A Walk
a poem byRainer Maria Rilke
Already my gaze is upon the hill, the sunny one,
at the end of the path which I've only just begun.
So we are grasped, by that which we could not grasp,
at such great distance, so fully manifest—
and it changes us, even when we do not reach it,
into something that, hardly sensing it, we already are
;a wave appears, echoing our own wave . . .
But what we sense is the falling winds.
Rainer Maria Rilke
I love this piece. To me it brings forth so much...
The prize at the end of a journey, in this case the sunny hill, I liken to the fruits at the end of a life... the serenity and comfort of feeling you have done a good job, made an impact and made a difference (even if only for a limited amount of people). We want this so much, like a carrot dangled before a mares nose.... always elusive and out of reach. To us it seems that others have it and watching them move through their lives it is abundantly clear and seems like soemthing which can truly be had. But speak to those people and you will see that the thing which we, as humans, want so much is not within them either, but they desire it as well. Just as the mountain looks so majestic and intact from a distance when you are standing upon it it is simply a slope and bears the wounds of mining and rockslides as any other mountain does, not as whole as one thought from looking at it from afar. The illusion of perception and the tricks it plays upon us can be devilishly devious . To compare oneself with another is a fools game, one without any satisfaction in the playing, yet it is played (and heartily) day in and day out.
I feel that the human experience is one of greatness. That each of us is extraordinary in an ordinary way. That we have the ability to triumph over any obsticle and simply have to come to a place within ourself to be called to it. To be changed into what we already are....to be brought into our greatness; as the mountain changed Reilke into what he already was (but didnt know it).
The existance of the mountain stirs something within Reilke and that stirring mirrors something which he knew already as his own, as an intrinsicly personal thing. This 'communication' brings him to a place where he can take it anywhere... and yet, as a simple human, he dismisses it as the breeze blown by the winds.... and therefore has an opportunity to not act upon his own greatness.
Being human bears great responsibility, for ones self and for humanity in general. We are not individuals living our lives (as we like to think) but a communal animal which has ostricized itself from others, removing iteself from the comfort and support of people. Everything we do, everything we eat, drink and speak has weight and impact on another. We fool ourselves into thinking that we are within our rights to do as we please... 'we are hurting no one else'. Does the application of chemicals on your lawn (which makes the, non native, grass look so lush and green) not have an impact on the water table and the soil in the neighboring yards? does that chemical cocktail not travel down the stream to the pond? Do the fish not swim in it? does the bird not eat the fish? Something as simple as our desire to have a 'perfect' green lawn has great impact on others... both human and not. Multiply that by thousands and miliions and the effects are echoed over the world. There was a day (I hear) when people thought of community and their 'brothers' I dont see this as a whole. Oh sure, there are pockets of community... but when we leave them we become individuals again. Its a sad state and one for which I have no answer, or at this time even a proposal..... but it is something I see.... with the big green eyes of mine.
