Editor’s Note | By Bret Bradigan

Ojai — America’s Sils Maria

For years Friedrich Nietzsche lived in Sils Maria, the Swiss spa town famed for its grand vistas. It was where he did much of his best work, powerfully changing the philosophical discourse for generations to come. He was way ahead of his time, in ways both good (humanism) and bad (fascist strongmen). It’s likely no philosopher has been more misquoted and misunderstood.

He hiked a lot, putting his restless energy into vigorous climbs into the Alps. A favorite quote of his goes, “Only thoughts which come from walking have any value.”

It reminds me of Ojai, where we are justly famed for our creative pursuits and output. What town of 8,000 residents has a higher proportion of musicians, writers, poets, thinkers, artists, dreamers and doers? None I can think of.

I would argue that a lot of this tremendous output is due to our natural surroundings, the beauty of our own grand vistas from the Topa Topa Bluffs to the Channel Islands, where we can balance our interior with our exterior lives in a harmonious whole. We hike a lot in Ojai, as well we should with so many trails radiating outward into our backcountry like spokes on a rippled, chaparral-clad wheel.

It’s a big part of our mission at Ojai Monthly, Ojai Quarterly & Ojai Hub to reflect this inspiring lifestyle.

The January issue of Ojai Monthly, out next week, is the example at hand. Ilona Saari casts her characteristically wry look at chef and author Emily Burson. Her Beatrice Wood-inspired chocolate collaboration with Porch gals Heather Stobo and Lisa Casoni brings together several strands of Ojai life — food, fun and art — key components of a life well-lived. Lola Haag’s show at the burgeoning Underground Exchange on January 25 showcases a vocal artist at her prime, one whose listeners include Barbra Streisand. And Leslie Lippincott Hidley’s tribute to friendship in her My Garden column brings together the virtues and values of a community, where small acts of kindness add up to the majesty of sentiment and grace.

All this happens in our little town. Perhaps the most enduring holiday lesson of all is to slow down and reflect on our blessings with gratitude. What better place to do that than in nature?

Nietzsche, suffering from mental disturbances his whole life, found what little peace he could find for his brilliant mind on those long hikes into the Alps. He reportedly went mad in 1889 after he witnessed a drover beating a horse on the street of Turin, and threw his arms around the horse, wailing in anguish.

The philosopher was quickly shepherded away to his home by his friend and landlord, David Fino. You could say Nietzsche suffered from an excess of empathy.

The philosopher was once been believed to have suffered from late-stage syphilis, but medical opinion now points to a slow-growing tumor. Syphilitics are lucky to live two years after severe symptoms begin to manifest; Nietzsche lived another 11 years – in anguish.

But we don’t have to be suffering artists or thinkers to enjoy the same solace that Nietzsche found on his long hikes. We only have to step outdoors. As we fully enter the holiday season, let’s take a moment to be grateful for the astonishing natural beauty that surrounds us. It’s the backdrop for all the artistry we create as a community.