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Welcome home
The entrance to a home is usually the first glimpse of the atmosphere inside. It’s after all, about caring for that first impression, that we always remember so much in our experiences, and of course, when we enter a home. A door that gives an impression of warmth, that one that goes deep inside, to the soul, is usually a reflection of good hospitality.
Soul of the city
Tourists, travelers, ocasional people, people from the place, and people from so other many places, … this square is at all moments full of life, and a reflection and symbol of the city that is Madrid. With just walking around, and observing life in this square, to get a hint of the soul of the city.
After all, that’s what’s most beautiful of travelling anywhere: learning and seeing what is unique and different. Especially learning from it, and taking it inside us, in our own soul.
Empty
So many times we have been alone, in decisions, in moments in life. So many moments in which we have felt emptyness. Even though, these are moments of maximum austerity, and of strength. One must keep on going, even with emptyness, one has to continue, even when a little help is more than desirable. And by going on, even in loneliness, we leave behind what we don’t need of ourselves, and little by little, step by step, we become stronger.
Dedicated to all who may feel such emptiness. When you don’t feel this emptiness anymore, look back, and you will see yourself, fighting for Life.
Global Conscience
Popular wisdom says that if we approach too much to a tree, we stop seeing the beauty of the wood. But not only we cannot see its beauty, but even we can end up by ignoring the wood itself. At the same time, if we only observe the wood, we won’t be able to appreciate the details, also beautiful, of a tree, or another, or so many others. The challenge is to combine both things: details and global vision. Humanity can and will be able to walk together, but without losing the identity of any of those “trees”, or cultures, or people. Balance. Global conscience.
Come and join
Ven, déjate las prisas, sentémonos un rato. Ven, olvida el correr del mundo, saboreemos el instante. Ven, deja la racionalidad, abraza el sabor de una conversación relajada. Ven, deja tus preocupaciones al viento, rebrota de ti mismo. Ven, dejemos lugar a lo humano, … se tú mismo de nuevo.
Lights
Lights, … they’re normally used to guide us in darkness. Though it may happen that they can blind us, because of their beauty, their colors or intensity. It’s always a happiness to find who doesn’t let himself be blinded, as that person is someone you can trust.
Same as with many other aspects in life. As money.
Simmetries
Quite often, more than we are aware of, we follow nature itself. As in going up, looking for the heights. Also here there are more simmetries than what it meets the eye: both have reasons for Life.
Enlighting hope
I cannot avoid thinking in hope. It’s clear it is a desire of light, or of search of light. And, precisely light, needing it. Especially in times of darkness, due to whatever reason it may be. Do we need darkness, so that hope and search of light appear? Is this the reason for existing suffering? Or, … won’t there be any other sources for hope? I’m sure you can think of some of them. Right?
Blow into simplicity
Nature is amazing. But it is even more, sometimes, our own interaction with it, and especially regarding daily and simple moments. Who hasn’t blown a dandelion, and seen how its pieces fly into the air? I’m sure that this itself has surprised many of us, when being kids (and maybe not so kids!)
These little wonders, or magic of nature, always creates a big curiosity in us, for the world in which we live, and for the Creatiion, for Nature.
I dedicate this photograph to all those who make their living from investigating and searching in a healthy way and humble simplicity, this beautiful planet where we live in.
Keep on
It’s easy, to find in a pilgrimage similarities with life itself. One goes, step by step, walking, meeting people who come in, people who step out, people who leave deep memories, experiences of all types, day after day. Also there are blisters and difficulties to walk, as well as the fight to keep on going, to remain in the path. And also, the happiness and gratitude to continue. There’s always something that draws the pilgrim, and that makes possible to keep on going, walking towards our goal, the fullness. Same as in life itself.
Romanic austerity
After a number of days walking, the pilgrim starts to know what is necessary and what not, what is just extra weight, and what must come with him along the way. So he does know how to walk, how to travel: light enough and well enough. This has got a clear echo in other aspects of the human being, as mind, … and soul.
It is surprising how even the architecture along this pilgrimage matches the feelings of pilgrims, even from so many centuries ago, till our days.
Coffee with Nodira
So what can two friends, who got to know each other indirectly thanks to Flickr, do? Clearly, talk about photography, and the nice hobby and passion that it is, immortalizing each moment that means something to each of us. So this photograph, done by both of us, is the result from that conversation. We turned something classic into something that we both liked.
Still classic, and still different. As friendship: always there and always different.
Together
One always has his limitations and flaws, as well as our virtues and successes. These last ones allow as to go on, walking and in life. But they are not the ones that establish our limits. The ones that do slow us down are the others: our own limitations. And it is here where someone else’s support may strongly come in, making possible that one’s virtues may compensate other’s limitations.
So in this respect the result, together, it’s not one plus one, … but a lot more.
The long wait
How many times have we had to wait? Not for people who were late to a date, as these don’t really have any importance, but for important things in life. Those that one always wishes or hopes that they arrive. Waiting with hope. Though not only hope, but as well having clear -what- you are really hoping for. A long wait isn’t such, not long neigher wait, when the happy outcome arrives. It is simply sweetness.
To Ana, thanks for your wait.
The narrow path
All pilgrims know that the narrow path is the best way. Along the path, and not along the road. Along nature, and not along artificial things. Paying attention on your own walking, and on your friends’, and not on unnecessary things. It is the narrow path what favors the best spontanity, … and the best human moments.
But, … one must find the path.
Light in the darkness
Very easily recognize, visually, when there is light in the night. And it’s clear it’s useful so that we can find our bindings, and know where we must go to.
