Finding a Place within

Writing about the state of affairs in the world has kept my mind busy. One thought keeps coming back: “Why worry?” Somehow, worry seems to be such a part of my habitual self. I have always enjoyed watching the news, reading newspapers, discussing the state of affairs with friends. Yet, an integral part of this ongoing debate is worry. Why is that? Why worry?

I have lived through the cold war, wars in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, and even in Europe. During almost 60 years of living, I have been a witness of numerous acts of terrorism, revolutions, famines, genocides and natural catastrophes of every kind. In my lifetime, the world population has tripled and two thirds of the rainforest have disappeared.

In my lifetime, the Berlin wall has come and gone – both events were a shock. So was the end of communism in Russia, China and Vietnam. I have witnessed the end of fascism in Greece, Spain and Portugal, and two political murders in Holland – to mention a few surprising developments of these past decades. Enough to think about, but why should I worry about such events? In my own personal life, there has been some measure of disaster. Sickness, death, divorce, unemployment. Are such events a reason to worry? Not really. Things break down, people leave, clients shift. Not pleasant, sometimes annoying, but also no big deal. And if things are a big deal, we deal with them. No problem, and if there is a problem, we fix it.

So why worry? Why not welcome the news with curiosity, marveling at the wondrous ways of existence manifesting itself? It almost seems ungrateful not to accept whatever life has to offer. Also, strange how it may seem, things have a way of working themselves out. Sometimes, it may take a while before I recognize it, but always works. After Bush, there is Obama. After Franco, along comes Juan Carlos. After Thatcher, there was Blair. The pendulum swings back and forth, but only always.

And in the meantime, we are progressing. Awareness is unfolding, forever more. From stone to plant, from plant to animal, from monkey to man. There may be temporary setbacks in this evolution, but there is no way back. To demonstrate this, I only have to look at my own children. Clearly, they are the new model. Smarter, more aware, better adapted to the quicker pace of consciousness. To make room for their children in a few years, is no punishment. It’s progress.

So I’m looking for a place within, without worry but with gratitude instead. About this wonderful gift of life, about the marvel of creation, and about the extremely good fortune of being me, living this rich life at this remarkable point in history. Counting my blessings, not worrying if they would ever be taken away… Because they will be, one day, no doubt…

Interested in a sharp outlook on the 2012 nonsense? Read this and GOYA…

http://www.erowid.org/columns/teafaerie/2009/12/

Home in our World

During our weekend in Berlin, we dwelled on the situation in the world. We agreed these are difficult times. Or “interesting times” as the Chinese curse calls times like these. We did not always agree on how to interpret this point in history.

Some of my friends think that the year 2012 will be a significant turning point. They believe the Mayan prediction about 2012 bringing the end of time as we know it. The Mayan calendar ends at 12:12 on December 12, 2012 – or so they say. Also, the bible book Apocalypse predicts the end of the world. This moment will be preceded by many of the phenomena we now witness. The prophet predicts mayor floods and earthquakes, conflict, confusion and false prophets. We seem to be getting a fair share of all of those, lately.

I have my doubts. First, there seems to be some confusion about the exact date of the end of the world. Scholars do not agree on the year, or even the decade. Secondly, what does that mean, “the end of time”? Will the earth explode, will the human race be extinguished? Hard to believe, I find. Unless the planet would collide with a comet, it seems difficult to kill all 7 billion people on this globe. Somehow, millions of people would survive even a giant tsunami after a super earthquake, or a sudden ice age. Will 2012 bring the end, then, of Western civilization, as we know it? That could be plausible, perhaps.

Someday soon, China could decide that it no longer needs expensive western products in exchange for its massive production of cheap consumer products. If we were to plunge into an even deeper economic abyss, western capitalism could finally catch up with itself and go under in a total system collapse. Devoured by our own greed, megalomania and power hunger.

Economic collapse would throw our society into violence, hunger and despair, comparable to the present situation of two thirds of the world population, but it would not mean the end of all civilization. Just the end of our glorious version of it. That would be bad enough, of course, and quite regrettable, for our civilization is truly magnificent.

