Day 129h: Beauty in the Barn … (September 05, 2019)
I walked on a ways and soon came to the outskirts of the tiny town of Ivy, where the graceful loveliness of the Barn Swallow Artisans Gallery beckoned and I willingly answered its call. Inside things were standard-level cozy for such an establishment and yet what proved to be a pleasantly unexpected surprise was store owner Sharon – a truly gentle Soul (and fellow vegan!) who was deeply enamored by the walk and its message of radical kindness as well. I felt truly thankful to remain there for a time and talk with her (and her colleague Kerry, who was far more skeptical of everything discussed, and yet somewhat appreciate nonetheless) about all manner of things weighty & important; service and sacrifice and kindness and compassion and justice (for humans & animals alike). On a day that had been laced & ladled with oddness and rejection up to that point, it was a heartfelt blessing indeed to spend so many peaceful moments there …
“Humanity is not an aggregate of individuals, a community of thinkers, each of whom is guaranteed from the outset to reach agreement with all others merely because they happen to participate in the same thinking essence. Nor, of course, is humanity a single Being in which the multiplicity of individuals are dissolved and into which these individuals are destined to be reabsorbed and essentially disappear. No, as a matter of principle, humanity is a precarious matter to define: a conglomerate of beings where each member can only believe what he or she recognizes to be true internally – while at the same time knowing that nobody ever makes up his or her mind without already being caught up in certain interconnected interactions with others; relationships which persuade or incline him or her to adopt a particular set of opinions. In essence then, we are all alone and yet nobody can live effectively without others, not just because those others are useful to our own comfort or survival, but also because it is our interactions with others that give our lives their deepest expressions of meaning & purpose (and therefore their most profound experiences of peace and joy) … So whenever you go on a trip to visit foreign lands or distant places – or even your local store, ever remember that every place that is not your own is someone’s home and backyard, and that everyone you meet along your way is worthy of both love and honor.” ~ inspired by Maurice Merleau-Ponty & Vera Nazarian
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