View Full Version : The Impermanence of All Things
Bill Ryan
20th February 2016, 17:59
.
Dear Friends:
Here’s an interesting little tale, that got me thinking quite a lot about a whole bunch of stuff.
The story starts with a small adventure here in Ecuador.
Last weekend, I went off with a couple of friends to explore a very remote area, in the middle of nowhere at about 12,000 ft (3700m), to investigate the rumors of some Inca ruins there.
Indiana Jones style, all we had to go on was a roughly sketched map, made by a local who’d been there 20 years earlier, and who’d drawn it from vague memory.
http://projectavalon.net/Inca_ruins_map.jpg
The area looked like this... wild, stark, and extremely isolated.
http://projectavalon.net/Inca_ruins_valley_collage.jpg
We enjoyed the trip hugely, explored all over the place, camped out under some large boulders, and saw the unmistakable signs of puma all around (that’s mountain lion, to Americans and Canadians). Mara the dog, who was with us, growled at things unseen from time to time, but we humans of course could detect absolutely nothing.
:)
http://projectavalon.net/Puma_scat.jpg
Puma scat... we saw it everywhere. All these specimens are about 6" (15 cm) long.
~~~~~
We succeeded in finding the ruins. But no magnificent lost city here... just a few very ancient hut circles, all that remained of a small group of even smaller buildings. It was a tiny settlement... maybe 1000-1500 years old. There was practically nothing left of them.
http://projectavalon.net/Inca_ruins_collage.jpg
Nevertheless, it was pretty interesting. Who were these people? How did they live? Was this an established village, or just a temporary place to stay while traversing the high mountains? What were their dreams and aspirations? What became of them? As spiritual beings, where are they now?
Did they ever imagine that we — strangely dressed, pale-skinned, time travelers from an unimagined, advanced future — would ever be gazing on the remains of their houses, and asking these questions? And then magically communicating pictures of the what was left of their homes to others across the globe, to you, reading this?
~~~~~
We honored these distant people, and on the second day made our way back to the trailhead, climbing back out some 2,000 ft from the valley back to where we'd started from. My friends waited a few hundred yards away, while I left my backpack well-hidden near the road as I walked half a mile to where I’d parked my vehicle.
I returned 45 mins later... to find my backpack had gone.
I could not believe it. It’d been stolen. Someone with extremely sharp eyes must have spotted it from a passing car, and just stopped for a moment and grabbed it.
It didn’t contain anything I couldn’t replace with maybe $400 or so. But my mourning was for the loss of the backpack itself, which had accompanied me all over the world on many an adventure and more, for nearly 20 years. It was like my kid brother, and always came with me. We were very close, the greatest of friends. This old photo from 1998:
http://projectavalon.net/Bill_Ryan_Charlotte_Dome_1998_sm.jpg
The Impermanence of All Things.
Inca settlements, entire cultures, the people we love, the things we own. Even our own physical bodies. Nothing stays or lasts forever. Everything is transient. The only things that DO last forever are those which are intangible and invisible.
We frail humans always try to hang on. We hang on to everything we want never to go away, never to be without. But it’s all futile and hopeless. We kid ourselves, we collect our stuff, we collect our people, we never, ever, really want to let go of anything or anyone.
But in the end, we always must.
I felt the Incas (and the backpack thief) taught me quite a lesson last weekend. From Shelley, the great English poet:
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
http://ratherbeanerd.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/ozymandias.jpg
Caliban
20th February 2016, 18:29
Bill, when are you going to write (or publish) a book? I don't care what category -- autobiography, memoir, adventure tale, whichever.... We know you have a lot to tell -- stuff that doesn't work in a post or video -- stories, insights, wisdom, fit for words, bound by covers, the ancient way... a book.
Sure, everything is evanescent but like Shelley, it would be nice to have your words to amuse and guide present and future humanity.
Limor Wolf
20th February 2016, 18:33
Thank you very much, Bill, so beautifully expressed and told, it made me shed a tear
The backpack and the memories, civilizations that come and go - an inevitability, or the way of a world that is not feeling well..
it’s all futile and hopeless
We hang on to everything we want never to go away... But in the end, we always must.
Must we..
Shedding some baggage, replacing a few, saying goodbye to the old, saying Hello to the new ~
*penumbra
20th February 2016, 18:56
The only thing you can depend on is change....you are so right Mr. Ryan. I recently let go of an entire household of 'things' collected over a lifetime or two. It hurt.
lunaflare
20th February 2016, 19:17
Thanks for the tale, Bill.
The backpack; a metaphor for how little we need on our pilgrimage through this world.
And then when this is gone?!
Your mini adventure carried enough signatures of intrigue and mystery to softly hint to me- the reader-that perhaps, perhaps... your backpack was not stolen after all.
One will never truly know.
And reassuring there are no 24/7surveillance cameras in certain parts of the world...
Becky
20th February 2016, 19:18
Lovely story and adventure, beautifully illustrated with pictures.....and I did laugh and think 'What the.....why has he taken loads of pictures of poo?' until I read your story through!
I'm sorry for your backpack loss - these things are a real loss, but in your true shamanic style you've understood the ways of the wyrd meaning and lesson behind the theft, and that in itself is a true gift.
I also sincerely hope that you get to write and publish your memoirs.
wnlight
20th February 2016, 19:26
The only remains of my backpack of twenty-some years was a puddle of melted aluminium on the garage floor after the house was struck by lightening in 2007 and burned down. That was the end of my hiking days - so far.
Bill, don't let your loss stop you.
http://www.neun.com/bio/images/rockjumble.jpg
(Warren, Hermit's Trail, Grand Canyon, 1979)
Limor Wolf
20th February 2016, 20:06
Originally posted by Caliban : "We know you have a lot to tell -- the ancient way... a book."
Originally posted by Becky : "I also sincerely hope that you get to write and publish your memoirs."
But, the most important thing has not yet happened
Let not the hiker in the trail think that it came to an end
When the destination he once foresee
That has to do with setting the mother free
Is still there, not only for the one but also for the other
When the forgetfulness cloud will clear
Then they will all gather ~
avid
20th February 2016, 20:26
Ozymandias - one of my favourite 'experiences' in my education. Still true today....
Thank you Bill for these wonderful expeditions, and wee Mara's amazing excursions. Hopefully your backpack will miraculously be found someday soon, but meanwhile we have learned loads. At least you found memories of those long-gone. Never give up - much love to yourself and the brave Mara
Eric J (Viking)
20th February 2016, 20:31
This is brilliant Bill....
