Life...

Life is like walking on sand… you step and yes you leave a mark…there might even be some people that admire the footprint you have left, they saw how you walked and wondered what the mark is like, they might even attempt to copy you… you could have taken all the time in the world to make the footprint or it could’ve been done carelessly… you yourself can admire the footprint and think “wow this is a really good mark I’ve left”… it’s yours and it’s unique...it could last a day or two but there will be a wave or a high tide to come and take it away... so what matters? What really matters? It’s not the mark you leave… or how long this mark will be noticed or by who… but it’s that walk you took… Did you take it alone? Did you step off the sand and take a swim? Was it a happy, fulfilling walk or was it guided by ideas and people who thought they knew what was best for you? Did you fight the good fight of love and of seeing what keeps you feeling alive?

Take a second and make your dreams come true… find the deepness and purity of love.

update

It’s been a while since I have put my thoughts in words. Let me tell you what’s been going on in Mocimboa da Praia for the last couple months. There are some projects that have begun coordinated by me and what Peace Corps likes to call “the Mozambican counterpart.” One of my closest counterparts has been Sister (as in nun) Ana Maria. She’s been in Mocimboa for about 4 years and has also been given the duty of creating sustainable projects. She’s attempted projects such as building an oven for a group of women to make bread and have a source of income. My favorite thing she’s worked on is establishing seven preschools within the town to teach the basics of Portuguese. One of the schools is close to my home and I’ve taken advantage of its proximity and began to teach the children how to do Yoga! At first they thought I was crazy and some of the parents questioned my being there but that stopped after they saw how much the children enjoyed it. After working with her for a while we decided to develop a sewing project. The goal of this project is to make purses to sell. Since I arrived I’ve noticed that Mocimboa is slowly developing. It truly is a beautiful town, it’s on the coast, it’s the last stop before to Tanzania and it’s full of unexplored land and ocean. All of this has drawn a diverse group of individuals (Portuguese, Brazilian, South African, and French) to Mocimboa and has opened a door to tourism. This tourism can help or harm the “locals” and we (the sis and I) want to show some Mozambicans how to use this to their advantage. So, the target group of these purses is those tourists who just want to remember everywhere they’ve been. Ana Maria had the availability of the sewing machines and I bought some cloth and materials, we’ve talked to some local business to allow us to sell the purses at their posts. At this point they are in the process of beginning to make the purses after weeks of learning how to get the sewing just right. Thinking also about Mocimboa’s development I’ve decided it’d be a good idea to start giving community English classes. The students receive some classes at school but they rarely have a venue to practice speaking it. There are twenty lessons to English course and at this point I’m at lesson sixteen. The class began with about twenty students at this point there are five left. This could be for millions of reasons but I chose not to dwell on it and am grateful for those who’ve stuck around. I’ve never been a teacher before and it’s been such an awesome experience seeing the students “get it.” What I’m doing is developing a system in which they can continue teaching others within the community. The place where the classes are held is called the “Centro Oasis,” it’s a nice building central to the community and with plenty of rooms for various activities. The mission is to set up a library (since books are the food of the brain), teach English and give the opportunity of extracurricular activities to the youth in this community. You see, in third world countries there is nothing to do, literally, nothing. No movie theater, bowling, roller rink, karate, dance, sports… NOTHING. So when you are complaining about being bored because you “have nothing to do,” stop complaining and join a club, go watch a movie, or just walk since you have electricity all day and night. Anyway, so the youth in this town have nothing to do which leads to boredom, violence, and prostitution. This Oasis will give them an activity, a vision, or a mission to life. One of the most exciting projects has been creating a natural medicine clinic with some of the people in the association I’m working with. We’ve begun making creams that aid in skin fungi and various skin problems and rheumatism, arthritis and cramps. It’s been magical learning how much the earth has to give us. It’s saddened me that humanity has overlooked this magic to build cities that are only destroying the earth more and more. Everything you need to be healthy is grown so easily in nature. This is a passion I’ve discovered and am sure I’ll be working with for a long long time. The most recent development has been to develop a mural on an empty wall in the streets of Mocimboa. December 1st (international HIV/AIDS day) is next week and we’ve been working to organize all sorts of fun activities from the November 25th – December 1st. Pictures and more stories coming soon.

