Cri de Coeur

Luc is, with his paragliding equipment on his back, standing next to our car. Without any hesitation we say: ‘Get in the car’. We drive him and us up to a paragliding launch high and hard to reach in the French Alps. While driving up he gives us his phone number so he will drive us up later to collect our car again.

Exchange.

While flying we keep a bit an eye on each other and land more or less at the same time.

We are equal.

Basically that’s the same in the paragliding community all around the world. We help each other.

We exchange.

Together we try to leave our footprints as small as possible. And prevent damage to farmers or landowners. Respecting nature and the weather also means we see these forces as equal. No one places herself or himself above the other. The result is cooperation, liveliness and peace.

Making yourself bigger or smaller then others is the main source of conflicts, wars and power games. Seeing the other as bigger or smaller immediately brings up polarities, tearing the word apart. The systemic concept of order might at one hand bring a system in rest and security (I know my place) and at the other hand, this concept of order divides the world in better and worse, upper class and underdogs, superiority and nobodies.

Why is it so hard to see each other as equal?
To see other people, other religions, other cultures as equal?

Bert Hellinger introduced already the concept of ‘Love at second sight’: the other and the family and culture of the other are though different, of equal value as mine.

Love at second sight might be a key element for peace.

Why is it so hard to see each other as equal?
There must be a good systemic reason.
What do I have to give up in order to see others and nature as equal?
My ego?
The concept of ownership?
The concept of territory?
Wanting power?
Wanting more then others?
The right not to communicate?
The concept of ‘my’ group where I want to belong to?

Somehow the model of superior and inferior seems to prevail these times. The master and slave-model. Somehow we accept the consequences of conflict, war and genocide.

The price of giving up ego, clans, ownership seems to be too high ……

~ Jan Jacob

August 2024
Bank of the river Elb

Photo credits to Johan Seuren