Cape Town, South Africa June 1st, 2011. Final Thoughts from the Cape
After a long, exhausting night, which started off like any other amongst new friends, a warm fire, and a great meal here in Cape Town, things took a drastic turn, a turn unforeseen, as a new, close friend received some terrible family news. All we could do was be here for her, to fill the space of unfamiliar openness so quickly opened by familiarity, with hugs, comfort; again and again, the universal theme of the Dharma comes into mind when these life situations inevitably arise; the themes I have studied in texts, the themes philosophically analyzed in the abstract, running into the reality of existence; the theme of the truth of suffering, of birth, of old age, of sickness, and of death; the theme of the impermanence of all things, the illusions of stability and solidity in a universe where there is simply nothing to hold on to that will not change, that is not changing, that is not decaying and hurtling towards eventual demise; and this is not meant in a macabre context, but rather as an inspiration to act, an inspiration to learn, an inspire to understand the truth of this human life. Wise Zen masters ask, “The days and nights are relentlessly passing, how well are you spending your time?” How well are we spending our time, understanding both the preciousness and frailty of this human condition, the truth of cause and effect, and the opportunity for freedom? Are we working to benefit others, to open our hearts, to seek truth and progress? Every experience is meant to gain knowledge, to gain understanding, to progress, to contemplate, to discover these truths in the context of our own lives.
And thus, my time here in Cape Town winds down to an end; and yet, also a beginning; the winding path of life, of connections and of disappearances; of great new friends made who will be seen again down the line, when , I do not know, but this is not important; the reality of connection is what matters.
Cape Town, the beautiful city by the sea, framed by the mist-shrouded majestic crags of Table Mountain, a city of color and of brutality, of starkly contrasting manners of life, of gates and security warnings and warmth and vibrancy; a city that was not expected but that opened its arms for me over the last two weeks; and as I prepare to depart, to board the train tomorrow morning for a long journey through the South African heartland to Johannesburg, and on to Maputo, Mozambique, a journey that will be both long and hard and eye-opening and rich and rewarding, a microcosm of the realities of this beautiful life of travel, I thank the good grace that brought me to this edge, this tip of a vast continent. And I look forward to this upcoming journey, its challenge, the time for reflection, the boredom, the discomfort, the realities of life in the developing world, the strangeness, the dust and dirt, all of it, all of this life, here, now.