But visually it’s very easy. What about ourselves? Transparency and honesty are always a tremendous help, as it’s cleanness always allows us to distinguish more light. And to get to this transparency and honesty the search for the Truth is quite needed. Not only when it’s easy and evident. But especially when it is difficult and when an effort is needed. It is within this effort, or suffering as Gandhi (and so many more) would say, that we find a bigger human advance.
After all, … darkness isn’t anything else than absence of light. In all respects.
World upside down
Who wouldn’t like to continue in the other Life, after this one? It has already been said about it, as to be the first one there, one must be the last one here, in this life, and serve all the others with the greatest humbleness and simplicity.
Blessed be both, humbleness and simplicity, as they reach all places.
“Rejoice, those who build the Truth, those who dreamed a world upside down …” (Luis Guitarra)
See where this picture was taken
Remembering that dream
It is the memory, that memory of some lived nice moment, that appears in our mind spontaneously, when we need to breath, that air, that moment.
… that memory …
It is these memories the ones that define to ourselves who we are.
Not living in myself I live
Not living in myself I live, she said, praising death as a freeing of the soul, bounded in our body. I die because I do not die, she said. And in this daily death, she found the greatest bright of Life.
At the entrance of the convent of Saint Teresa, in Avila, it seems as if the tree reflects her poem, wanting to go to the heavens, from the more earthly convent.
Live poetry.
Vivo sin vivir en mi
Happy Christmas!
It’s curious, I’ve got the feeling that there are many things that are remaining behind. Maybe due to haste, because of how quick this society lives, and even more in a year like this, at all levels. I must say I like certain habits, and certain traditions. Mostly, because they have some associated human values.
And speaking about values, I think this society runs. A lot. But without knowing where it is running to. There is no good wind for a boat if the destination isn’t known.
I think these moments and these days should be of reflection, to think of these things, invariable with changes and with the the very human being, … which are simplicity, kindness, not to complicate our own life (pffff, this), not to complicate life to others (pffff, also this).
I think this society needs a lot, a simplicity and sensitiveness that precisely lacks.
Christmas is not just one day. I don’t think it’s about being happy one day and to forget it the rest of the days. I think it should reflect instead an attitude, even though it takes an effort, but that indeed provides its rewards.
For whoever that reads this, and for who don’t, … I hope that Simplicity, Hope and Happiness shine in you. You will provoke in others s well simplicity, also hope, and also happiness. After all, it must have been these some of the big feelings that were present about 2000 years ago, … due to -the- reason of this feast, of tonight and tomorrow.
Peace and Good, and HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
Searching for Wisdom
Always in humanity, since we have consciousness, we need to ask about ourselves, about our origins, about life. There’s an endless thirst for Wisdom, for knowledge. For understanding why we are here and how is Life.
This is the entrance to a Spanish University. In Salamanca.
Footprints of Life
Footprints. It’s not about the physical ones, but about those other ones. Those that people leave us when a deep simplicity is shown, … as well as friendship. There’s space for so much in simplicity! These footprints, those memories, are well fixed inside us, in our so called “Book of Life”. They remain forever.
To Ana, to Luisa.
Reasons why I will go to the manifestation for Life, on October 17th, in Madrid
Razones por las que iré a la manifestación por la Vida, del 17-O, en Madrid:
- Favorece a negocios. Clínicas abortistas no reciben peticiones más allá de la semana 14 de embarazo. La ley permitirá abortos hasta la semana 14, precisamente.
- Antes de esta ley ya se hacía aborto, sin demasiado control, pero sin abusar. Si se hacía así, ¿por qué es necesaria esta ley? ¿Hasta la semana 14?
- Si una mujer no está preparada para el matrimonio a los 16 años, tampoco lo está para abortar.
- Las consecuencias psicológicas para la mujer están bien estudiadas, pudiendo haber hasta 9 problemas psicológicos, que pueden aparecer incluso pasados muchos años.
- Creo que es una gravísima violación de los derechos humanos, el que gente que no ha nacido no pueda ni opinar. Ni tener voz.
- No se trata de cuándo es vida. No va de eso. Se trata de que si no se interrumpe el proceso, … hay un ser humano nacido. Luego interrumpir el proceso es quitar la vida. En cualquier momento. Incluso con 1 sola semana.
- En muchos países asiáticos, tienen tan claro que es el proceso el de la Vida, y no qué semana de embarazo, que cuentan los cumpleaños no desde el nacimiento, sino desde el momento de la concepción.
- ¿Qué ha ocurrido para pasar del también socialista “póntelo, pónselo”, a animar al aborto sin avisar a los padres ni teniendo 16 años? ¿No hay suficiente “libertad sexual” con el “póntelo, pónselo”?
- El aborto NO es un anticonceptivo.
- La irresponsabilidad de la adolescencia no se debe fomentar. Rompe vidas.
- Si un negocio obtiene dinero por el cuerpo de una menor de edad, … ¿no se puede considerar una forma de explotación infantil?
- Si se puede considerar una forma de explotación infantil, ¿por qué tiene que ser con los impuestos de los españoles?
- Estando en una crisis como la que estamos, ¿por qué no se destina el dinero de esos impuestos a reducir un poquito del astronómico déficit?
- Entiendo que el socialismo está para favorecer al pueblo, a los trabajadores, a las clases media y baja. Entonces, … ¿por qué los más indefensos, -los no nacidos-, no tienen derecho a existir?
- Si el socialismo favorece a las clases media y baja, ¿por qué esta ley dará indiscriminadamente dinero a unos pocos? ¿Y, con el dinero de todos los españoles?
En definitiva, no estoy de acuerdo por todos estos motivos y menos aún en una crisis de deflación, que mis impuestos se usen para obtener dinero de fomentar la irresponsabilidad adolescente, para beneficiar a unos pocos, obteniendo el dinero usando a menores de edad, y lo que es más grave, basados en cortar procesos de Vida. Es decir: matar.