Inca settlements, entire cultures, the people we love, the things we own. Even our own physical bodies. Nothing stays or lasts forever. Everything is transient. The only things that DO last forever are those which are intangible and invisible.
We frail humans always try to hang on. We hang on to everything we want never to go away, never to be without. But it’s all futile and hopeless. We kid ourselves, we collect our stuff, we collect our people, we never, ever, really want to let go of anything or anyone.
But in the end, we always must.
Viking
Moda
20th February 2016, 20:46
When things like this happen, it will only remind you that these external things have no real value at all, you wake up the next morning, resizing that the most important of all things are not the belongings we tend to hold on to, i.e external possessions, but the inner knowing that nothing has no value greater then the wonders of truth and the universe its self.
Cheers Bill,
regnak
20th February 2016, 20:51
I once explored the ruins of a ancient Mayan city I bought a tour book for five dollars I gave the guy 20 dollars I still waiting for my change :cash:
Hym
20th February 2016, 20:55
Always leaving the Heart Open....
In Fung Shway the operating term is to always leave the middle of a room, in a compound, in a piece of property open...This is the way of the Heart.
Living in the permanence of the forever now, Open and Adroit to the pulse that arrives before any body does, the heart beats that we remember from the joys we have shared. Finding the permanent truths that live beyond the living experienced while we are alive, we must find these things that become the love that we are. When these things love us they cannot be forgotten. They are as much of our many journeys as the time, the place, the lessons learned all are.
I have felt the pains that draw the fiber away from the gross being and I understand this, accepting it as a necessary condition to bind myself only with those things of permanence. They hurt because they are not who I choose to be. The lessons I've learned are shared to prevent others from the same pains. I am remembered for this too, as are many here.
The mere existence in a limited space makes the choice for me. In order to find the forever I have to both enjoy and reject the condition at the same time and I can do this only when I leave the judgement behind. Often I find it harder to get people to talk the walk than to walk the talk, because they don't listen to their own thoughts and hear their own words, all which should be affirmative, accepting and encouraging, by you, for you. This so you may join others in this walk of souls, this dance of the spirit meant to be done together.
When we find the sweetness in life we carry it with us throughout time. Is it a choice when the sweetness is gone and alzheimer's is the companion, in a world at times gone sour, grasping for the diabetic to heal it's heart's wounds? They say it's a condition of plaque in the brain, but this is not true. This is not the cause concerning matters of the heart, channels thinned by the echoes of loss and clogged with the excess of self-medication. It's another type we should call Type 3, the condition of a heart that should not be. A life, like all life, healed by the vibrance of love is all I see.
zen deik
20th February 2016, 22:03
Passing like ships in the night..... Thanks for sharing....
Agape
20th February 2016, 22:30
I would but love to be there : so much space and freedom...
endless views and sea of tranquility
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/Aikatwo/IMG_0389_1.jpg (http://s61.photobucket.com/user/Aikatwo/media/IMG_0389_1.jpg.html)
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/Aikatwo/IMG_0298.jpg (http://s61.photobucket.com/user/Aikatwo/media/IMG_0298.jpg.html)
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/Aikatwo/IMG_0301.jpg (http://s61.photobucket.com/user/Aikatwo/media/IMG_0301.jpg.html)
Chapter 10: The Opulence of the Absolute
TEXT 25
maharsinam bhrgur aham
giram asmy ekam aksaram
yajnanam japa-yajno 'smi
sthavaranam himalayah
Of the great sages I am Bhṛgu; of vibrations I am the transcendental om. Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa], and of immovable things I am the Himalayas.
http://asitis.com/10/25.html
Of all trees I am the holy fig tree, and amongst sages and demigods I am Nārada. Of the singers of the gods [Gandharvas] I am Citraratha, and among perfected beings I am the sage Kapila.
Of horses know Me to be Uccaiḥśravā, who rose out of the ocean, born of the elixir of immortality; of lordly elephants I am Airāvata, and among men I am the monarch.
Of weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am the surabhi, givers of abundant milk. Of procreators I am Kandarpa, the god of love, and of serpents I am Vāsuki, the chief.
Of the celestial Nāga snakes I am Ananta; of the aquatic deities I am Varuṇa. Of departed ancestors I am Aryamā, and among the dispensers of law I am Yama, lord of death.
Among the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlāda; among subduers I am time; among the beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuḍa, the feathered carrier of Viṣṇu.
Of purifiers I am the wind; of the wielders of weapons I am Rāma; of fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges.
Of all creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle, O Arjuna. Of all sciences I am the spiritual science of the Self, and among logicians I am the conclusive truth.
Of letters I am the letter A, and among compounds I am the dual word. I am also inexhaustable time, and of creators I am Brahmā, whose manifold faces turn everywhere.
I am all-devouring death, and I am the generator of all things yet to be. Among women I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, faithfulness and patience.
Of hymns I am the Bṛhat-sāma sung to the Lord Indra, and of poetry I am the Gāyatrī verse, sung daily by brāhmaṇas. Of months I am November and December, and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.
I am also the gambling of cheats, and of the splendid I am the splendor. I am victory, I am adventure, and I am the strength of the strong.
...
Our Ancestors were obviously many things , sometimes All in One ..
:cocktail::coffee::flower:
More photos and updates from me here : http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?87384-Dharamsala-Magic-Views---and-updates--
letspaly
20th February 2016, 22:53
this was super interesting :) did you just decide to go there one day and then did it?
prc
21st February 2016, 00:06
On a third world country, you cannot abandon your belongings, you need to keep an eye on it at all times, if you want to keep it.
Raven
21st February 2016, 01:22
somehow this thread is reminding me of this poem:
Worldslate
Sometimes do we all get together
and wipe the world slate clean,
(Goodbye Babylon and Atlantis),
and watch the moon touch
familiar vineyards for the final time,
say good-bye to all our edifices,
and stone flowerpots
on skyscraper windowsills,
wave farewell to statues
of public heroes in city parks,
feeling in our hearts
that what we’ve made
was spectacular but closed-ended,
with flaws suddenly
multiplied beyond control,
and that we needed
to clear our vision once again,
rip civilization down to the bone,
release the buried dreams
that our world was once based upon?
