Earlier this month, the famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma turned seventy years old – an event that made him think not only about his past, but also about the future of the planet. In a letter to fans, he wrote: “Today I am worried. In 2100, my youngest granddaughter will be 76 years old. She will meet a world that I will not see. I wonder what the world will be like then?” Recently, Ma sent us recommendations for three books that have contributed to his thinking on this topic—books that explore the timeless aspects of human nature, our complex relationships with each other, and our entanglement with the natural world. (He explores some of these topics in his new podcast: “Our common nature“, which premiered on WNYC last week.) Each book, he reveals, offers different recommendations on how to create a better world for our descendants.
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius
I'm drawn to Marcus Aurelius these days because reading him focuses my thinking, aligns my priorities, and reminds me that there are certain human values that have endured for thousands of years: trying to practice the virtues of wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation is the best hope I have for leading a balanced life in our fickle, ever-changing world. world.
Reflections was written as a private journal, not intended for public consumption. It consists of Marcus Aurelius' advice to himself, perhaps designed as an antidote to the constant surroundings and exposure to temptation and corruption of life as emperor. It is a reminder to search within yourself for purpose and meaning. Marcus Aurelius believed that happiness comes from within, that it comes from cultivating dignity and compassion, and not from external success. I feel that this is exactly the kind of humanism that society lacks today.
Indigo
Jenny Balfour-Paul
When I was in school, the subjects I studied were separated in such a way that when I left school, I didn't realize how interconnected the world was (and always has been). It brought me great joy to discover these connections, and Indigo provided many such discoveries – I learned how a plant became a dye, how a dye became a color coveted throughout the world, and how that color changed habits, built economies, and stimulated artistic creativity. Even today, the denim that makes up your jeans may be woven from cotton grown in Asia. Its name comes from the French city where the indigo-dyed blue twill fabric (“de Nîmes”) originated, which was once worth more than its weight in gold. This simple fabric has been present throughout world history, from biblical times to the present day, from India to Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, South America. “Indigo” gave me an understanding of a dynamic that has become a mantra for me: if you look deeply enough at any object, any story, any song—no matter how familiar it is—you will find peace.
Reading Indigo inspired me to work with New York City public schools to create a program for sixth graders that would help them see some of the connections that it took me so many years to discover, equipping them with a sense of the many threads that connect people, cultures, centuries, continents, people, and nature. In the program, my colleagues and I worked with students to grow indigo, make dyes, and then create clothing items. It was one of the most difficult and most rewarding periods of my life.
orbital
Samantha Harvey
It takes real virtuosity to write in shifting scales and perspectives, as Harvey does in this novel. At one moment the Earth is Mother Earth, giving life; in the next, it's just a tiny blue dot. Likewise, Harvey takes the reader from the mundane to the life-changing—a failed attempt to heat garlic leaves the space station cabin stinking for weeks; The astronaut reeled upon learning of the sudden death of his mother. The reader's interest moves from the survival of the six astronauts to the cell cultures in their onboard laboratory, which, according to one calculation (they could lead to life-saving scientific advances), may be considered more valuable than the lives of the six astronauts.
Orbital gives me hope. I feel that today we need such a comprehensive vision – one that understands the smallest details and the biggest picture, that can easily switch between analysis and empathy, that recognizes people and the planet at the same time, and that recognizes people as part of nature and our survival is inseparable from the health of the Earth.
