The area around Mount Organise and Carice is a bowl of land. There are hills, but it is generally a plateau up around 1000 meters above sea level.
To escape from the jaws of this land without time, the roads are quite difficult. A slight rain and the roads become an inescapable river.
We got out and walked up part of the mountain while the truck went on.
The motorcycle to the left of the frame looks like it is laying down, but that’s just because it is standing vertical against the 30 degree slope.
But that was the worst of it, really. Most of the rest is just long first or second gear driving.
This is a part of Haiti that people don’t realize exists. This is the Haiti that the poets celebrate. Up on top of the mountains where the seasonal farmers have their huts and a horse is the best mode of transportation.
These are the places that inspire a guy to just wish that he could drop the world and live here for a little while.
Are human beings supposed to live without contact to the outside world?
Do the monks and philosopher hermits really have it right? Secluded in the most remote places on earth, they attempt to grow closer to whatever they deem to be Most High and to become one with the universe.
Is there wisdom to be found in seclusion or wisdom in being in the world and with the world? The Wise might tend a small garden to sustain themselves and go deep into their scriptures and studies. No distractions. The only outside contact is when someone seeks out the guru and makes the difficulty journey to sit at his feet.
Dedicated to a single mission, the wise man climbs his own mountain of self and seeks his higher power, just like the one who comes near to hear the wise man’s wisdom.
So, is the aim for everyone to climb and seek the one above you like the rungs of a ladder, always one ahead and one below? It seems as if it would be more effective to surround yourself with people who help each other. Maybe then, all can collectively lift each other up and an entire world can be enlightened together.
Cynical Me says: There will always be those who can’t handle that and attempt to scramble up the ladder and be the first, stepping on some in the process. But in the end, all who were scrambled over saw the one who scrambled… very little escapes those who do the work to have it taken from them in the end.
Maybe then, I should find the few that have a similar feeling and we make our pilgrimage together.
We climb the mountain, run the race, and tend the garden.
Stay tuned…
-Noah D.
