WHO ARE YOU?
STA is not an organisation or some weird cult. It doesn't have a membership or want your money. What can we say? Gareth produced most of the content; Bea produced some of it and did the website. One of us lives in London, one in Wales.... Biography isn't really relevant.
WHAT DOES 'STA' MEAN?
The name STA comes from a Biblical quote Sta et considera miracula Dei (‘Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God’) but it is not religious – ‘the wondrous works of nature’ would do just as well. The important thing is to recognise the reality of those ‘wondrous works’, whether they are divinely inspired or the random actions of particles.
By ‘standing still’ we mean forgetting preconceptions and looking squarely at the world. By ‘considering’ we mean relating with all our attributes – physical, emotional, instinctual as well as intellectual.
WHY IS THE SITE SO SLOW?
Because this is all about standing still and considering. Speed and slickness miss the point.
WHY ARE THERE PICTURES OF LICHEN EVERYWHERE?
Lichen are partnerships between fungi, algae, yeasts and bacteria, proof that co-operation is at least as important as competition in nature. They live slowly, without aggression or exploitation, and they're beautiful, so they seem like perfect 'poster-creatures' for STA!
WHAT'S NEXT?
STA’s ideas are worked out much more fully in the book STA, which tries to mirror the rich connectedness of nature with allusions and digressions, pictures and jokes, always inclusive because nature excludes nothing real. This is serialised in weekly chapters here.
Gareth has also written a book of essays Do Not Call the Tortoise which serve as an introduction to STA.
He would also recommend these few books and films that 'stop and consider' in some way. These are not works that TELL you things, but that look at the world and wonder, unafraid of innocence. But they're very personal recommendations, and you may not share his taste. Why should you?
But you don't need to listen to anyone else's opinions (including ours). Stand still and consider for yourself. STA