Ruth Ozeki, the author of this year’s Go Big Read book, gave a lecture titled “How to be a Better Time Being” to 1,200 audience members at Union South Monday, as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series.
During the lecture, Ozeki shared advice about time, life and the creative process. She encouraged the audience to honor their ancestors and know where they come from, take their time and practice patience.
Ozeki began writing “A Tale for the Time Being” in 2006 and did not finish it until 2013, the same year it was published.
“It was one of the most intense writing experiences I ever had,” Ozeki said.
Ozeki also described caring for her mother as she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and its relevance to the passing of time, one of the major themes within the book.
“For the next six years, we watched her drop out of time very slowly, because that’s what Alzheimer’s does. It erodes memory and erases time,” Ozeki said. “We are all time beings with a time limit.”
In her book, Ozeki said she attempted to step out of the “normal linear narrative” about time to change people’s perceptions of its passage.
Additionally, Ozeki led guided meditations where the crowd stayed completely silent for eight minutes. Ozeki said meditation is “a way of fully being in time” and “being intimate with your mind.”
University of Wisconsin-Madison freshman Kate Wintheiser said the experience was unique given how large the crowd was.
“I have this meditation app on my iPod. It was kind of similar to what she was doing, but it was different to do it in a room with so many people,” Wintheiser said. “It was just cool how it got so quiet.”
Also at the lecture, Chancellor Rebecca Blank said Ozeki’s book is being taught in more than 60 classes this semester. Blank added the book was “a complete pleasure” to read.
“I am so delighted to see how many other people here in this room have shared that pleasure in the past few months,” Blank said.
