Today, George showed us around Lindos and told us many interesting things that I was itching to write down. Alas, the lack of paper thwarted that dream; either way, Zach and I agreed that this guy should come with us everywhere. He told us stories (myth and legend) and history and everything we needed to know. A lot of it was related to where we were but he also gave us little gems of wisdom. Most of it related back to life and death. I'm paraphrasing here (again, no paper) but he said that the Greeks don't really care about time. They aren't constrained by it.
Fun fact that's relevant: they don't really celebrate birthdays and getting older (just name days. That's a story for another day.)
The ancient Greeks (and, perhaps, the current ones) seemed obsessed with the eternal and the immortal and being forever young. George made it sound like there is just living and that the concept of time does not matter. What I also found interesting was that he said that death is a gift. It helps us realize that, in the end, we all die. So instead of keeping track of time or becoming obsessed with how much time we have left, we should just live. We should appreciate life more because of death. It's a fragile gift and we only get one shot. There's no room for regrets. And in the end, we will die and that death will bring new appreciation to someone for life and how quickly it can be taken from us. We went to a cemetery back in Athens a couple days before we left for Rhodes. I had an earthshaking experience there and I went home feeling like a bag of bones rather than a human being. I can't pin point when exactly it happened but the cemetery made me vulnerable and mortal and I did not like this feeling. George changed that today.
For 20 days I have been without a cellphone to constantly check. At first it was weird to walk out of the apartment to class without that life line. For the first time in a long time I was depending on a watch to tell me the time. For the first time in a long time I did not have the luxury of contacting any and all of my friends with the touch of the "send" button. I haven't heard my mother's voice in 20 days. I forgot what my cellphone looked like after 3 weeks without it!
There were days when I forgot my watch on my desk and time seemed to disappear. It was those days in particular that I enjoyed the most. Perhaps it was because I was experiencing them as a Greek does, without worry of time. Living free, without any plans, a schedule, or time constraints is hard to get used to at first. When all I have to worry about it getting to one class on time, the rest of the day is measured in cups of coffee and city blocks. It's liberating to live this way. I am so grateful that my cellphone has been off since I left (I'm tempted to keep it off!) What would this trip have been if I was constantly texting and calling back to the states, back to reality? I do not think I would have had the opportunity to really listen to Greece with that lifeline burning through my pocket.
It's given me a new perspective. I was telling Austin today that if I could escape to a cabin in the middle of the woods that had no clocks and no connection to the outside world that those would be some of the best days of my life. Time wouldn't bind me anymore. Time would float in the background. Time would be a generous gift; suddenly I would have too much of it! And yet, time couldn't touch me. No rhythmic tick-tock would control when I eat and when I sleep. I would live free and without the stress of time on my shoulders. I would live like George, like a Greek.
And in the end I would die. But I would not resist and I would not fear death. A clock will not toll in the hour of my end. Death will come when it feels right and when I've gotten all I can out of life. It will take quite a bit for me to give in to the darkness; I won't go without a fight. When I do go, it will be because I want to.
Much love from Rodos,
Christine
Fun fact that's relevant: they don't really celebrate birthdays and getting older (just name days. That's a story for another day.)
The ancient Greeks (and, perhaps, the current ones) seemed obsessed with the eternal and the immortal and being forever young. George made it sound like there is just living and that the concept of time does not matter. What I also found interesting was that he said that death is a gift. It helps us realize that, in the end, we all die. So instead of keeping track of time or becoming obsessed with how much time we have left, we should just live. We should appreciate life more because of death. It's a fragile gift and we only get one shot. There's no room for regrets. And in the end, we will die and that death will bring new appreciation to someone for life and how quickly it can be taken from us. We went to a cemetery back in Athens a couple days before we left for Rhodes. I had an earthshaking experience there and I went home feeling like a bag of bones rather than a human being. I can't pin point when exactly it happened but the cemetery made me vulnerable and mortal and I did not like this feeling. George changed that today.
 |
| Cemetery; even wisdom finds a place here |
There were days when I forgot my watch on my desk and time seemed to disappear. It was those days in particular that I enjoyed the most. Perhaps it was because I was experiencing them as a Greek does, without worry of time. Living free, without any plans, a schedule, or time constraints is hard to get used to at first. When all I have to worry about it getting to one class on time, the rest of the day is measured in cups of coffee and city blocks. It's liberating to live this way. I am so grateful that my cellphone has been off since I left (I'm tempted to keep it off!) What would this trip have been if I was constantly texting and calling back to the states, back to reality? I do not think I would have had the opportunity to really listen to Greece with that lifeline burning through my pocket.
 |
| Only the sun let me know when the day was coming to a close |
And in the end I would die. But I would not resist and I would not fear death. A clock will not toll in the hour of my end. Death will come when it feels right and when I've gotten all I can out of life. It will take quite a bit for me to give in to the darkness; I won't go without a fight. When I do go, it will be because I want to.
Much love from Rodos,
Christine
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