Poesia...

Enamorada...

Me he enamorado de los amaneceres que despiertan mi ser, mi calma, mi pasión…
El día nace y yo con él y como el soplar del viento me acuerdo que el tiempo existe y no existe, afecta y no afecta…
El sol con su calor engendrador me habla de la conexión entre tu, el, y yo…
Los delfines se aproximan y entienden mi deseo de ser libre y nadar, volar…
Vivimos y morimos para despertar, para ultrapasar la ilusión y soñar…

Los atardeceres me susurran sus lamentos y por un tiempo desaparezco y vuelvo a nacer…
La luna llena me garantiza la eternidad que existe dentro del nacimiento y la muerte…
He aprendido a crear lo que necesito, a armonizar mi existencia, a estar consciente…

Despierta...

Ya desperté y no me puedo dormir
Ese sueño me enloqueció y acabo con mi sentido de vivir
Ya no quiero más, no puedo más
Soñar sin volar, sin crecer
Ya no aguanto más la confusión
La coma interrumpible nos ha dejado ciegos, mudos, sordos
No existe nada más sin ella y por ella
Sonría sin estar feliz
Lloraba sin saber el sabor de una lágrima
Crecía sin evolución
Esa pesadilla me hizo bien
Porque sin ella este día el sol no naciera
La vida se ahogaría
Y el alma no existiría
Pero al despertar comparo lo bueno y malo
Rico y pobre, el decir y el hablar
Y me enseno lo permanente en ti y en mí

The frog...

There is a story about a frog that lived in a small pond. Because he had never gone anywhere else, the frog thought his pond was the whole world. Then one day a tortoise came to the pond and told the frog that he had come from the ocean. But the frog had never heard of an ocean and wondered if it were like his pond. "No," said the tortoise. "It is much bigger." "Three times bigger?" asked the frog. The tortoise kept trying to explain to the frog how big the ocean was, but the frog did not want to hear. Finally the frog fainted: it was so frightening even to try to think about such a place.

Moral of the story- keep an open, flexible mind so you don't faint from not being able to imagine the greatness that lies before you. A.K.A. Don't be this frog....believe in the ocean!!!

<3!

lo que aprendi...

En frente de tu belleza interior y exterior despierto para la esencia, los valores, las cualidades, lo infinito del AMOR… la pureza de tu ser me deja sin palabras de definir cuanto te admiro y me deja cada día mas enamorado.

