la vida sencilla

we all agreed. we all agree. la vida es bonita, si lo hago así. but man, it can also be quite complicated. if we try to manage it. when we mess things up.

human life is not a simple black and white (good and evil) equation - i probably should have said white and black, so that white is good and black is evil (the colours won’t mind either way). it is full of colours, full of light, sometimes dark. and it’s not an equation. difficult to express, what i want to say.

we are complex creatures, who exist in a constant state of tension and ambiguity. our morality comes with continuous questioning. uncertainty. because we are free to decide, even our refusal to choose, or our inaction when we could act, count as a choice that impacts the world around us, people around us, family, friends. touches some, hurts others.

to navigate this uncertainty and give things a chance to end well, we have to pay attention. for this to work, we have to empty our minds of our own selfish expectations and prejudices so that we can be truly receptive in each moment, to the actual needs of the people around us.

when we make mistakes on this journey, on the camino, in this life, it is okay to feel guilty. we have to acknowledge this feeling. we are human - somos humanos. if we can, we should repair the damage we caused. somehow. at least on a spiritual level. ultimately, we must accept the absurdity of our condition, smile at our daily struggle, trying to do better again and again. tragic & comic.

what is a good life? what is a simple life? well, if i knew! still trying to find out every day, every moment.

stripping away the excesses of society, does that mean i need to venture into the woods and live in a cave? certainly not. but going on a camino may help. specifically, to live deliberately, to confront only the essential facts of camino life, to observe that luxuries and modern comforts are often positive hindrances to one’s own development. they make you too comfortable and weigh you down. more than the mochilla!

so after the camino, how do we all continue? back to the job, politics, focus on public appearance, on income, wealth? will we be the same after the camino? i don’t think we will, i don’t think we are. see here.

if there is a choice, can’t i instead choose to live a simple, subsistent lifestyle surrounded by close family, friends, music, literature, arts, creativity, nature?

when our lives are simpler, does that mean, they are meaningless or unimpactful? no, i don’t think so. meaning is not a predefined destination that you run towards, it is something created by our actions in each fragment of time (you can tell, i really like that song i mentioned many times), conciously or unconciously.

be present for those around you. practice abundance of heart - yoyu. go and safe the world, if you can. but do it in small steps. don’t be upset - you will make mistakes, grave errors. beat yourself up, but just a little. fall down, get up again, carry on.

by rejecting or releasing yourself from expectations of modern society, you free yourself to make meaningful, authentic connections with the life directly in front of you.

what is my form of a simple life? i have to continue to think about that. but not too much, as i’m also occupied with just living. and making mistakes. hurting other souls. and beating myself up. and getting up again. walking on. just living a simple life.

today feels a bit like a new start. i am leaving santiago behind (again) and walk out the other side towards the coast for the first time. the city quickly gives way to countryside. i don’t turn back until i reach the punto de vista (aka buena vista) on top of a hill after about five kilometers.

the hike today is really pleasant. there are significantly less pilgrims on the camino from santiago to the coast at muxia or fisterra (or finisterre - depending on which idiom you prefer). i count maybe twenty pilgrims all day (well, i didn’t count them, but this is my best guess).

it is a bit hilly, but never too steep. then there are the typical rural villages, with bars in them, and the special mixture of locals and pilgrims. i pass through the village of trasmonte. bagpipes. at the local centro sociocultural some ten men are playing their instruments passionately.

i have two long phone conversations. con mi hermano menor y mi esposa. ambas conversaciones muy profundas.

then the town of negreira. surprisingly lively. bars, cafés, antiquity dealers, open street market. i mix with the locals, have my cortado and move on again for the last 8 kilometers of the day towards a pena.

there i will stay in the albergue rectoral tonight. a communal dinner awaits. i guess about two thirds of all pilgrims that wander in the same direction as i end up here tonight. languages heard include english, dutch, german, french, italian, gallego y castellano - the hospitalero manuél. he owns the rectoral building and the church. mess service from early june until late september, albergue open from march to october. lovely fellow, who also runs an albergue in santi - porta real if anybody is interested. the hospitalero there is luca from italy. gronze says, he is a lovely person too. maybe i try it out when i return to santi next week.