I could have put it into an essay, a report, a video, a PPT presentation… but ultimately I spontaneously put it into a poem. It is not the best poem I’ve written, it’s more a concise list of impressions, still I hope you’ll like it… 🙂
These are my reflections from the visit of communities: Schloss Tempelhof, Schloss Glarisegg, Damanhur.
I arrived with the rising sun
greeted by laughter and love,
embraced by a sense of knowing
of what we are all about.
Beauty was vivid,
wisdom was lively,
singing was sweet,
stories were fun.
I soaked up the best of what
there was to see in people
and things, reflections and links,
the framework of friendship:
common purpose makes a community,
transparency is the basis of trust,
tasty food invigorates the body,
common meals are the axis of a hearty group,
creativity and art empower the soul,
feminine and masculine yearn for a balance,
recurrent activities are aided by rhythm,
whatever you take, give it back
in better shape than you got it,
rituals emphasize deep meaning,
abundance is fulfillment of needs,
clear rules of the game are foundation of safety,
avoid ballast — sooner or later it turns into burden,
details are crucial for overall impression,
to make it to any end you have to be persistent,
progressiveness is based on brave innovation,
the risk of rigid structure is coldness,
some things need to be established,
some agreed upon and some spontaneous,
leadership is a must — always in service to community,
the paradox of strong community is
that it is comprised of strong individuals,
the lesser the maturity the greater the need for structure,
tolerance paves the way to flexibility,
decisiveness makes determination possible,
real community is more than the sum of individuals,
real individuals are more than dissection of community.
Love is not blind, love is visionary,
we are the ones we’ve been waiting for!
