Never confuse movement with action. Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway, born on 21 July 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA, and died on 2 July 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho, is an American writer, journalist and war correspondent.
In the frenetic societies in which we live, it is customary to combine movement and action. Action exists when the body or mind is set in motion. But we act by automatism, by conditioning, which is most often inertia rather than the actual action that takes place. The external agitation that movement creates is necessary for our social recognition. We need validation. The absence of visible movement leads to a suspicion of laziness on the part of our fellow human beings, or even to condemnation. It is to avoid discomfort that we imitate the surrounding frenzy. However, there is nothing more active than a mind that thinks, that meditates. When we take a step back from ourselves and our lives, we cannot at the same time manifest an exalted movement. Clear thinking implies a rested and relaxed body. In order to make the best decisions, you must first “stop” yourself. When you stop, you breathe and your brain takes over.
The aim of action is to always materialise, sometimes in the form of movement, sometimes in the form of reflection. It is up to each one of us to estimate the right combination between these two expressions, to always be in the truest action even if nothing is visible on the surface.
