy, “Mother Mary Comes to Me” (Scribner, September 2, 2025)
Notes:
- John Berger portrait from Verso Books, October 2015.
- Book Review NY Times: “She Raged. She Terrified. And She Shape Arundhati Roy. The prizewinning novelist’s unsparing memoir, “Mother Mary Comes to Me,” captures the eventful life and times of her mother, a driven educator and imperfect inspiration.”
- Post Title & Inspiration: Aldous Huxley: “It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.
I agree with, lost forever.
Unfortunately and sadly I agree.
I disagree. I think this generation has seen too much. THAT is why they choose the path of least resistance with the smallest amount of stillness possible.
Not sure what they have seen. COVID, School shootings. I’ll give you that. What else?
I think those two could stand alone. No further comment required. More shocking is the laissez-faire reaction to their impact.
Just read best guess so far… 80,000 people have been killed on the Gaza strip.
And let us not forget the elephant in the room… Where accurate numbers are not available. The following is from Wikipedia:
Casualties in the Russo-Ukrainian War include six deaths during the 2014 annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, 14,200–14,400 military and civilian deaths during the War in Donbas,[1] and up to 1,000,000 estimated casualties during the Russian invasion of Ukraine till mid-September 2024.
Yet more horror….
Note: “casualties” is defined as both people who died and people who were wounded.
Thank you🙏💕
I have not given up yet
Thank goodness for that…
While I’m thinking of it. 24 years ago today 2977 souls were lost in the September 11 attack. (+19 hijackers)… And thousands were injured.
Let us never forget. I saw the second plane hit the twin towers live on TV.
Horror. All of it…
Indeed… There are no words.
(For the sake of our collective mental health…)
On a lighter note, a priest, a rabbi, and a minister walked into a bar…
Laughing, thank goodness for this…
You got me at John Berger. What a tender human.
Berger
Roy
Proust
Lightly
It doesn’t get any better than this.
Agree Sawsan. Thank you.
There is something important about hope – especially these days. I hope that people find the virtual world insufficient, and seek a connection that is deeper and trusting.
Yes. Yes. Yes Mimi.
What a beautiful thing to be able to say about someone. I’m not familiar with John Berger, need to change that. Thankyou for this post David.
So glad you liked it!
wow, already this ‘lived-in’ face won me over. A beautiful man with eyes that have seen (too?) much, lines to tell a lifetime of stories, a face to dwell on, dig into (his mind, not his cheeks)…. and then that proposed book he ‘could have written’ (if I understood correctly).
That book ‘ways of listening’ made me sit up. As someone with little eyesight left and having closely observed and ‘interiorated’ my practically blind mother, I often think of the Little Prince’s words: You only see well with your heart. John B. listened with his whole body; yes, why not, with his eyes; certainly – these few lines are so full of beauty, truth, observations… just love it.
Love Little Prince’s words. Thanks for sharing Kiki.