Clouds move swiftly through a sky filled with many shades of gray. The energy of autumn is palpable here in the northeast of Switzerland. Cows are being led back down the mountain after months of grazing at higher altitudes, which they must certainly enjoy more than the life in confined stalls on the small farms where they spend most of the year.
Friends and I continue to walk in the hills and mountains, swim in rivers and streams, and discover new paths through the Alpstein area, which never ceases to offer its intense presence to us. Though human beings have settled in this area for many centuries, Nature is still obviously the master of Appenzell. Weather changes are rapid. We leave the house prepared for rain, sun, cold, heat, and a swim. We are blessed so far to gradually gain strength and endurance which allows us to go higher and further. Neither my wife nor myself measure our steps or our time. We are sensing deeper pleasure in our inner life, a deeper relationship to our area, and perhaps some of its mysteries are revealing themselves as we spend more time here.
What gratitude we feel for the opportunity to unravel some of Nature’s mysteries and unravel our own innermost life in this life!
In my recent travels to the United States, I could taste again just how wondrous Nature reigns. We had our fill of desert and beach in Southern California and forest and ocean in the Northwest. Of course, the mountains are high and mighty there as well. Eagles, large deer, seals, otter, and even a large owl were visitors along our path, and none of them needed to run or fly away quickly upon meeting us. The harmonious dynamic of Nature in such grandeur is a great gift to encounter.
Another aspect of America is also great: the people. Through talks with family members and old friends, I could confirm that America has many outstanding, intelligent, loving people to encounter. And at the same time, it is indeed apparent that stress, controversy, alienation, and fear are on the rise, and no one expects things to improve soon. We sensed that politics and strong social swings are disrupting the flow and harmony people are used to.
Back here in Switzerland, we recently hosted a retreat attended by ten people. One of the participants is a refugee from the Ukraine. He is a talented artist named Basil. Basil has a deep interest in art and Zen Buddhist practice. But life and the pure heart of human beings are what interest him most. His own heart is heavy with all that has happened in his home country. He left because he did not want to kill another person. His flight from the Ukraine is an amazing story of perseverance. Gangs of men were hovering around his neighborhood and literally arresting them into the military. In order to avoid this fate, he walked nine days through wild forest to get into Romania. Great dangers were involved, physically and psychologically. He arrived in Switzerland with almost nothing but a few clothes. He is a very caring, intelligent guy. He is able to start a new life here, and I am sure he will have success as a person and as an artist.
Basil spoke to me about his experience of leaving the Ukraine. He had goals. He wanted to live in peace and harmony. He knows their value. He has some contentment at the moment, because these things are possible for him now. While he still follows the daily news of drone strikes and political stagnation which are costing many lives, he recognizes what it is to exist in a place where the battle for survival is not a primary difficulty. Here, one has to earn some money, sure, but Basil can receive support until he has learned German well and can even study if he wants. He has been treated decently.
Basil is an amazing example of a human being who knows horrible conflict and yet is willing to make incredible efforts to find harmony and peace for himself and the world around him. I am happy that he has received support from this society, because it shows that if a local community is able to support people who must leave their homelands, help them assimilate and cultivate their lives, it creates a greater trust in those virtues of peace and harmony, even in people who know very well the sound of bombs and bombers moving in the sky over their head.
Americans do not have bombs flying in their skies. But America is a country in conflict. Gangs are collecting people on the streets, much like in the Ukraine. It seems right now that most Americans have much less confidence in the possibility of human beings living together well than Basill does at the moment, even with the horrors he has known firsthand. He loves his people, but he loves life enough to sacrifice being there so he can cultivate his heart and mind, share his talents, and not kill others in a war that has meant only destruction and pain to his countrymen.
Walking in the mountains here in Switzerland with Basil, I see him smile more and more. I think I will take more walks with Basil through the green valleys and up the steep slopes of this idyllic place. One can see quite far from the peaks here. With our hearts in tune with each other and with the powerful silence of massive stone under our feet, we will keep looking at the USA and the Ukraine. We will never ignore the place and people we left, or the escalating violence and devastation there. But the silence of the Alpstein and the granderous Säntis mountain call us to listen within. Words like peace, pure heart, and harmony fall away. They are unnecessary. But they may be needed again soon.