Mindfulness in The Hague
How Rewire, Europe’s premium experimental festival, forced an anxious Londoner to address his FOMO, via a low-grade existential crisis
Go to The Hague and I bet the first thing you notice is how relaxed everyone is. It's almost unnervingly so for someone accustomed to the constant low-level tension of London. Everyone here seems so figured out. You can see it in the way they navigate the pristine bike lanes, as if it were choreographed, and in how they order their bitterballen without hesitation. There’s an efficient, matter-of-fact quality, from the grand buildings to the neat canals reflecting the gabled houses. For someone used to maneuvering through the city in a state of anxiety, with my internal GPS constantly recalculating based on the fear of missing out – a better coffee, a cooler bar, the ‘right’ life path – being in a place that appears so outwardly organised only throws my internal chaos into sharp relief.
I’m here, subjecting myself to this brutal sense of orderly calm, because of Rewire, an annual festival that has been kicking off the European festival season since 2011. …
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