Do we sometimes know
what must be done,
with some ancient animal instinct
we’ve forgotten,
a need that rouses nature
to our command,
conjuring earthquakes and avalanches
to do the job for us, for we know
how our own hands would falter,
and at the last,
which one of us could destroy
a world so painstakingly made?
So in flash, old beliefs
and superstitions topple,
with all the structures
risen in their names,
old gods and temples,
arts and sciences
crumble and nature’s vast sweep
everywhere sweeps clean.
Then, ages, where our minds turn with the seasons,
contemplating more perfect visions,
till once again, our desires
turn into thoughts and begin
to spin new worlds.
(taken from “If We Live Again Or, Public Magic and Private Love” - a book of poetry by Jane Roberts)
Matina
21st February 2016, 01:28
A sweet and bitter little story.You look happy in these photos Bill,i wish the best to you
quiltinggrandma
21st February 2016, 02:06
Thank you bill ryan for sharing all the beauty.All of the responses are wonderful.
sandy
21st February 2016, 03:10
Dear Bill,
Thank you for sharing your adventure and insights. Sometimes it takes a loss to bring the real value of such to the HEART>>>> I love that your backpack was like your "Little Brother", a long time companion. The memories will forever flood and flash when someone says my "Little Brother" all because you gave feeling and words to the emptiness felt..........and in that You gained a whole lot of Appreciation and Love, even if it was inanimate object, it was filled with memories of Companionship, Loyalty, Passion and LOVE. :heart:
swoods_blue
21st February 2016, 03:33
Three days ago, I was thinking, "Odd that Bill hasn't started any threads in 2016. I wish he would."
What a nice surprise to read your post.
I used to be bothered when I lost something (I can be quite scatterbrained), or when something that had given good service wore out. Now, if a good search doesn't turn up the missing item or if something broken can't be mended, I just shrug, and try not to dwell on it.
You never know; Sometimes, something misplaced decides to turn up again, and then it's such a pleasant surprise. :-)
sigma6
21st February 2016, 03:47
Great share Bill, that land looks so beautiful... I would love to live in a place like that... awesome... the wide open spaces... and I have an old Mountain Co-op knapsack... I think it must be at least 20 years old, and it still works, I replaced the big zipper on it, and will have to do it again soon, but I really loved it when I found out it was just big enough to hold a 24 of beers!... lol... (haven't bought a "2-4" in years ... yeachhhh... not my cup of tea anymore... it used to blue, but it is sun faded to a light purple now... $400 of stuff is still a lot!... I like your state of mind... profound spirit... that must come with the expansive environment that you now inhabit... and quite intriguing little mystery too... that someone could just come along and steal it like that... best of luck and thanks for the wonderful story... and here is a poem it reminded me of... (or soliloquy?)
Prospero:
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
The Tempest Act 4, scene 1, 148–158
Ernie Nemeth
21st February 2016, 08:55
It could have been worse - it could have been your hat!
Great story Bill. Beautiful Pics
kirolak
21st February 2016, 10:12
Thank you for sharing with us, Bill! What a paradise you live in (along with All Sorts of others, clearly!) So sorry about your bag, but perhaps the Universe will give you something else in exchange. . . . it's always a shock to one when there's irrefutable evidence that all existence is in flux - even knowing this intellectually, some things a re still gut-wrenching.
mojo
21st February 2016, 21:53
Hi Bill,
Have you spotted any UFOs since being there in Ecuador? I would think the opportunity would be greater in a Country that promotes open disclosure. Cheers
ljwheat
22nd February 2016, 04:27
Thanks Bill, I find it increasingly difficult to play the game of human existence sourly based on the mental food we all have been fed since we birthed on this planet.. I am glad you have had fare more chances to step into the shoe's of those who have once lived on this planet at a before us. To reflect on this, is so important , as 20 thousand years from our existence will be looked upon in a similar fashion, what will be different, will they call us the ancient one that have gone before as we have been taught as well..
Or will we wake up to the reality or the technology lie that all that has passed is ancient? Or will we finally wake up to the fact that we have always been, that time, history is morally just a story told to control the people of this planet at this moment .. for all moments are as this one. ..were we are at, in this moment? The book call Forbidden Archaeology the origins of men has so vividly pointed out. 800 million years ago we lived, awareness hasn't changed only technology has, and that has the right to lead our thinking? We have always been .... but just trapped in this tech thinking bubble.. and what are we doing to let those 20 thousand years from now know, we are not ancients as we do pointing at our ancient past in stone or foundations that will not stand up to the riggers of time or nature... or is this the way we get away from eternal board-om, saying i was never before and i am It ALL now..
When we had to move here to earth from Mars because of a war that destroyed the planet next to us, that blew away our atmosphere and had to start all over again from scratch yet again.. and should war come again that only a remnant of what we are today lives on, what will they see of our remains, . How do we put this in words for those around us, that in a true sense still believe the world is still flat. ? The controller think we cant handle the truth.. so they tell us stories and religion and burn and destroy history and write it as they see fit.. just saying..............
Raven
22nd February 2016, 07:04
two other poems that come to mind -
VIGILS
We dream in valleys
beyond sleep,
beyond touch or feel
our vigils keep.
And in winding dreams
soft spun and deep,
we bind as one
the love we keep.
POISE
You poise
on the pinnacle
of dream,
evanescent
as breath,
more fleeting
than mind turns
(swiftly, in its golden
socket like a globe).
Yet your precarious
balance
is more secure
than time.
(also taken from “If We Live Again Or, Public Magic and Private Love” - a book of poetry by Jane Roberts)
Daozen
22nd February 2016, 11:55
It's good to see someone just get up and go exploring. Inspiring photos, thanks.
Bee
22nd February 2016, 14:15
yes Bill, I totally agree with you: the letting of the most cherished things and people has to happen and it has to happen in an honouring and appreciative way ;) We all have to learn that lesson and it is very liberating to learn it indeed. I feel with you as I always fell very attached to good gear and useful things but also had to learn that these things are only partly part of my journey. And if things get 'lost' the way you experienced it I think 'may the one person that found it find happiness' :) thanks again for sharing, it was so lovely to read! :)
AriG
22nd February 2016, 15:58
Bill,
That was beautifully written and the sentiment so well expressed. I am in agreement with many others here who believe that a book would be very well received.