But it would not necessarily be a catastrophe to the human race. And it would even out the gross injustice and imparity of the present state of world affairs. Still, I would certainly regret such a development, personally and idealistically.

Why is this discussion relevant to the quest for A Good Place To Die? Because imminent system collapse is one reason, at least for some people near and dear to me, to seek refuge to a place where we could better survive than in a big city. If this is a valid consideration, and if money would lose its value, then it would be wise to invest now in property, in land and a safe place to live. In this vision, A Good Place To Die should be a place with a pleasant climate and a natural supply of clean water, where we could grow our own food. Such a place could be La Gomera. In May, Sabine and I will visit La Gomera again. If not to seek refuge, then for a nice short holiday..!

Home in Berlin?

We visit this city three of four times each year. Sabine’s brother Max lives here, with his fiancée Constanze and his son Paul. Wonderful people, we love to visit. Max and I share a motorbike, a red BMW 650. Whenever I am in Berlin, I get to ride it.

“Berlin ist so eine kaputte Stadt,” Sabine commented when we talked about settling down here, “Berlin is such a broken city.” It is a big city, noisy, busy, intense. No green hills, no porches, no mountain view. But plenty of apple pie. And lots of sweet, interesting people. There are the people we know, like brother Max, Constanze, Paul and Carola. Carola is a dear friend of Sabine and of mine. She and I were involved some years ago. Somehow, Carola is a part of my/our quest to find this Place to Die. It is easy to meet interesting people in Berlin. There is a large student community, lots of Berliners living in communities, many artists. You meet them in coffee shops, workshops, galleries and cinemas. Berlin has wide avenues and huge monuments, but there are also many cosy streets with small shops, restaurants, cafés and boutiques. It is easy to start a conversation, in German or in English.

This weekend, Sabine led a seminar in Neuköln, a multicultural neighborhood. In this part of town, Turkish people mix with Eastern Europeans, poor Berliner, artists and students. The busy streets feature Lidl supermarkets, Zeeman textile supers and kebab snackbars. The streets are full, bustling with vitality and energy. Many broken people, lonely people, crazy people and junkies, too. The workshop takes place in a large building, situated behind an inner court. There is no shower, so we ask if we can use the shower across the hallway. It is situated in a living community, a Wohngemeinschaft or WG, where 11 young people live together. They let us use their shower, do not want any money for it, and they are sooo sweet. We have little chats with them, about what they do and about our workshop – they are genuinely interested in what we do across their hall. As we leave after the weekend, we let them have our surplus food, which they gracefully accept.

Berlin could well be a Good Place To Die. It has atmosphere, a good climate – snow in winter, sun in summer – cheap lodging and great food at relatively low prices. German food is a well kept secret. It offers a wide variety, of superb quality, at reasonable prices. In Berlin, it is easy to find wonderful breads, tasty cheeses, all kinds of sausage, butter and ham and great pastry. Germans love to eat – a lot - and to talk about food – a lot. In Berlin, it’s not difficult to find good delicatessen, coffee or cheap restaurants. France and Italy have the reputation, but Germany also delivers.

But I like Berlin mainly because of its people. The Berliner (who smile at Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" because a Berliner is a sweet roll with yellow pudding) are a resilient race. This broken city has gone through so much: the grandeur of the emperors, the wars of the 19th and 20th centuries, the outrageous 1920's, the devastating 30's, the megalomania of the nazi's, the destruction and the resurrection after WWII, the status aparte from 1945 till 1990. The Berliner have lived and died through it all. To me personally, Berliner are people like Max, Constanze, Carola and the WG people. And 23 year old Tabea, who waits at our table Sunday night, and who offers us free Schnapps and a large piece of her mind. Open, free and frech… That's Berlin.

So yes, this may be a broken town with broken people, but it has lots of life, heart and compassion. And I have a motorbike in Berlin.