THE TOWER OF BELONGING
by Sean Francis Walsh
Perspective: Old Arts Clock Tower
Get directions: 37°47’53.0″S 144°57’37.3″E
I live in a tower. It’s a very young tower, only a little over a hundred years old, but I am much, much older. I like being up high, it gives me a slightly majestic feeling. I like seeing all the people come and go. I have four faces, each one arrayed with numerals from Roman times. Those symbols go back more than two thousand years, to a world of great architects and engineers, but what is greatness? I have seen it come and go.
From my tower I see everything. I watch the trees, I watch the sky, I watch the people. I often wonder how they can stand it, having such painfully short lives. You would think they might stop and be in the moment sometimes, smell the air, touch a delicate plant, treasure their transient existence. But they don’t. Degrees to get. Other people to impress. Yes, I know. And I know why. I have seen it all before.
It is beautiful here. Trees, grass, and weather that always changes. And interesting people. What more could I want? There is a feeling of searching, sharing, striving. Only a few hundred years ago the feeling was very different. Of course, I lived somewhere else then. But each time I came to visit here, on this patch of ground, I could sense the connections — people, land, sea, sky. Creatures, plants, rocks, soil. Story, song, place, time. There was a feeling of depth, mystery, longing and belonging, and all these things I could appreciate.
And before you ask, there was a good reason why this was important to me. Can you imagine how lonely it was for me, back when there were trees and wild creatures but no people? Not just here, but everywhere. Don’t get me wrong. I love the mountains, the lightning and storms, the rivers and snow, even the blistering deserts. But what I love most is to look into the eyes of a sensitive being who can also see this beauty.
Here, where I live now, they call it Old Arts. Appropriate. It seems to fit. Such a great set of clocks. And I don’t mind the sandstone either, it has a gentleness but also a sturdiness. I hope my presence is a positive thing, at least for some. There is an art to living in the moment, tuning in to all that is. And it’s a very old art. I should know, it was my idea from the start.
Fancy responding to the Old Arts Clock Tower?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sean Walsh was born in Sydney and raised in Melbourne, very much a city person, but his eyes were opened when he started visiting forests. He worked as a scientific computing specialist for many decades, but was always drawn to ecology, to immerse himself in the world of connections and complexity. He finally had a chance to study ecology through a PhD at the University of Melbourne. Now he knows just how much he doesn’t know about our incredible ecosystems.
Words from Sean
I wanted to write a story about something deep and powerful, which might encourage readers to stop and tune into the world a bit more. I thought I could give “Time” a personality and a home and the idea was that Time would retain its infinite dimension, but would also have a longing to connect with people.
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