All that you gained in your travels that day; the irreplaceable memories, the time with friends, the opportunity to touch the past and reflect on the impermanence of it all. And then of course, the ransom for your experience- your beloved back pack. It is almost as though on some level, the burden of the pack was to great to bear, thus you left it, presumably well hidden. I can't help but wonder if on some psychic level, you left the pack as an offering, even if to the descendants of the Ancient ones in exchange for the trip or perhaps to purge the past.
The loss of things can be painful. Our home in the city was burglarized in July. The home is awaiting being placed on the market when the market recovers. Many valuables were stolen, but I still mourn the theft of my mother's sterling silver flatware. Not due to the monetary value, but the loss of the talisman of many celebrations and meals that were had with the silver. I can still recall the way the forks felt, resting against my thumb as I was tucking into some delicious homespun creation. I imagined she and my father (now deceased) picking out the pattern for their wedding registry and the witnesses to their union who gifted them the silver. So many welcomed hands had touched it and the intrusive hands that stole it only knew its monetary value. That is the pain of the thing.
I hope your backpack finds its way back to you. Perhaps you could put up a sign nearby stating that you just want the pack back?
Thank you for sharing your story. Looking forward to many, many more.
Chuck_M
22nd February 2016, 17:30
Hi Bill,
By coincidence, Laila sent me this Rumi poem today which made me think of you:
The Guest House
This being human is a guest-house
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture.
Still, treat each guest honourably,
he may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
Meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
Jalal al-Din Rumi
I miss those Ecuadorian hills. Reminds me of trips to Cajas when we were living in Cuenca.
All the best,
Chuck
Peace of Mind
22nd February 2016, 18:19
His-story likes to tell tales of fallen and rising empires. We like to imagine and write his-story...but how accurate is the script? All ancient artifacts scattered around the world seems to suggest that humans lived simple lives, lived off the land, and used simple technology (from what we can examine).
It’s hard to imagine that our time in history will end with our stories buried in ruins like the past civilizations were. I can’t foresee the statue of liberty crown sticking out from underneath water/land, I can’t see dilapidated skyscrapers or miles of wreck and abandoned cars. I just can’t see a future where humans are scavenging and/or excavating the past we live in today. That whole idea seems more like something you would see in a movie. The empires today are way too large/ too organized/ too advance in technology to just dwindle away…not without some extreme chaos. Today’s empires will have to be reformed/revamped if humanity is to survive another change in empires. Total destruction (this time around) will most likely be the end to humanity all together...as no one will be left to write anything.
If anyone/anything is going to observe/study our history as we studied past civilizations…I doubt it will be anytime soon or by any human that looks like we do today.
We will either take hold and foster on…or be annihilated completely… leaving the planet virtually unlivable for humans, and probably most other beings too.
If we don’t wise up…every historian in the future (human or alien) will be looking at our time as the most promising civilization… yet the most destructive. The amount of fossilized plastics, environmentally harmful and unconventional tech that will be unearthed will make our timeline look barbaric, irresponsible, naive, selfish, lacked guidance, lacked a sense of direction, respect, and perseverance.
I highly doubt the next “End Game” will reveal such beauty or mystery. It can only be dreadful, embarrassing, and easy to figure out why we failed. However, the future is not really written in “stone”. We as a collective can stop the downward spiral and continue to advance…or, we can stay divided and watch from the front row how our moment in history shames all the rest. Very interesting times we live in...
Peace
Pilgrim
22nd February 2016, 20:36
It could have been worse - it could have been your hat!
Great story Bill. Beautiful Pics
Ha ha :D, exactly, no you are talking. Bill, I could not stand that one... I guess that hat is more part of you than back pack (at least for us here).
Nice area for hiking btw. Those pics inspire one to come over and enjoy hike over there.
Thanks for sharing.
Pilgrim
pyrangello
22nd February 2016, 23:20
Spending so much time in the wilderness I have come to the realization that us as a people would be so much more dialed in to mother earth and ourself's if we just took the time to do what you did on this mini expedition Bill. Its a serenity within a serenity.And I suspect is why the Indians and tribes of all sects who respected their environment were so in tune with the earth and seasons as well such as the Hopi Indians among st others. That being said the loss of your backpack is indeed like an old friend. I remember leaving my fishing tackle box on the dock of the lake when I was 13 . All fishing lures old and new and what a collection ,taken on many fishing trips with a story to that box and its contents . Instead of someone turning it in , someone took it before I got back. That was 40 years ago and I still am bummed I never got it back . Not to keep it but to share for this lifetime until my time is up this go around, so we move on right.
I was really put to the test some 6 years ago when my vacation home in the woods burned to the ground. For 6 hours I watched it go up as the firefighters tried to contain it. All my sports memorabilia signed and old old pictures of the family, antiques, collections from Europe. A pacman machine my dad gave to me . Movies and all of the kitchen supplies my grandparents left me from their restaurant and a bar-back from their place in Detroit in the 20's and so much more. Basically my entire life and history went up in smoke and when midnight came around that night all the some 30 firefighters were gone, it was 20 degrees outside and everything was quiet and I was the only one left there that night to digest what I just had experienced. I remember looking at the stars and how beautiful they looked that night and even though I felt a void of what was lost I also knew that the memories would last forever and thus we start again only to make more. I have this picture of Father Solanus in front of me that quotes him saying " Mans Greatness lies in being faithful to the present moment ". And that is a constant reminder to me of whats really important . Thanks for the pics and the story .
Jules
23rd February 2016, 01:14
It is very beautiful where you are Even if I didn't discover a hidden treasure, it would not be a waste of time to visit there. My dad has a theory that the people disappeared because food ran out and they migrated to another location. It is still a mystery that the clues have not shown the truth. Some think they vibrated at a higher level and are in another dimension. i kind of like to imagine what happened. Humanity has a lot of issues right now due to activities that have been ongoing for a few thousand years patiently planning what we see today. Research Jay Parker and the agenda of the estabilishment that his parents were involved in, and it will answer some questions... It did for me anyway.
WildOrchid
24th February 2016, 03:19
What a great story, Bill. Thank you for sharing!
And those amazing alpine pictures....wow.... they made my heart sing!:girl_wacko:
Bill Ryan
24th February 2016, 14:52
.
Thanks to all for your most interesting, high quality comments. :star:
A couple of updates... which are also interesting.
