Tuesday morning on the A 48 – it is foggy in the Rhine valley and driving along the A 48 direction Trier it is a ride which reminds me on the life journey: Valleys full of mist and no view alternate with higher points of blue sky and sun – crispy looking colourful leaves on the trees signaling the change of seasons. It reminds me our journey of life, where dark, misty valleys take turns with sunny chapters full of laughter and joy; coming and going with sometimes a surprising speed and completely unexpected after the next bend.
And while contemplating this change of views I ask myself: With all the turns in life, who am I? Always when I travel, I have to fill so many different roles: Whenever I am coming home, I am automatically “child” again, son of my parents, brother to my sister. Meeting people while giving talks or workshops, I am an aids activist, or a priest on the left side of church spectrum, a fighter in the fields of HIV and AIDS for some, a fallen priest later rotting in hell for the right wing spectrum of Catholicism. I am a typical German for many South Africans – and a much too adopted South African for many Germans.
Who am I? What role of all these mentioned is the real Stefan? Or am I the person I see in my realities, the person, I see when I see myself in the mirror? Would those who praise or condemn me would do so, when they could bring all the pieces together, which makes me the person I experience day for day and week for week? Where do I put all the things happening in my deepest inner, all my dreams, desires, weaknesses, hopes and sorrows?
Sometimes I am not sure; but what I am sure about is that all who judge a person are terribly wrong because they only judge parts of someone and mix this up thinking it is the whole person. I know from myself that it is a life long journey to discover one self – so those who think they know it all about somebody else judge only themselves..
Amazing, how thoughts are floating to my mind while driving down the A 48 from Koblenz to Trier – more than enough food for thoughts to contemplate life and the person living it….
Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized, A 48, Koblenz, life, reflection, Trier
God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE 