This morning I went running. It was my usual route, through the village, and then out towards the Beacon. The road (if you’ve been here you’ll know) circumvents the hill itself, and as you climb there is an extremely lovely view south – you can see the north coast coves in a row: Chapel Porth, Porthtowan, Portreath, and Godrevey, and in December the mad sea is crashing and tumbling.
I run to clear my head; it’s what I love most about getting out there on the road: the clarity, the breath, the simplicity.
Holly (my wife) walked our children to school. She left a little before me, and I took a minute or so to stretch and tie my laces. As I ran past, my daughter began to run with me. We only ran 30 yards or so, but it was a lovely moment. I looked back towards the other adults walking their children to school and saw in their expressions something familiar: a look of urgency painted on their faces. And I know the look well: it’s the look ‘of getting things done’ and the urgency of the day ahead.
My own brief holiday from urgency didn’t last last that long, although the run was just what I needed. Running, I feel half my age. I like to think I shake the years off, like a dog shaking off rain. But now I’m back and it’s already 10 am, and like my peers, like you even, I’m trying to get the work done and make the day count. It is this pressure, this ‘getting things done’, that can overwhelm. Sometimes we forget to enjoy the moment because we are racing towards the next task. I haven’t come to this conclusion all by myself. My friends and mentors – Mike Ellis, Marco Piccolo and Simon Ambrose, have reminded me that in focussing so much on the end goal, we omit experiencing the journey – and you know what? It’s not sustainable.
What I’ve found so inspiring about the movement towards sustainability is that being truly sustainable as a business means that we must take into account not only the need to make honourable profit, not only the need to make a positive impact on the environment, but also the necessity to make a difference in society. After all, society depends upon the wellbeing of individuals.
On days when I teach young people, I am both amazed and horrified about the reach of technology and the inability of many to function without it. What is happening seems so digital, but is attached to palms, embedded in minds, and impossibly vast in its size and scope. Technology’s reach is overwhelming. And I’m sometimes overwhelmed. I love reading literature, writing, and making art, but I feel sometimes that these pursuits can’t protect me from the reach of technology, and this feeling can be imprisoning. And I worry very much about my daughter and son when they grapple with their first mobile phone; I worry it will make them disappear.
I think more so now than ever that language can elevate experience; our ability to articulate our fears and hopes is the catalyst in our species. When I teach composition or reading, it’s my hope that my students will continue on the journey of making meaning with language. And whilst I believe absolutely that literacy, and being literate can change the fortune in a young person, or enable a businesswomen greater access to English speaking markets, I must remember that meaning in life is also dependent upon instances of sudden joy, like those unexpected running races you have with your daughter on cold winter mornings.
In May 2022, Skool Cornwall is running ‘English with Sustainability’ at Cusgarne Organic Farm. There, we’ll learn about sustainable business practice and initiatives that are not just ideas in theory, but already sustainable business activities already happening. We’ll learn from those making a positive impact on the environment and society. Cusgarne Farm is sustainability in practice. There, maintaining health and wellbeing is literally built into the walls and foundations of its buildings. We will also be joined by Marco Piccolo: President of sustainability for the Confederation of Industries in Piemonte, the Italian National Ambassador for Civil Economy, and the CEO of Reynaldi- who’s creed is to positively benefit society and the environment. There’ll be lessons, seminars and activities, you’ll live on the farm be immersed in sustainable living. To find out more about this course, or other courses that we’re running, get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.