The American Flâneur

Why a Flâneur?

Prepare to approach life with a renewed sense of curiosity and wonder, knowing that there's a story behind every person you meet, and every experience you encounter, from which you can profit greatly.

While the term flâneur originally connoted an idle stroller, indeed even a loafer, often seen as someone prone to wasting time, the term gradually developed a more complex and richer meaning throughout 19th century France concurrent with the accompanying industrialization of French society.

Eventually the idleness of the flâneur in the context of modern urban living was viewed in a more positive light when it became apparent that the ever-increasing pace and impersonal character of industrialized society was changing the very nature of the relationships people had with one another.

In general, they had less time. They became more self-focused. They often developed a cultural cynicism, and their notions of freedom and their very being were altered. Sound familiar? In the 20th century we would come to call this, “the Daily Grind,” among other things.

The flâneur is not really part of all this. He makes for himself the luxury of time – but he wastes none of it. He uses this time – to take time – to engage with those around him. To savor those with whom he engages, along with the best the current culture has to offer – the most eclectic food, drink, accouterments, and the most compelling intellectual concepts and thought.

In short, he takes the time to savor life itself and in the process, tries to figure out what it’s all about.

So what does this have to do with anything? Particularly here in 21st century America?

There appears to be an emptiness, and a longing on the part of many of us, here in this post-modern age, to find substantive meaning and fulfillment in our lives.

So many of us are on this treadmill of modern life in a manic effort to acquire success, stuff and stature - only to find that the real fulfillment we desire continues to elude us, regardless of our perceived progress. Like the proverbial mirage in the desert that can never be reached.

I believe that many in prior generations had the answer - and the pursuit of the answer is what this website and Blog are all about.

The purpose of this website is to serve as a practical companion to The American Flâneur Blog.

The Blog provides some philosophical context and guideposts for becoming a flâneur in post-modern America, based on my own life experiences.

This website will provide you with resources you can utilize in order to assist in beginning your own journey in hopefully enhancing the quality of your life.

Within the pages of the Blog, as they unfold, you will find extraordinary people, both historical and contemporary, along with establishments who understand fully how life is well-lived, and how to improve its quality for others, both socially and experientially.

So let's get started.

Life is short. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Every day not savored and experienced to its fullest is a day wasted.

Get Started Now