Ruminating on Rumi

There are periods of time when I just can't get thoughts out of my head. Sometimes it's to the point that I find it hard to focus on other tasks. Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's just today. The thoughts are mainly preoccupations with living, justice and analyzing the meaning of a collective Canadian identity. Today it's about living. In Payam Akhavan's lecture series, "In search of a better world"(part of the 2017 CBC Massey Lectures), he begins with a reflection on a quote from the ancient Persian poet, Rumi:

                  

     "The wound is the place where light enters you." Crystal Crescent Beach, N.S   08.'17

After hearing this line, I immediately illustrated it in my mind and remembered a photo I had taken during a hike with my brother, Jude. Every time I hike, walk or ride, I visit wounds. This photo reminds me of the threatened light in wounds. Both forces are present. The pain and (the hope of) healing. Simultaneously. The will to survive and have hope can be darkened so quickly. This tug-of-war can be likened to the personality of the Atlantic ocean as we experience it in Nova Scotia. The ocean cycles through many intense states but always steadies itself beautifully. That fierce, icy blueness makes the rugged land brighter somehow. I think the wound is the place where light enters us. It's a continuous choice though to recognize and accept that guest.