First, I discovered (I hadn't known this) that Shelley's famous poem OZYMANDIAS was actually written in friendly competition with his fellow poet, Horace Smith (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Smith_%28poet%29). Smith published his own version of exactly the same theme a couple of weeks later, and it's not nearly as well-known.
In my opinion, it's also really wonderful... in some ways, even more poignant. At the sonnet's close, Smith muses on the thoughts of a future archaeologist looking over the ancient ruins of contemporary London.
And wow, that's very strong. "What powerful but unrecorded race... once dwelt in that annihilated place."
In Egypt's sandy silence, all alone,
Stands a gigantic Leg, which far off throws
The only shadow that the Desert knows:—
"I am great OZYMANDIAS," saith the stone,
"The King of Kings; this mighty City shows
"The wonders of my hand."— The City's gone,—
Nought but the Leg remaining to disclose
The site of this forgotten Babylon.
We wonder,—and some Hunter may express
Wonder like ours, when thro' the wilderness
Where London stood, holding the Wolf in chace,
He meets some fragment huge, and stops to guess
What powerful but unrecorded race
Once dwelt in that annihilated place.
~~~
From the sublime to the ridiculous (maybe! But this is also profound in a different way), it was suggested that I might be able to recall/reclaim all the little 'bits of me' that were embedded in the lost backpack.
So I did just that... I called them all back to me. And WOW, what a sudden change. (This little technique deserves a thread of its own.) It all immediately felt totally different, and I was really able to let it go, and not look back. The sense of loss just evaporated.
Almost immediately after that, I came across an advertisement, on a UK mountaineering forum, from a climber who had the same rucksack for sale — used, of course. He wanted $30 for it.
So I snapped it up. It'll go to a VERY good home. :)
Jules
25th February 2016, 01:17
I was joking with my niece that some things lost go into another dimension, like the twilight zone. Those in the next dimension like socks, that is why so many go missing.
WhiteFeather
26th February 2016, 14:05
Beautiful surroundings Bill. Thanks for sharing. And If I may, I visioned a bird of prey as the culprit here , taking off with your bag. The bird was most curious of this object you left unattended to. 😆
RunningDeer
26th February 2016, 16:06
Beautiful surroundings Bill. Thanks for sharing. And If I may, I visioned a bird of prey as the culprit here , taking off with your bag. The bird was most curious of this object you left unattended to. 😆
That hit the sweet spot as soon as I read it. Bill-essence mobil home gets passed along. Backpack journey's onward. Love it. :heart:
bettye198
1st March 2016, 18:36
What I admire about you Bill, is that you are the quintessential explorer of places, things, words, history and people. It is a trait many of us aspire to, as the spirit consciousness never is satiated. My understanding of a loss of something valuable is that the person who took it, needed it more.
And why I think it was someone who lived among the rocks? We think we are alone but we are not. Nature does bear witness to our tramplings. Did you find any evidence of quinoa plants? The Incas were adept at growing that in high cool altitudes. The seeds so colorful!
Thanks for bringing us along on your adventure. My intuition says you were standing on top of the ruins which may be below.
Garuji
2nd March 2016, 23:42
Hi Bill
This is my first entry on project Avalon.
How wonderfully put, attachment is blinding and causes a sense loss rather than an acceptance of the inevitable - impermanence. To say goodbye with a sense of gratitude for the growth that loss gave is an encouraging example
Many many thanks
Robert Baird
6th March 2016, 04:03
Dear Bill
Reminds me of getting off a bus in Belize and walking for less than a minute to find I had left my camera. I returned and the driver said he had not seen it. Kind of like being raped by someone you know and yet never knew at all. BTW got nose to nose with a black panther in a little zoo there - and saw lots of pumas too.
Anywho - back to the Incas. They were the elite overseers and not the local people. The white sun-gods like Quetzalcoatl, Virachocha, Xolotl and the Chachapoyas all make for interesting research into why I know Balabanova's forensics on Egyptian Mummies with cocaine from this region are fact.
You may have seen recent news about El Zotz - a new Mayan city. Zotz was the vampire god and his brooch on the Prince of Palenque found by archaeologist Ruiz to be a white man is part of my proofs. The DNA of Ainu is adding to it, and you probably know about the Sidhe or DNN I am developing proof of a connection with.
Kerry Cassidy
9th March 2016, 19:21
.
Dear Friends:
Here’s an interesting little tale, that got me thinking quite a lot about a whole bunch of stuff.
The story starts with a small adventure here in Ecuador.
*********
Bill,
Lovely story and pics!
Nice to see you are still enjoying being a mountain man.
Best wishes,
Kerry
Sierra
9th March 2016, 19:32
Hi Kerry!
Love that picture of you. :)
:focus:
Curious77
15th March 2016, 06:14
How was the water up there -- clean?
Dog has a beautiful coat -- was that in any way the result of washing in the water?
There don't seem to really be any trees?
Bill Ryan
15th March 2016, 11:39
How was the water up there -- clean?
Dog has a beautiful coat -- was that in any way the result of washing in the water?
There don't seem to really be any trees?
Water: very clean indeed! :star:
Trees: at 12-13,000 ft, quite a bit above the treeline.
Mara the Dog: fell in the river and was almost swept down the rapids (I missed the video, but here she is scrambling to get out. She would have been fine, but she was a little shocked :bigsmile: )
http://projectavalon.net/Mara_climbing_out_of_the_river.jpg
http://projectavalon.net/Mara_climbing_out_of_the_river_enlarged.jpg
Jean-Luc
16th March 2016, 08:17
Water: very clean indeed! :star:
Mara the Dog: fell in the river and was almost swept down the rapids (I missed the video, but here she is scrambling to get out. She would have been fine, but she was a little shocked :bigsmile: )
Here's the video of the event (with Bill's excellent Spanish proficiency):
http://www.vigli.org/Avalon/Milu.JPG
Source : Tintin en el Tibet / Tintin in Tibet / Tintin au Tibet (Hergé, Belgium, 1960)
:ROFL:
Bill Ryan
16th March 2016, 12:59
Water: very clean indeed! :star:
Mara the Dog: fell in the river and was almost swept down the rapids (I missed the video, but here she is scrambling to get out. She would have been fine, but she was a little shocked :bigsmile: )
Here's the video of the event (with Bill's excellent Spanish proficiency):
http://www.vigli.org/Avalon/Milu.JPG
Source : Tintin en el Tibet / Tintin in Tibet / Tintin au Tibet (Hergé, Belgium, 1960)
:ROFL:
That's hilarious... thank you!! :star:
Ted
16th March 2016, 18:27
In the early '80s I was working for a local TV station. Our news director was contacted by a guy named Gene Savoy about a doing a documentary on some of the ruins he found down in Peru. This was shortly after Indiana Jones came out and everyone was excited about that stuff.