La importancia de lo que he aprendido durante este ano que paso me llena de emoción porque me doy cuenta que aún hay mucho mas por aprender. Aprendí a nadar, a dejarme llevar por las olas del océano y confiar en mí misma al saber que no hay nada que me pueda lastimar. Aprendí a aceptar la muerte, sea física, mental, o espiritual. Al ver el número de personas que mueren por el HIV te hace reflectar sobre la realidad y falsedad de la muerte. Te ensena lo que nos hace humanos, mortales y físicos, pero también te ensena como permanecemos eternos y sin físico ningún que nos atrape. La muerte al igual que las olas del mar me ha ensenado a dejarme llevar por lo fluido que es la vida. He aprendido la importancia de las conexiones con otros seres, las amistades y la familia. He visto que riqueza no es algo que se define materialmente, la riqueza es aquella que llena tu espíritu, que te hace sentir y tocar el amor a cada paso de tu existencia, es la riqueza que solo se gana con interacciones, conversas, abrazos, sonrisas, y contacto humano, aspectos que no son suficientemente apreciados en países “desenvueltos.” Aprendí a tocar la guitara y con esto me di cuenta que mis sueños se harán realidad en el momento que yo decida. Aprendí que la dependencia es la enfermedad más perjudicial que existe, que los países desenvueltos causan más daño con el dinero y “ayuda” que dan, que cada país, persona, ser que es dependiente no necesita de cosas materiales, necesita de un abrir de ojos para darse cuenta que son capaces de cosas maravillosas, necesitan amarse a sí mismos y así acabar con el bajo auto-estima y el negativismo de la dependencia. Aprendí que necesitamos ir más despacio, que la velocidad del mundo desenvuelto nos hace perder mucho de lo bello que es la vida. Estamos a correr y ni sabemos porque, corremos a una meta que no fue decidida por nosotros y que posiblemente ni existe. Aprendí que la naturaleza nos da todo lo que necesitamos para vivir y que al destruirla como hemos estado haciendo durante décadas es un suicidio de nuestra humanidad. La naturaleza es tan inteligente que es capaz de darnos las vitaminas, los minerales, las medicina, y la protección que necesitamos pero hemos optado por cosas fabricadas y artificiales que nos causan cáncer y otras enfermedades que hasta nos dejan sin explicación. Aprendí la importancia del equilibrio mental, espiritual, y corporal, sin este equilibrio somos maquinas que se pueden trastornar en segundos. Aprendí como dar y recibir, para dejar que este ciclo en que vivimos continúe interrumpidamente. Finalmente, aprendí que no hay culpables en esta vida, que la responsabilidad y decisión de ser quien soy está hecha solamente por mi…
Mucha paz y <3

I dare you....

To burst your encapsulating bubble, to venture into the unknown with the unknown, to live, to experience, to LOVE, to laugh, to joke, to cry, to create, to make your dreams come true, to forget the past, to meditate, to believe in your eternal nature, to expand your mind every day, to travel, to enjoy, to KNOW THYSELF, to play, to purify your mind, body, and soul, to rep what you sow, to watch sunrises and sunsets, to read, to understand, to slow down, to be positive, to enhance your senses, to be at PEACE, to find your joy, to LIVE your joy, to stop pretending and role-playing, to build your life exactly how you want it, to stop judging, to appreciate, to caress, to take your shows off and feel nature, to hug and kiss, to miss, to SUCK THE MARROW OUT OF LIFE, to be still, to experience your eternal nature, to write, to paint, to dance, to know how much you are worth, to experiment with uncertainty, to explore, to help, to give yourself to life and to those who need of you, to stop blaming others (parents, siblings, religion, etc…) for what your life has become, to BE HAPPY but not just happy, ECSTATIC, about the magic of life, to know your deserve the best, to be healthy, wealthy and spiritually abundant, to express what you feel, to live the moment completely and move on, to forgive, to reflect, to be active, to be whole, I dare you to dare yourself to see life as the adventure and lesson it is, to learn, to grow, and to LET GO!

...

I have been reading about love. Love is a very curious subject. Deepak Chopra writes about the necessity of the mother’s touch from her child. There are actually come chemical processes necessary to live that are only activated by a loved one’s touch. It’s also commonly known that “love cures all.” Chopra also writes that the immune system is strengthened when we feel love. This is quite interesting because although these chemical processes have been registered we still don’t know what is it about love that causes our body to react that way. How is it that our brain registers and processes love? Maybe it’s not a thing of the mind at all, but something much greater and stronger that our brain is not able to “logically” process. As I live and experience love, I see it as the unity of the part with the whole. There are various ways to experience love; relationships, family, self-less acts of kindness, and the communion with nature. But what in us tells us that we have “fallen” for somebody? I’m not talking about a superficial love but one that surpasses the ego and enters the soul. There is a peace and communion felt that releases the self from any external drama or influence. There is no lust, anger, judgment, confusion… there is only being and a sense of eternal bliss. This same feeling can be felt through meditation, helping those in need, and positive human interactions. What is important is to act with love to experience a higher and more universal level of it. You know you are acting with love when you feel ecstatic about what you are doing. When your partner is perfect because you see the love you are acting within him/her. When you can speak with the trees, oceans, and skies... Love is very simple to experience once you have freed yourself from the clutches of the ego; all you have to do is follow what resonates with your heart. Living in Mozambique has allowed me to experience life at such a profound level. Human interaction and touch is not very frequent and displays of affection are rare. Thinking of the poor as those who lack love and not material possessions has led me to think more about the healing power of love. What “poor” societies need is not an industrial revolution but a revolution of love. At this point I might sound like a complete hippie but maybe I am and maybe if we all understood the power of love there would be no such thing as rich, poor, labels, disease, pain, conflict, or the common depression that surrounds us. There would only exist peace and love…

