Sunday, July 06, 2008

within the chaos inside


Sunrise in Schwaebisch Hall Bahnhof

A question of identity, memory and faith


I've spent 2 months back in Australia now, and still trying to adjust to the sense of having my thoughts to being here. Actually, just having the sense of anchoring myself to a place during the travels of the last 3 years has been a new experience that is both exciting and at the same time like cutting yourself from who you were originally, painful and lonely.

It is this sense of belonging that I feel for me; brings meaning to place, the people and your thoughts. What if you don't feel you belong to your past anymore?

That you have been so used to change, adaption, of strangeness, of discovery, knowing that you are a temporary moment that leaves a ripple in the sand, only to be washed away with the coming tide of change.

What if we could replace our memories selectively? because who we are at this very moment comes from the recollection of who we were yesterday, the day before..... ten years ago.

To a degree, this retrieval of identity is circumspect, as who can really say that their recollection of the past is infallible? So in a sense the Buddhist/Zen belief that we are walking around in disreality starts to gain traction. The world we create, contributed by past memories is but one perspective coloured by emotion, exaggeration, and ego amongst things.

So where is the real you hiding?

Random thoughts I had whilst walking my dog Yasmin...

Rules of the simple life

It's not "me me me me" it's "what about you?"
It's not "buy buy buy" it's "I have enough.."
It's not "what's next..." it's "savouring the moment..."

1 comment:

Mario said...

Looking and thinking of a place where you belong is not good, because there is not such location.
I believe that we are part of the society and feel good around our beloved - friends, family and positive people. There is no place like home - like one poet said: "Your treasure is where your heart is" - and you may feel like at home anywhere - it's a feeling - friendly, peaceful, calm and secure. Possible to find around family but also around total strangers on the other side of the world.

We are built on our past - adventures, people who we met, things we've done, places we've been... however it is NOW the most important if we meet new people - because they judge us currently not based on our past, therefore people change constantly if they want... :)

...what you experienced here in Europe is part of your identity... :)

take care my friend!