Seeing the world through glittering eyes is no longer a walk in the park for the spiritual optimist. There is such a lack of awe these days; so little wonder. Our society has successfully stripped itself of most of its metaphysical marvels. Yet, magic prevails everywhere for those who still seek to find it. Despite our cynical age of scientific skepticism, techno-futurism and neo-draconian politics, the mystical and miraculous continues to endure in the hearts and minds of those who choose to believe.
I have also found it engraved on the love locks attached to fences, gates and bridges in Paris, Rome, London and Madrid… the keys thrown away to set the intention of everlasting, unbreakable love.
Yes, I have witnessed this unyielding belief in something greater than ourselves in many weird and wonderful places. The most memorable recent example was a Spaniard named Pablo, who builds sandcastles for a living on the beaches of Southern Europe. I encountered him near the Faro de Maspalomas lighthouse in Gran Canaria some weeks ago. “Never allow others to destroy your freedom of self-expression,” he told me in no uncertain terms. |
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