enteder...understanding

Ahora entiendo de los niveles que esta compuesta nuestra personalidad como seres humanos... Y tambien entiendo a los que me dijeron que el proceso de encontrarte doleria y me haria llorar. El proceso es uno que sientes que te descarapelan en vida. Comienzas con una emocion intensa porque te quieres encontrar y sabes que esto es lo mas importante que pudieras haber pensado en esta vida. Luego te comienzas a juzgar y dudas de tu belleza y tu eternidad, pero vez ese rayito de luz que nunca se apaga y lo sigues como un nino a su madre... lloras, reflexionas, lloras, callas, te daz cuenta, y por fin vuelves a llorar. Sonries porque sabes que no hay nada mas que dejar que la vida te deje llevar. Te emocionas al saber que el destino no es lo que importa si no como andas... como exploras... como el destino no importa sabes que no hay prisa y que nadie te puede juzgar.

Paz.Amor.Yoga

I know understand the levels that make up the human beings' personality...I also understand those who warned me that the process of finding yourself would hurt and make me cry. The process is one in which you feel you are being skinned alive. You begin with an intense excitement because you want to find yourself and you know this is the most important thing you could've thought about. Then you begin to judge yourself and you are doubtful about your beauty and eternity. But you see that little ray of light that never diminishes and you follow it like a child follows his mother... you cry, reflect, cry, sit still, realize, and finally cry one last time. You smile because you know there is nothing more to do than let life take you. You are excited at knowing that it is not the destiny that matters but the journey... the exploration... since the destiny does not matter you know there is no hurry or judgement.

Peace.Love.Yoga

...

Existe una eternidad en cada momento. Cada olor, sabor, sentimiento te recuerda de la importância de vivir ahora...de la importancia de olvidar el pasado y dejar que el futuro te encuentre a tu manera. Algun dia veras este instante y pensaras porque importo. O porque importa qualquier instante de nuestra vida si no es para llegar a este momento? Te veras cambiada pero solo por comparacion. En este momento eres tu; confundida, feliz o triste... eres tu. El pasado y el futuro no tienen nada que ver en este eterno y finito momento. Pero sacrificas la magia del momento por una confusion interminable y te olvidas que naciste para vivir y saborear... no para esperar y temer la muerte, si no un nuevo comencar. Con cada respirar reencarnas pero te crees existir y luchas por sobrevivir. Lo que fuiste no es lo que eres y mucho menos lo que seras. Tu principio y tu fin lo defines al igual que defines un sentimiento, juzgamento, ciencia, despertar, sufrir, o amar. La perspectiva te mata o te da vida pero cuando saboreas y vives el momento to existe y de todo te olvidas... asi es la intensidad del momento.

<3...

Inspiro...

Volveras como vuelve el sol y las estrellas...
Sonaras para olvidar la realidad...
Sentirar que la realidad es un sueno...
Jugaras con las ilusiones que te perturban
con un constante enfado...
Brincaras para no caer...
Lloraras para estar feliz...
Lucharas por tu paz...
Trabajaras para descansar...
Pero espero que
Te recordaras de tu eternidad
para olvidar tu mortalidad falsa
y asi amaras para finalmente VIVIR...

Porque sufrir?

