□ Placeholder: 01 — Hello World
Well, hello there!
How have you been?
If you're reading this dispatch — the first of its kind — there's a high chance that I added you personally to the list. If not, someone forwarded you this letter and I apologize. You can read more about it here.
It's been more than a month since my walk to Goecha La ended and I am still distilling what it meant to me. However, there’s one specific interaction that keeps playing in my head — time and again.
One of the many great things that come out of these long walks is the forming of new connections with other kind hearted souls. No matter how socially awkward or introverted you are, when you are subjected to extreme conditions where you suffer with other people, you find similarities and your shell breaks. Mine did too. And I found connections with a few other walkers from — truly — so many backgrounds, classes, rankings, geographies, who came from so many micro stories and philosophies. One of those gentle souls was about 50ish year young army professional — a doctor to be precise.
He ranked Brigadier in the army but he never introduced himself by it. I found about it when he didn’t intend to. We weren’t surprised that he was the fittest, most humble soul among us. Obviously, he had done more walks, expeditions and in general made himself go through utmost challenges than any of us. So while on one of those days when the walk was almost unbearable, and every step seemed like a thousand, I posed him this question: Why was he doing this? Making himself suffer on purpose, routinely, year after year? Why not simply be comfortable and base life around comfort? Is this asceticism useful at all?
He looked at me, smiling gracefully, and in response he quoted lyrics from a song that went something like:
> “I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail. I'd rather be a hammer than a nail. A man gets tied up to the ground he gives the world, its saddest sound.”
The song continues...
> I'd rather be a forest than a street. I'd rather feel the earth beneath my feet...
This is why.
The song is by Simon & Garfunkel, composed in the 70s and gave me a lot to think about. I am still contemplating and making sense of it and hope you will too.
Until next week,
K