A Philosopher’s Adventure #2
Episode #2 - Everything New is Beautiful. Everything New Has Potential
In the opening shot, we see the view of nature as it is shutting down for the coming winter. We see Martin close his front door and stroll on a nature walk. He stops to look over the valley; the music is perfect yet again. The visual of seeing someone take the time to leave behind the long list of things to do and appreciate what is around them. We set up our lives to be weighed down by our collection of tasks and things. When we set up our lives to be compatible with the action of appreciating what’s around us, we are free from the weight that is the stuff of life.
“It doesn’t have to be finished; it needs to work for what I need right now.”
When Martin clears the walking area and steps between the cabins, we learn a wonderful lesson. Cleaning an area doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to work for what you need at this time. In this case, he is clearing the area so he can move between the cabins. What are the things in my life that could use a little bit of tidying effort that would benefit the other aspects of my life?
“Oh, that’s the Coffee.”
Martijn talks about the trees in the area and the management he is thinking about as he starts living in this space. One of the trees is growing in front of a door. On a larger scale, there are younger trees that have been growing that he decided to cut down, but he says there are older trees that he has kept. “If you let this place grow, it will turn back into a forest,” he tells us. That reality, combined with the conscious effort to cut back what is needed but not cut down everything, is refreshing to see as the default in another human being. The explanation is interrupted by a wonderfully human moment when the coffee starts to burble. “Oh, that’s the coffee,” he says and runs into the cabin to pour his beverage. The expression and the casual toss to the ground of the tool he was using is very human to me. It feels authentic, and small moments like this make me believe everything else we see as this story is told. Even the tossing of this tool and the way he treats his tools over time. They are meant to be used, and they are living just as tough a life as he is in the mountains. I identify with the idea that “that which is meant to be used should be used.” This is just another connection I see of myself within the story in these videos.
The Long Arm of Bureaucracy
Something that pops up several times during this journey (Episode #104 releases tomorrow as of this writing) is the permit requirements that go with this project. Two people from the local government discussed with Martijn what to do with the space. The vibe they bring is so far off from the vibe of the journey, but it’s part of the journey that is required. It’s so conflicting because they bring up a good point: living in a seismically active region of Italy, they want the walls to be safe for the next building owner. There are safety standards that benefit everyone. I don’t like the word they use, “impossible,” and it’s not precisely the word itself but the tone used. It feels like the government is in the building to say no. Why are discussions like this not centered around the “good idea” and possible solutions to make the vision come to life? Maybe the vision won’t work, and perhaps the reasons are outlined in the final report. The structure we have established as a species for these kinds of conversations is “no” based rather than how to make the vision a reality. To their credit, they do say that you need at least a meter of space between the door and the window Martijn is talking about. Again, I’m glad this hasn’t played that large a role throughout what I’ve watched.
Strong Walls for Now and the Future
In summation from meeting with the Geometra, we learn that the cabin’s walls are sound. Martijn can do all the work himself because he will not change that structure. It’s great for the story to be told. I’m interested in the idea of what walls we are building for ourselves and how we make them strong enough for those who rely on or will come to rely on the walls we build. This will require some thought, but health is one of our walls. To some extent, income is one of our walls, but I think that concept is going through a rapid evolution these days. I think there are a lot of people who are realizing that we are working for the betterment of company value rather than the betterment of our fellow humans. I think the wall of income will always be there, but the materials used to build and support that wall will see some changes over the coming decades.
Find Rest in Your Day
I’ve been trying to make this part of my daily routine where I’m taking the rest I need to do all the other things I want to do with my time. Martijn takes lots of breaks during this journey, and they are all different. There are many breaks to appreciate what he can see from his home. There are other breaks where he walks the mountain. Some of his breaks take him to different parts of the world. Not only do we see the act of taking a break, but we also hear the surroundings in a nice quiet moment. Even within this video, which is entertaining for the audience, we are treated to our own moment to breathe. Ironically, as I’m writing that last sentence, YouTube puts a bright and loud ad in front of me, interrupting the flow.
Taking time to rest and be in your space is a moment to reflect on why we are where we are. This is a difficult task to find time for in the more common version of our world. However, seeing the example play out in front of us is a lovely reminder that it is possible, and the benefits can be tangible.
The Oscar for Best Supporting Character
We travel with Martijn to Johannes’ cabin. This is the “Austrian Neighbor” referred to in episode 1. He is a gentle soul, a good friend, and a great neighbor. Martijn demonstrates that he has a lot of skills and lives a very independent life, but Johannes will show over time that having a support system nearby goes a long way to making life livable. We will talk more about him over time. I like having him as a character in the story being told. I think he demonstrates the value of friendship and how much can be accomplished in a small group of similarly motivated individuals.
A good view of where we are starting this journey
Outro
In the outro, we learn that Martijn has been sleeping in the valley because it was getting so cold at night. Add that to the list of lessons we can take from this story. Sleep is important to fuel all of this work. There is a long way to go but there is a smile we see on his face when he looks around the walls of his cabin that I find to be heartwarming. There is a vision in his head of what the cabin will look like and he is making that happen. I am happy for him and I hope that you and I can take lessons away from his journey that will help us along in our own.
Thanks for reading, see you next time.
CHR;)