No nos damos cuenta lo tanto que nos hacemos sufrir hasta que alguien lo nota en ti...y así tiene la valentía de decirte que no hay porque sufrir, que tu eres una belleza y te mereces todo lo que deseas en esta vida. La idea que tenemos que sufrir es algo que nos ensenan desde niñez, y no solo nuestros padres, pero toda la sociedad; la escuela, el trabajo, religión, etc... Todos nos dicen que para recibir lo que queremos tenemos que trabajar duramente, y, tenemos que sufrir. La verdad es que no hay a quien culpar, ya que todos formamos parte del ciclo vicioso de la sociedad, cultura, y costumbres que nos hacen creer que para ser felices primero tenemos que sufrir. Tenemos la capacidad de ser eterna y completamente felices pero esta idea que tenemos que sufrir nos hace dejar la felicidad para después... Y nos quedamos asi dejando nuestra felicidad para después. Durante la vida, alguien, en algún tiempo nos hizo creer que no merecemos las bellezas y riquezas que nos esperan en esta vida, y así crecemos... con una mentalidad errada qué nos impide ser felices, que para mi, es lo e mas importa en esta vida. Nos decimos, voy a ser feliz pero primero estudio, voy a ser feliz pero primero encuentro con quien casarme, voy a ser feliz pero necesito un trabajo que paga bien, voy a ser feliz... y es algo que se queda en nuestro mañana y así no dejamos que haga parte de nuestro presente. Esto pasa y así lo que fue una realidad de felicidad se convierte en una idea y después en una simple ilusión. Entonces porque sufrir? Yo ya no tengo idea porque... no creo en el sufrimiento y lucho para mantener la realidad de la vida viva!

AMOR... Un poco de espanol para los que lo pidieron...

Hablemos del amor. Hablemos de la magia que contiene y el cambio que constante y eternamente esta haciendo. Todos sentimos, somos, y experimentamos el amor en nuestro día a día. El amor no es algo que nunca cambia... no es algo que solo se expresa de una manera. Nuestra esencia es amor, un árbol es amor, la risa de un bebe es amor, el beso de un amante es amor. Siento que estoy eternamente enamorada; de mi misma, la naturaleza las emociones, y la vida entera. El otro día una señora me pregunto porque medito; es una buena pregunta y algo que nunca me había preguntado. Al responder solo deje que las palabras salieran, sin pensar, después me escuche decir que medito porque es la manera por la cual yo siento el amor. Le dije que yo ya vi como la mente se mete en el camino de nuestra felicidad cuando pensamos en como podemos experienciar el amor. pensamos que el amor es algo externo, algo material, pero el amor nos es nada mas que esa esencia que nos hace llorar, reír, sentir... le dije que medito porque cuando medito hago que mi mente se calle y deje a mi amor expresarse y salir de esa cárcel ilusionaría. Quando comenzamos a explorar el amor nos damos cuenta o eterno que es. Los "famosos" siempre hablan del amor; cantores, filósofos, sienititas, religiosos, etc... todos hablan del amor, solo que unos lo llaman amor, otros energía, otros Dios, en fin cada quien lo define a su manera. El amor siempre fue y siempre será y aunque las palabras y modo de expresarlo son diferentes, la esencia es la misma... es el amor! Los "famosos" son famosos porque explican lo que ya sabemos y hemos sentido por toda la eternidad. No es que descubran algo nuevo, simplemente se trata de expresarse de acuerdo con el tiempo y espacio en que vivimos. Dedico esta bendición al amor que esta a espera de ser descubierto, el amor que nos une como el rió al mar...
Amor y Paz

Sex...