He sent us down for a little adventure. I was doing the sound recording along with a camera man and a reporter. We spent two weeks in the mountains near Chachapoyas riding mules from site to site. Of course, none of the sites were excavated so all we saw were big walls and the round foundations of their buildings. No treasure hunting on this trip! We occasionally followed the old Inca road, which in many instances was built right over former dwellings as the foundations were incorporated into the road.
As you mentioned, I also found it curious that these people would build their sites on the tops of mountains. At one site I remember the closest running water was about 500 meters straight down the side of the mountain. Not the most convenient location if you needed to do the washing. It was certainly defensible against enemies, but I doubt that was the main reason they built there. Maybe they had helicopters. ;)
All the stone foundations we saw were round in shape. I assume the round style buildings were because of earthquakes (it's a seismic area). In fact, I was awakened one night to the barking of dogs and crowing of roosters right before a little temblor hit.
Anyway, didn't lose my backpack, only my common sense when I accepted an offer to try their homemade corn liqueur. Holy Toledo!
Antagenet
18th March 2016, 04:23
Perhaps some of the pumas had never seen humans before and were just out of your sight, but not theirs... all the time watching Ya'll with penetrating curiosity so that the minute an inanimate part of you was left behind, they rushed and snatched it, dragging to a sheltered place, their strange catch. Gleeful and Victorious.
Bill Ryan
18th June 2019, 15:59
:bump:
A tiny little anecdote below, and (maybe) an important reminder to us about some other things.
1)
Yesterday evening, I went for my regular evening hike with Mara my dog, the last little bit of which is crossing the local river, with my rubber boots on, to return to the house. It's only about 10 feet across, and there are natural stepping stones. Mara and I have quickly skipped across that many hundreds of times on our way home.
But this time, for the first time ever, I slipped and just crashed. I ended up soaked to the skin in two feet of water, but (astonishingly!) didn't hurt myself. I lost one of my trekking poles, which I failed to find. It must have been swept downstream.
What's unusual about this is that that never happens. Just never. I don't fall, trip, slip, or stumble. Just never, ever. I have an exceptional sense of balance. I'm a rock climber. I can't remember the last time anything like that occurred.
I'm rationalizing it, of course: I was tired. I was a little hungry. I was thinking of something I might post on the forum, to start a new and interesting thread. I was watching Mara carefully to make sure she was okay crossing the river with her one eye, now with no binocular vision to judge distances well. (She was! :happy dog:)
But when I got back to my desk, after a long hot shower, I advised the other moderators on the team here to maybe drive carefully for a while.
And I lost a trekking pole. No big deal — at all — but like my lost backpack which inspired this thread, I'd had those for 20+ years and they'd been with me everywhere. Of course, there's now the opportunity to get another pair — to last me another 20+ years.
That's because I can't buy just one. And as poet Piet Hein wrote, one of his grooks:
Losing one glove is certainly painful
But nothing compared to the pain
Of losing one glove,
Discarding the other,
And finding the first one again.
:)2)
Of more import, very much on my mind right now, is the impermanence of friendships.
Like trekking poles and backpacks, one might gratefully appreciate them as trusted allies for 20 years. Or 30. Or 40.
But they, too, can abruptly and unaccountably disappear at any moment.
ndroock1
24th June 2019, 17:59
"I was thinking of something...", I somehow imagined you were always in a delightful 'no-mind' state during those mountain walks.
Take care.
Bill Ryan
30th September 2019, 21:18
:bump: :bump: :bump:
Ernie Nemeth
2nd October 2019, 11:25
I once did a paper on the mountain lion. I looked it up in the encyclopedia at the library, it said see cougar.
So I got the correct volume and looked up cougar. It said see mountain lion!
Maybe it's best things are impermanent. Who'd ever know anything about big cats otherwise? Newer volumes fixed the error...
petra
2nd October 2019, 15:33
Yesterday my friend's dog got hit by a car, and I'm still shook up. So is he. The dog is okay, just a little scratch luckily.
She's escaped a few times before, either his fault or mine - but this time it was no one's fault, her chain clasp just fell apart near where it clips onto her collar. The worst part is we just got her a new unbreakable collar.... *sigh*
Close calls like that really bring things into perspective that's for sure.
Bill Ryan
25th July 2020, 18:33
:bump: :bump: :bump:
Anka
27th July 2020, 03:42
We are subject to change in this world. For me there is no attitude of life if we do not recognize the learning process and the pace of transformation, everything transforms around us and is in a wider movement than we can see, something urges us not to cling on the one part of the experience, always looking for more in a restful, pacifying way, with the conduct of the element of life.
I've always been in a kind of movement from which I had to learn.
I have been collecting toys for many years, but last autumn, I stayed in my room and sorted (some were broken) for almost 3 hours many toys that I packed them and donated for poor children. Somehow, happiness with which I gathered them for so many years, I packed it and sent it to those who needed it.
I've always liked Christmas decorations, in 2013, I was in Vienna (Austria), set for six months, and I went to the Christmas fair where I spent more than I should, on Christmas decorations, those decorations they were my "Christmas meal", I was so happy to have them! Since then, I have donated most of them every Christmas, and now I only have a few and I am glad I was able to donate.
Honestly, having no heirs, I would donate also what I don't have, material things don't matter to me at all, I gave up job offers, benefits and money, which maybe more would have given up as well, but I found peace in a piece of bread and a roof over my head.
I lost more good people than all the toys I collected. Somehow, every time they got too close to me and when I felt I needed them too, the phone never rang even when I needed to talk to them. Last year I was wrapping a very, very old gift for a friend's daughter, friend for over 30 years, and we were happy and we and his family were going to meet at his daughter's wedding, everything was planned.
On Saturday night we were all happy and we were all making plans for the meeting and we didn't talk until Wednesday when suddenly we received an email and the advice that we should never talk again! We were confused and even with the time more confused, but we had to move on.
