How to experience the French art of living? Let’s start by doing nothing, just as suggested by Benoît Heilbrunn, professor at ESCP, whose insights are always illuminating.
With the support of Hélène L’Heuillet’s book “The Emptiness Within Us” (Albin Michel), he emphasizes the importance of emptiness as a necessary counterbalance to the overflow in our lives, but not a neutral emptiness. Rather, one that becomes a source of creativity and a preparation for future pleasure.
This resonates with our view of pleasure in the French art of living. While immediate pleasure certainly has its place, it must be balanced with the pleasures to come, and the invention, anticipation, and preparation of those pleasures become a pleasure in themselves. Embracing idleness, mental stillness, and openness to the world around us is a vital condition for this.
It’s always worth hearing, and hearing again. So we invite you: listen to Benoît, go out for a leisurely wander, and come back with fresh ideas.