I have begun to conduct a sort of research on sex. The question differs but it always points back to why does the human race suffer from an uncontrolled desire of sex? I’ve asked various people this question and there have been some that said I can’t find the answer… The fact is that this uncontrolled desire is very simple to analyze. Going to sleep one night I heard a child crying… more like bawling. After further listening to him cry I thought of how this child is going to grow up. Whenever he does something “wrong” he is hit. He will quickly realize that all he is is trouble and will begin to lose his self-love. The physical pains will develop into emotional pains and further into self-inflicted physical/emotional etc. pains. However, deep down inside the silence of his heart lies the desire for love. But how can he recognize it if he has never felt it? The unfaithful, the addicts, the peace-breakers, etc of the world are on this blind-folded chase for “love.” If they knew that love is what lies within each and every one of us and is not something we need to go chasing after… if they knew this then we’d see a world of peace. Sex becomes an uncontrolled desire because it is EVRYWHERE, also because the media that puts it everywhere has made sure to link sex to love, sex=love they say. So for this person who grows up not knowing love, society will take care to answer the question of “What is love and where can I find it?” Those who do not know love will seek it where it cannot be found; this search will be constant and confusing since those who lead it are also blind and confused. The organization I am working does a variety of activities; debates, plays, speeches, etc. which deals with HIV/AIDS awareness. In one of the debates I participated I wished to explore this question with the board of education. We analyzed the rapid increase of HIV in the world and one of the participants said that people “get-around” too much so I asked why is it so difficult for people to be faithful or to simply not have sex? They didn’t know what to say and simply ended up blaming the opposite sex. The confusion the world lives in is so palpable I could have reached out and grabbed it, but then they wouldn’t grow. The wings’ weakness would kill the butterfly, so it’s best left in the cocoon.
With this I would just like to point out the importance of love…self-love. We have all grown up with these physical and emotional hurts tat make us doubt ourSELF, but we just have to remember the purity and love that lies within.

The idea of poverty

There is something that has been bothering me lately. It’s this whole idea of aid to under-developed countries… first of all, the question is what does under-developed even mean? Do we mean we are helping a physically/economically under-developed country when there is a greater need to develop spiritually? It seems that spirituality is at the bottom of the developed nations´ priority lists. This idea of aid has gone completely insane. I don’t know who had the idea of giving people money and things. I can personally say that donations are not helping the people in Africa. I will not generalize but I will specify. What I have seen when it comes to NGOs, is that all the money that is being put into these organization is not reaching the intended communities and individuals. The millions of dollars are slowly thinned out until there is little to nothing left. The thinning out process occurs in the various NGO offices that this money must pass through. The organizations that do reach the community are causing trouble as well. They come and are with a specific community for some amount of time; they give them things, services and resources that they would otherwise be without. When they leave, these things, services, and resources also leave. All the community is left with is the idea that “white people” give things. I cannot even begin to count the times I have been asked for money by children, ladies, neighbours, and even colleagues. What good are the donations doing? Honestly? When there exists a dependency, not just of money but of any-thing, both parties are in a lose-lose situation, if it were a win-win situation than we would call this collaboration not a dependency. The dependency the “white” people have caused for the majority of Africa and other under-developed nations is making the under-developed nations think that they need these “things” to become a developed nation. This observation also shows the harm it has already caused the “developed” nation. A nation that thinks that things are what develop others; because what is a nation is not a group of others? There is a need to surpass dependency and move towards collaboration. With this a world in which poverty is non-existent will be discovered, because until now it is under-cover. Both parties will develop because both parties will give of their riches and realize the illusion of poverty that has engulfed us all for far too long.

Seeds

“In his view the earth is all equally cultivated like a garden. Therefore we should receive the benefit of his light and heat with a corresponding trust and magnanimity” Thoreau

