Postcard is a weekly curation of things I think are beautiful or interesting. Each postcard will be named after a word and contain something to listen to, something to look at, and something to think about. I welcome you to share any thoughts in the comments. Thank you!
elevation:
(n.) The act of raising from a lower place, condition, or quality to a higher; said of material things, persons, the mind, the voice, etc.
(n.) The condition of being or feeling elevated; heightened; exaltation.
(n.) (astronomy) The distance of a celestial object above the horizon, or the arc of a vertical circle intercepted between it and the horizon; altitude.
(n.) (Christianity, chiefly Roman Catholicism) The raising of the host—representing Christ’s body—in a mass or Holy Communion service.
†Meanings from Wiktionary
Something to listen to:
“mist” - Samurai Champloo Music Record: Masta by FORCE OF NATURE
I love the simplicity of “lo-fi” music, that scratchiness, the coziness of the imperfections and how they are lovingly accepted as part of the track. Does this track evoke elevation or groundedness for you? Perhaps a little bit of both?
Something to look at:
Something to think about:
I find it curious how often the word “elevated” is used to describe an experience as “better” than something else (a less elevated experience, presumably). In the major American cities, people derive their sense of power quite literally from how “above” everyone else they are. Are you in a high-rise suite looking out over everyone else in the city or are you in a first-floor apartment? One is thought to be “better” than the other, although… how superior is the man who has to get into a little metal box and pay with time just to get into his home? Versus the man who simply arrives and is there?
As is always the case, a tradeoff exists wherever something claims to be strictly superior.
On the other side of elevation is groundedness. Grounded, as in, making direct contact with. Touching the ground, or, to sink into metaphor, touching reality. Elevation creates a distance, groundedness creates a connection. I like the connotations between grounding and electricity, too—being grounded allows you to safely expose yourself to incredible, electrifying currents safely.
The more you crave elevation, the more dangers there are of dissociation, of losing touch with something important. There is no consumer experience more rarified than breathing in clean air on God’s green earth. It’s the difference between being alive and cultivating an illusion of liveliness. The wealthiest people in the world get the same sunrise and the same sunset as the rest of us. Once you realize this, doesn’t it feel utterly ridiculous to be motivated at all by resentment against the rich? Don’t you see how you’re already as wealthy as they are in all the ways that actually matter?
Elevation does, of course, deserve its credit where credit is due. Many journeys in life are about an ascent and a descent. The view from the top, that journey of ‘there and back,’ can and does unlock extraordinary things for your spirit. Growth, love, connection, tenderness, awe.
These things (and many more beautiful mysteries) can be found, shimmering and wordless, at the crest of the mountain, in your quest for the summit. But a caveat:
Be sure the mountains you climb come from the exhortations of your soul—from what is within, or more accurately, what is chosen with intention and love—rather than the seductive yet superficial desire to gain esteem (aka elevation) in the eyes of another.
When you orient towards the wrong things, you might trick yourself into thinking that you’re climbing up when in actuality, you are falling down, down, down…
