So this entry has been long due.
Came back from Barcelona completely hungover on Gaudi , Picasso, the sea , and all the love this city radiates.
For us, travelling in Europe has always required some amount of planning (since we always want to use only public transport, not waste money /food / resources, eat vegetarian food, observe and learn, not rush things but rather soak in cultures and the tiny details of any place ); as against in India where all we needed to do was book our train tickets in advance . The cost of impromptu journeys is Massive here , and results in a lot of guilt if aimless wandering is involved. This trip however saw minimum planning – no campsites researched since we were staying in a hostel, no camping gear prepared, no food/utensils/ spices packed since we were flying with only cabin baggage, no research on local festivals/ culture / art – went ahead with just the excitement of Picasso, Gaudi, the sea and the unknown.
This was also the first time we took a flight here in Europe, and it has weighed down heavily on our conscience for we firmly believe that our wants should not be fulfilled at the expense of nature. And hence we do not intend to do so again. We constantly struggle with this criterion every step of the way in life – food, shelter, clothing, knowledge , our dreams. We aim to restrict our wants to our basic needs, and to live simply and mindfully
One of the highlights of this trip was my accidental interaction with a group of elderly gentlemen on the very first day at Plaça de Tetuan. I love conversing with and observing old people; they have so many stories to share, so much wisdom to impart. I generally have a lot of fun with them. This particular group of gentlemen was playing what they told me later – a french sport called Petanque. They were all extremely friendly, very keen to share details about themselves, telling us more about the sport, so very curious about us, and quite excited about posing in-front of the camera 🙂 They were very warm people, so warm that my eyes are welling up as I type this.
One very interesting thing was this magnet which they were carrying so that they did not have to bend to pick up the balls, I think its extremely smart and thoughtful.
I do not see elderly people play sport in India, i wonder why.
To be around fun old people feels to me like being around kids . I took a lot back from this experience, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside 🙂
prayaas 
Are we not a part of nature itself?
Not in our unnatural state I think , in our natural state , yes 🙂
My thoughts on this resonate with what osho says – ‘man has left nature and has created an artificial world of his own’
Hmm, very interesting point. I get what youre saying. So if you could do anything, you may try to go back to the days of bedouins and wanderers?
interesting question. Well , I think not a wanderer maybe, coz I think man wandered in search of shelter, food, water – basic needs. Somewhere along the line we stopped wandering and settled. And with time , our basic needs evolved – education, financial responsibilities, healthcare, social equality, freedom ; these being some of the needs that have been added . If I look at nature, I feel nature has not imposed these needs on us for survival, we have. Over and above these needs , we have our ‘wants’ arising from various factors. But when I say unnatural state, i am referring to the state of greed, of ego, of power, of hate, of selfishness. When I am with nature, I am always humbled , always feel love, always feel blessed to see how much she gives. When i say natural state, I refer to a state which is one with nature.Eg .nature treats us equally, but we do not, and hence social freedom and equality have become our needs..Something we already had abundantly, we turned into something we need.
I get what youre saying here. I would say instead, though, that God created us to live with and care for each other, to put the needs of all first before our own selfish desires. Yet, because we are flawed, we seek our own gratification and rarely find motivation to seek the greater good. This is an animal instinct, to take care of number one, an instinct that Jesus calls us to combat. 😊 thats my perspective. I also love and find such peace and awe in looking at God’s creation. 😊 Thanks for the conversation, i love hearing your perspective.
🙂 I too enjoyed discussing this with you . I think what you refer to as Jesus, and I as nature are one and the same – something much bigger, more beautiful than anything we know, something that guides us to be our truest, purest versions 🙂
appreciate your taking out time to ponder over this .