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| Me on Eagle Hill which overlooks my hometown of Hacketstown in the County of Carlow. |
I just got back from three weeks in Ireland, the country where I spent the first thirty years of my life. The unique fragrance of the earth and the air there is in my blood. When I'm there I feel grounded, filled up, something deep within me is satisfied like no where else on earth. Los Angeles is like a dream when I'm there, like a bad TV mini series I recall with nostalgia, like "Dallas!" Its somewhat unreal to me and it seems I could slip back into life there in Ireland and never miss the newer one I've been living for over a decade.
Yet I return and take up where I left off. I am in touch with family weekly. I'm OK with this situation even if sometimes I yearn to be there again.
I remember one of my goals in leaving all that was familiar so long ago, was to make a friend of all people, to be a citizen of earth. I felt so dependent on the few back then, which seemed to me to be limiting. I felt vulnerable to loss and fear.
It seemed if I could know, that I can depend on the kindness of strangers, develop a network of diverse friends and essentially trust in the goodness of people I would be free. I am a great believer in our interdependence as a species, even as society encourages us to become so independently isolated. One example is cell phones. Yes we are connected to those in our network and if our car breaks down how great is it to call someone we can trust.
I love my cell phone for such an occasion. But wouldn't you know, when I needed it recently in just such a situation, the battery had run down! So I was forced to rely on the kindness of strangers and pleasantly I found that kindly stranger. I like having faith in humankind. I feel free when I don't live in fear, its a friendly place this world I live in. I like believing this even with all the fear mongering that goes on today. People, be they Muslim, Catholic, American, Armenian, French or Irish are intrinsically good. Lets not let the few who act badly dictate our behaviour or beliefs or limit us. I'm here for you, are you there for me?