The past week I occupied myself with planting a garden in my backyard, since it´s almost summer in Moz the timing is perfect. I never thought I would become as interested in gardening as I am, but now I continue to see the importance of it. Gardening is the essence of all life but the current method will make of it an extinct art if it isn´t improved. The soil can be used and reused but it isn´t. the training we had about gardening through Peace Corps showed me how important it is to prepare the soil before any seed enters it. I usually wake up, do yoga and go swimming, however, the past week I postponed swimming so I could finish the soil preparation. The resources I used to plant are “double-digging,” and a book called “How to Grow More Vegetables.” There is also info on growbiointensive.org.
It makes sense to prepare the soil so thoroughly before planting, the seed needs rooms to grow and develop to its potential. It also makes sense to perform a thorough preparation of the self before attempting to bring any other being to this world. It´s this lack of preparation that has created so many bad seeds in our history. Parents do not have a prepared bodymind (spiritual, physical, psychological, and emotional self). I am not only referring to those historical bad seeds, but also to those bad seeds that are among us. The self-haters and disturbances of the peace. Bad seeds is not meant as a judgement but a metaphor to the importance of the preparation of the soil. All the “bad seeds” have as their core the lack of preparation by the previous generation that birthed it.
There is a quote I love that I make reference to a lot, “Leave the busy commotion of the mind, and abandon the desires of the ego, and enter into the silence of the heart” This lead me to think about HIV and how it´s related to the essence of a human being. The #1 form of transmission of HIV is through sex. In 1980, when it was first “discovered”, there were 100,000ppl with HIV as of 2004 the number has risen to 39,000,000!! At the rate it´s increasing it could destroy humanity. But why has it managed to be so deadly? I believe it´s because of an irrational obsession with sex; just look at the media that we are viewing daily…because of this busy commotion of the mind and desires of the ego. HIV has physically and metaphorically entered the self in disguise and has slowly taken over the cells to remove their immunity. I mean physically because this is what it does to the cells but metaphorically because sex is part of our survival as humanity. When there exists a dis-ease that enters the core of our existence, there is nothing left for us to do but evolve to a higher consciousness. As I see it HIV is the physical manifestation of this busy commotion and the only true cure I envision is the peace that arises from entering into the silence of the heart, this is how we must evolve

Solitude

Have I mentioned that I live alone? I have never lived alone like I do now, but I have really begun to appreciate myself in this solitude. There is also no electricity; and now I wonder why I ever needed it. When I tell people that I live alone they often ask why. You see… here if you are “white” a.k.a. mazungo you are expected to 1) have an empregada (maid) and 2) hire a guard. Well… I got a cat (Mdogo is his name means tiny in Swahili). Beyond asking why I am alone, “they” also ask what do I do with my alone time. Reflecting on this I wonder what they do when they are alone or not. The comments made to my being alone are that I am going to have too much time to think and that often those thoughts will be negative. Well little do they know I meditate and this allows me to not have ANY sort of thoughts come across my mind.
I have been reading Mr. Thoreau and he writes about solitude. To not write his entire reflection on it I´ll just mention some of it, this is from Walden; “To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. A man thinking or working is always alone, let him be where he will. Solitude is not measured by the miles of space that intervene between a man and his fellows.”
So why this fear of being alone? Where did it come from? Are we alas, they, scared of looking within and realizing all they have oppressed or all which they are hiding? If they don’t know themselves then whom will they ever know? So, yes I am alone (well with a cat) in Africa and I am really getting to know who I am. But it’s not necessary to travel to Africa to reflect on yourself. This can be done in the solitude of your desk, or car, bed… Or maybe even in the solitude of a bar, or church, or home, when there are others around us but not entirely with us.
As I write this a storm has begun… there is nobody on the streets and Mdogo has run to hiding. As the rain falls and I sit alone at my door watching, I can’t help but realize how much of a companion nature truly is. The abundance and community we share with nature is too obvious to ignore. It is this rain that will feed the crops that will serve to serve us. The point is that we really are connected to nature and to everything/everyone around us, and in this we realize that it is simply not possible for humans to be alone. Men are constantly planning strategies for how to defeat nature what is not realized is that in defeating nature we defeat the self.
Among other observations in nature I have learned to love watching animals. My favourite so far are goats. Goats are actually really smart… they leave their “home” in the morning and go in search for food, they then later know the way back home and return at the end of the day. However, they employ a “no-goat left behind” strategy in which the mother will cry out for nay of the lost goats. Those that are lost will in turn call back to the mother goat. I think this is the reason we pray and meditate. So many are lost and “God” knows this, the calls are being sent out but not all are calling back. All God really wants is for us to come “Home.” After reading about enlightenment/nirvana/heaven, name it what you will… this is all we need to do, we need to awaken to the calls of our mother and let her know that we are on our way, so we can be guided Home.