10/25/2024
Allow me to introduce to you the EntreFlaneur.......I've been struggling with explaining to people the life/work/travel philosophy I've been following since 2021. I recently came across this and it's like this guy has been living in my brain..... link to website and newsletter in comments.
Many years ago, in 19th-century Paris, there was a character known as a “flâneur.”
The flâneur was an ambivalent figure of urban affluence. The word translates to 'stroller', 'lounger', 'saunterer', or 'loafer'.
The flâneur wandered the streets of Paris, detached from society. He had no purpose other than to observe.
What made the flâneur special was his presence. He had an ability to simply exist - without attachments, ego, or identity to distort his awareness. He was a master of the Now.
Paul Gavarni, Le Flâneur, 1842
Fast forward to today, and this character has largely been forgotten.
The current in-vogue persona is the hustler. The entrepreneur. The go-getter-make-it-happen executionists.
The entrepreneur is the opposite of the flâneur. He’s building society instead of observing it, always plotting his next move instead of resting in the now.
These days, it is the thing to be an entrepreneur. Everyone wants to be one. The word is even starting to lose it's meaning.
Those who've walked the entrepreneur path know it is much more nuanced than straight "hustle and grind".
There are people that love building but also observing, working and chilling, moving society forward and then taking a step back to enjoy their creations.
This is the Entreflâneur, a brand-new 21st-century character who expertly merges the dichotomy of work and leisure.