I saw good childhood friends transformed into something I would not have imagined, but I still searched inside them that childhood and I never found it again. I was never interested in their field of activity, only if I could help, I always respected any of their beliefs, I just wanted a friendship free of any prejudice and full of love for human beings and that scared them or something took them away.:flower:
As a child, I was wondering what I would do with my life? In my youth I was already wondering what I should not do in life and in all this balance I managed to try the most unexpected life scenarios that have always changed me.
I saw impermanence in the suffering of people who died next to me from disease, only for understand a part of the nature of organic life and its purpose, I suffered for the unpredictability of people and things only to learn from the cataclysm of anxiety and fatality of attraction, I lived impermanence in the structures of society just to adapt to some rules, but I never felt part of all this more than I could declare all this at the last second or in this second.
I think that if the past brings us unforgettable beautiful experiences and sad memories, and the present gives us the pleasure of living and the little anxiety of overcoming it, and if the future frightens us or we consider it maybe unimportant, then maybe it would be counterproductive but at the same time ethical valuable to drain our energy in setting values above, in balance and permanent movement with the impermanence of all things.
Anca
ljwheat
27th July 2020, 12:33
I take great pause, after losing the simplicity of movement, having 9 mini-strokes (doctor calls TI's) at 71 year's many things reveal themselves once they're lost, each (T-I) took a bite of my brain's ability to work with bodies everyday functions of lifetime learning, I guess I, took for granted, till now.
This thread has more meaning, personalized the impermanence of all things, some of which, like - Cristopher Reaves' the will of human Spirt, to continue no matter what this life hand's you, is the strong 💪 understanding that surpasses' all-time, space. or paradigms, and ask's what's ahead now?
Harmony
27th July 2020, 14:20
Reading of such strength of spirit in all the above personal experiences brings strength to our souls knowing how strong and resilient the "human" spirit is, even during the most difficult times.
I have indeed had my share of challenges (I hope ☺). Last January I was unexpectedly back in hospital with a problem stricture that once in a while suddenly plays up. With Covid 19 just starting I wasn't too impressed, knowing it means a fun nasal tube being put in and having my stomach pumped. That's as fun as it sounds 😊.
Anyway, after the third day in hospital I was recovering well. Another elderly man, 93 years old was wheeled in that afternoon and two doctors soon came to see him and very loudly and uncompassionately told him he had very little hope of surviving but they could do surgery and he might have some chance of living and they left.
The other elderly lady and other gentleman in the same ward were out for a walk with their visitors and I was alone in the ward looking across at this very old thin man with tears running down his cheeks. I hopped out of bed in my glamourous hospital gown and took this mans hand which felt like a dry autumn leaf and asked him if he would like me to ask the nurses to phone his family.
He replied he didn't want to cause any one any problems or have any one to see him dying. I told him it was absolutely no problem and if I were his daughter I would want him to ring me. Funnily, we started talking about dying and believing there was more afterwards and I was telling him of my near death experience. I tried to boost his hope and told him I had a similar problem and he was suddenly very concerned for my welfare which quite surprised me to see such a fiery twinkle in his sunken elderly eyes.
We had a little weep together and then his nurse came so I went back to my bed.
Later that afternoon his estranged wife and daughter were with him before he got wheeled out to surgery and I do know he made it through the surgery but I left the next morning. I hoped I helped him in some way and he is well.
earthdreamer
29th July 2020, 04:45
Years ago I cut out a printed quote attributed to Maya Angelou, went something like ‘People might not remember what you said but they remember how you made them feel.’ Those acts of kindness actually do matter in this world of impermanence. No matter how fleeting the moment, how close we get to the end of our illusion of ‘permanence’, it seems we are granted some small and profound insight into our human heart. My soul trips on dancing flames, rippling waters, moonlight reflections on wavering leaves and charging clouds. My memories will join those shadows one day.
Bill Ryan
29th July 2020, 12:28
Years ago I cut out a printed quote attributed to Maya Angelou, went something like ‘People might not remember what you said but they remember how you made them feel.’ Those acts of kindness actually do matter in this world of impermanence. No matter how fleeting the moment, how close we get to the end of our illusion of ‘permanence’, it seems we are granted some small and profound insight into our human heart. My soul trips on dancing flames, rippling waters, moonlight reflections on wavering leaves and charging clouds. My memories will join those shadows one day.https://image.slidesharecdn.com/howtodrivesocialmediaengagementwithnonprofitstories-january2019-190110180336/95/how-to-drive-social-media-engagement-with-your-nonprofit-stories-4-638.jpg
kfm27917
29th July 2020, 13:13
This reminds me of a poem I wrote long time ago (in the 60's)
Travel light
Take leave from time.
Forget space, dimensions, money
airports, passports, noise.
Your gorgeous body
is worth nothing over there.
The voyage is far
because from now on
familiar places are out of reach,
no longer here or there
Upside and down already
a streak of unrecoverable past.
Travel light:
limbs are cumbersome
the past is a burden
that glues you forever
to the cry of agony
of the broken heart.
Travel light:
take only your soul
your fantasy, your will
and only as much
of truthful love
as you need for an eternity.
Anka
2nd August 2020, 00:08
To the question: "How do I feel about death?" I can answer simply:
If a simple honest fisherman managed to live happily and then die, I think I can handle it too.
Then I ask myself, how can I accept this when I am completely anchored in the evolution of the theory of life as a fact ... then, without giving me any answer, the answer comes partially ... maybe we should learn how to die happy and fulfilled by honoring life?
Then I come and reinforce this by saying that this wonderful accident called life makes me believe, every moment more and more, learning that I will never have any doubt about the "after" thing.:heart:
Two days ago, a very old friend died peacefully in her sleep.Today I went to her funeral.
She had a life rich in a lot of work and dedication for the family as I have not seen anywhere. Looking at her smiling silence under her eyes closed in a beautiful sleep and not thinking I would think anything, I struck a resemblance between her life and mine ... and I realized how much I sailed on my own journey, just like her ... thinking ok..I'm halfway through and I feel compelled(maybe) to draw a line with chalk symbolizing a comprehensive conclusion .The step along that line already drawn, should be quite important, or maybe not.
I recognized my own approach in life experiences, people, professions, places, a kind of transposition into a kind of game in the only career that supervises the whole spectrum of experience and in the context of the model of society, location, time, attributed elements, I felt different similarities throughout the recognition process.
