Definición de Flânerie: ¿Qué significa realmente la palabra?

Me acabo de dar cuenta de que en ninguna parte de este sitio hay una definición adecuada de flânerie, asi que aqui esta.

As I’m able to live it more and more in my life, I’ll be better able to define it. For now, consider this an evolving work in progress.

What is Flânerie?

Before we answer this, let’s get two other definitions out of the way first:

Flâner (v, francés)

: pasear sin rumbo fijo

Flâneur (norte, francés)

: una persona que camina por la ciudad para experimentarla; un vagabundo urbano muy observador que deambula sin rumbo fijo

(Since we’re adopting these words from French to use in English, you can write them without the accents. We decided to add them in on this site, but that’s just personal choice.)

Si entiendes cómo ser un flâneur is a complete philosophical way of being, then the concept of flânerie becomes a lot more clear. 

Flânerie Definition

Flânerie (norte, francés)

: the act of aimless sauntering; the undirected ambling of the flâneur

You might think of flânerie as simply a caminar a paso lento.

But flânerie is more than just the act of a physical stroll, it’s all the associations that come along with it. To properly engage in flânerie, you must be without an objective.

Para entender completamente el concepto, puede ser útil imaginar lo que tal errante en realidad implicaría.

I can’t think of a better image of complete libertad. To be able to stroll aimlessly⁠—truly aimlessly⁠—you’d have to be 100% free.

You’d have to be free from:

• Preocupaciones financieras. Since your undirected ambling might lead you literally to any place in the world, you’d need to have the financial ability to viajar sin restricciones. Eso requeriría completa libertad financiera (or a complete lack of desire, but you can’t survive without a certain degree of income).
• Superiores o porteros. By definition, if you’re taking orders it wouldn’t be “undirected ambling.” Though you may have various inputs, you’d need to be the final decision maker. 
• pensamiento compulsivo. Is wandering truly aimless if you’re being pulled by compulsion, errante pensamientos y deseos? Podrías argumentar que no. 

So, by these definitions few people actually ever achieve true flâneur (or flânerie) status, but it’s something to strive to be better at. It’s a mentalidad. Es un ideal. 

In the past, the flâneur has been likened to a connoisseur of the street; a type of “urban investigator.” 

Por ejemplo, el flaneur puede estar en el corazón de la plaza de una ciudad, pero permanecer alejado de ella mientras absorbe todas las manifestaciones físicas (sonidos, imágenes, olores) de todo lo que lo rodea.

So you can think of flânerie as simply a type of physical and mental “investigation.” You’re taking in what’s happening around you, but remaining slightly detached from what you’re immersed in. You’re simply observing.

“Flânerie is a sort of reading of the street, in which human faces, displays, shop windows, café terraces, tracks, cars and trees become so many equal letters of that alphabet that, taken together, make up the words, sentences, and pages of ever-changing books.”

Franz Hessel

It’s not all-or-nothing, it’s something you can start practicing more of in your life right away.

How to Incorporate More Flânerie in your Life

I’m wording these in action step bullet point form for simplicidad. Aquí hay algunos pensamientos rápidos:

• Respirar. Tómese un momento para respirar profundamente sin pensar en lo que debe hacer a continuación.
• Ir a caminar. Wander in unfamiliar surroundings and simply observe. Try to let yourself become detached as you take in the sights, sounds, smells, and stories going on around you. Think of it as simply “collecting memories.”
• Set aside a “Flâneur Day”. Ábrete a la serendipia. Date permiso para tomarte un día entero para dedicarte a ti mismo sin pensar en el trabajo y la vida, solo para ver a dónde te lleva (es más fácil decirlo que hacerlo, lo sé). 
• Embárcate en una aventura al azar. Piérdase. Explore.
• toma un respiro. Chill. Do a sauna session. Take a power nap. Even if you don’t actually fall asleep, set your alarm for 25-30 minutes later and let your mind wander. See where your imagination takes you. 
• Toma una nueva ruta a casa. Disfrute de las vistas y los sonidos novedosos. 

Benefits of Flânerie

I’ve always been a su personality whose mind is constantly working, but as I’ve started incorporating more flânerie in my life, I’ve noticed great improvements. 

I thought it would be helpful to start a bullet list of benefits of flânerie. Please feel free to leave a comment at the end of this article and let’s keep this list building.

Beneficios incluidos:

• Atención plena (ralentización de los pensamientos)
• impulsar en creatividad
• Trabajo de mayor calidad (arte, escritura, creación)
• Calma
• Aumento de la felicidad (o sensación de bienestar)

Conceptos relacionados:

• Flâneur
• Erudito
• Multipotencial
• Dandy
• Lista de palabras de viajes al extranjero