the.com/aloof
The art of being present in the room while emotionally leaving the country.
means Distant or detached in manner, keeping oneself emotionally or physically apart from others.
from A sailor's word at heart. It began as the nautical command 'a-loof' — 'loof' being an old term for the windward side or the steering apparatus (related to 'luff,' to turn a ship's bow toward the wind). To keep 'aloof' was to hold the ship's head to windward, steering clear of a lee shore or some hazard. From that careful keeping-of-distance at sea, the word drifted ashore by the 1500s to describe people who, likewise, keep a wary distance from everyone around them.
- sailing roots
- From Dutch 'loef,' meaning steering windward away from danger
- survival tactic
- Distance often masks shyness, not superiority
- cat fluent
- Felines weaponized it long before humans did
- magnetic paradox
- Unavailability makes people chase harder, cruelly
emily dickinson — american poet (1830-1886) who lived reclusively in her home, rarely leaving and limiting social interaction
howard hughes — billionaire businessman who became increasingly isolated, eventually living in darkened hotel rooms avoiding all contact