After a time I entered the tiny hamlet of Reva and then entered the just as tiny roadside Reva Market shortly thereafter; a tiny haven of cool solace in that already blazing day; a place where no standard tokens of kindness or generosity were offered, and yet the sign on the fountain clearly stated that “Water is 25¢ … No exceptions!” – and yet a glass of water was offered me anyway, and there was clearly a policy of “No loitering” in place as well – and yet I was told to sit and rest at their lone table for as long as I liked … And then it was time to go, and once again I was told to “Be careful” – and once more I responded with “We are never safer than when full of reckless Care.”

“In order to survive, true communities will require not mere egalitarianism and hollow tolerance but rather intimate knowledge of all others and an open-hearted respect for the same. Truly viable communities must not only openly appreciate the sometimes stark differences of its members, but also understand the actual necessity of the same. This is what it means to respect the other – a respect that is the foundation of any functional relationship, and a respect that ever requires the willingness to extend kindness towards the strange and intimacy towards the divergent. A heart-soaked imagination is necessary – the ability to truly See one another, past our particular beliefs or behaviors and across our inevitable differences, as equally worthy and equally wonderful living souls … And in this greater light every visitor becomes a friend and every stranger, a Soulmate; a true friend in need of our deeds; one who by his or her very presence becomes a heavenly messenger – emboldening the opportunity for us to boldly Love, and thereby bringing us the spiritual sustenance that is panis angelorum.” ~ inspired by Wendell berry & isak Dinesen

Filed under: Peace Pilgrimage #02: Walking HOME (2019) by Scaughdt