I remembered that the deceased person, a week ago, kept saying happily that the end was near, sometimes she made plans that for example, she planned her luggage always saying happily "I'm going to my house"! Yesterday I caressed her and she was so happy in her fine smile on her face (which only those close to her can recognize) that I could only be happy and tell her with a sigh "I'm glad you got to your home"!
At her age, she accumulated memories of feeling after the economic crisis of 1929, going through World War II and so many regimes (royal, socialist, democracy) to find just this time for the end, made me think about her experience...yes, she was my grandmother.
I left from there, heading back home, initially thinking that I will not be able to walk that far although the distance is probably only 2 km.
Along the way, I was trying to find a permanent connection to the impermanence as nature, by gathering more and more data and memories about it, lifestyle career, choices and I made a summary without capturing the conclusion yet because I still had many steps to get home…maybe.
I am not in the situation to say that all ideas about the unknown can be solved and especially this, I have no illusions but it is worth recognizing at least the power of life and death to choose the discourse of legitimacy of one's own awakening, precisely because inevitably not, I'm still the same person a few minutes ago, and still not.
Meaning can anticipate any problem, so perhaps curiosity is one of the emotions that proves I am alive(?)
Maybe we shouldn't avoid life just as we shouldn't avoid death, maybe we should contribute so that we don't just remain spectators of eternity, of course it's as debatable as a proverb that says “you burn the candle at both ends” : )
…the tendency is generally counterproductive and almost trivial in equilibrium to avoid both phenomena ... it is perhaps only essential spectral cosmic comic, and less bad.
There is also the expression: "He died laughing", an anecdote of life to look with dignity, "deadly serious" in the whole process, something I once heard as an association of the expression: "This is the last thing I do(dying)!" which can be interpreted as well like “this would be the last thing we would like doing” ... it is a whole of assistance of individual experience, each one must find his own mystery and fun.
If life is not given with a meaning to the package, practiced trajectory is a relative game with imposed figures, we receive a sentence of life and death, lucidity comes in the condition of signing all the limits of freedom that in real time consciousness, this is sometimes not an option, more maybe chosen in the non-temporality of existence.
It is a form of indulgence fully assumed, living the feeling of fundamental meaning not by obligation but by the splendor of being wise enough to be born in the first place.
But in all the permanent impermanence of life, I found my mission, attribution and possibility of contribution, it is not about profession, places or time or career, it is about my permanence always to be gentle with all people, and this is not quality, it is a dedication in my only "profession" to be a simple man.
I look forward to the experiences of others of you ... I will definitely love each experience through the emotion of human nature in it :):heart:
Here's something to cheer you up :) the permanence of music and joy…
The Chieftains - O'Sullivan's March(4:04)
mpkrr0-qut4
Anca :heart:
Zirconian
2nd August 2020, 00:59
Anka,
What an eloquent. beautiful post you have written that is full of heart:heart:
Impermanence is a day to day experience.
One can really be a witness to this when working with those who are dying.
I worked in a hospice for a few years and I can still see the faces of those that died whilst I was caring for them.
I remember all their faces and their stories. Each person had a story to tell full of experiences and I appreciated what they shared. I'm a better person for it.
I recall how strong and dignified they all were facing the unknown. I had much respect for the bereaved, digging deep for the days to come when they had to face and accept their loss.
As a witness to this, I really saw the beauty of the human spirit.:heart:
Bill Ryan
27th October 2020, 13:49
:bump: :bump: :bump:
Zirconian
27th October 2020, 14:02
I'm fascinated by clips from the past.
It makes me feel so connected to the people of the time.
As they stare into the camera.....I stare back at them, a connection is made.
I always wonder what the people in these videos are thinking, feeling.
This is a poingnant film, as it is filmed 4 days prior to the San Francisco earthquake, they were all busying about their lives, unaware disaster was about to strike.
On a positive note, it was amazing to see the San Francisco bridge when I flew over a few years ago. San Francisco worked hard to rebuild.
Starts at 2:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO_1AdYRGW8
Forest Denizen
27th October 2020, 17:52
WOW!!! This is really stunning!! Thank you, Zirconian! I had seen the original un-enhanced black and white version and it was really something but this is unbelievable! Particularly so as I live just north of the city. The tasteful addition of sound is also very well done.
This individual seems to have done a lot of these wonderful enhanced pieces of footage.. they are on his YouTube channel. Here's another shorter one that I found to be absolutely spellbinding. It's from Tokyo in the early part of the last century. Parts of it are kind of eerie because they seem to have almost the quality of a live video feed. Almost as if the people in the footage are looking back at me through my screen!
MQAmZ_kR8S8
Zirconian
27th October 2020, 19:05
Hi Ken,
He does make very good videos.
I found him when I was looking at videos of times past, particularly from the UK before the 1st world war, my great grandad's generation (he fought in the Somme). This truly was the generation who faced many episodes of impermanence; the first world war, spanish flu, the depression and the second world war.
I too am mesmerised when the people in the video stare into the camera, I feel connected to them in that moment. Connection through time.
I've added something a little different. A meditation on impermanence. Helpful words in our times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uumInvT4t9Y
Tamara Levitt guides this #DailyCalm meditation on the impermanent nature of everything around us. She invites you to let go of the battle with your thoughts and rest here for a moment of calm.
Bill Ryan
15th December 2022, 19:46
:bump::bump::bump:
Zirconian
15th December 2022, 21:19
For all those who are going through changes that are stirring the emotions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFe84U__kt8
The lyrics may not be to everyones taste, but the singer has a masterful, pure voice and gives a sublime performance, that soothes those troubled feelings.
Harmony
16th December 2022, 00:41
Thank you for the above post Zirconian :heart: Sometimes slowing down and finding peace within the deepest part of ourselves before we move forward can make all the difference in how we respond to life.
Zirconian
16th December 2022, 09:40
Hi Harmony,
It is probably the best way and the hardest to do, but I continue to practice :flower:
I love Jorden Peterson and when i have time, I like to dip in and out of listening to his videos on the Jordan Peterson thread.
Here's just a packed few minutes of his insight on change
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-Wqn2loCxI
Zirconian
16th December 2022, 12:53
This is an excellent talk. Real, engaging, with humour and eloquently shows the best of the human spirit.
Had to post, thinking of all those going through this, particularly at this time of year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhoCdZFoktQ
Bill Ryan
18th October 2023, 23:34
:bump::bump::bump:
:heart:
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