I'm Major Jackson and this is the slowdown.

I'm Major Jackson and this is the slowdown. The Slow Down.

One day my dad told me a story about a chess game he played against Louis Khan.

I became obsessed with the famed architect gathering anecdotes to remember and

back then an art teacher inspired him to pursue his profession.

But my favorite story is told by city planner Edmund Bacon, who coincidentally is actor Kevin Bacon's

dad in the documentary My Architect. In response to a call to reimagine a new downtown, Khan proposed a

city without cars, a utopian

explanation,

aplenade walkways and towers of circular garages on the outskirts of

circular garages on the outskirts of town.

Ed Bacon believed Khan was living in fantasy land. However, over half a century later,

as we debate climate crisis and sustainability, Khan seems far ahead of his time.

His architectural philosophy and projects sought to instill a balance between nature and buildings.

His own landscapes were spiritual monuments to light and wind.

The documentary is imminently quotable,

but what stays with me is a moment of Khan talking to

architecture students at U Penn. He says, when you want to give something

presence, you have to consult nature, I love this idea, even in relation to poetry.

Today's poem highlights the fierce omnipresence of nature, even in environments where we are trained not to notice or are too busy to do so.

Morning Glory by Patricia Spears Jones

Sunlight softens,

...