December 2022

Excess Baggage

It's only a couple of years since COVID forced me to head back from India with all my worldly goods as excess baggage. 

I had been offered the opportunity to rent almshouse accommodation in a Victorian retirement home, set in beautiful gardens near Lincoln Cathedral, well within  earshot of the cathedral bells. 

I had lifetime tenancy, until the day when sombre men-in-black would wheel me out of my picturesque cottage, horizontal and feet-first. But that's not quite true, because I had forgotten that God chuckles when mere humans make plans.

Little more than a year passed when my daughter learned of an opportunity for me to live less than a mile from the family in rural Oxfordshire. This would be a novel experience for me, compared to the wide distribution of my other offspring in Canada, the USA, Amsterdam and Hong Kong. As the digits on the calendar progressed relentlessly, I was beginning to realise that my travelling days would soon be curtailed by the harsh reality of my age. With that sad reality in mind,  I decided to plan at least one more trip to India, while I was still fit enough to travel.

I'll not be taking any excess baggage on this flight. Just one presentable outfit, some tee-shirts, Crocs and a couple of lungis, - the South Indian version of a sarong.  I'm heading back first to Bangalore, to keep in touch with the kids whose education is subsidised by my charity "Escape from Poverty." Then I'm taking a break to make a private retreat at my ashram in Tamil Nadu. I know that will give me an opportunity to do some serious writing without worrying about the cost of keeping warm through the winter.

2022 has been a hellish year for just about everyone. Management, whether economic or political, has been weak and feeble from Westminster to the Kremlin, and from Washington to Brussels. Regardless of the language of the people, or the colour of their politics, there has been a near-total, global lack of leadership. In Britain, the deaths in the royal family have shaken public faith in long-held traditions, that will never again be what they were throughout the 20^th century.  

I decided I wanted to take a step back, and try to gain a broader perspective on Life. I wanted to look at where I am, and attempt to draw together the different themes of my 70-plus years on the planet.

With some trepidation, I tackled the process of an Indian visa application and, after investigating both travel regulations and my own health limitations, I decided I would return to India for a couple of months early in 2023. I wanted to keep in touch with the 15 children whose Primary and Secondary education are subsidised by the registered charity I set up a few years ago, and I wanted to take time for a personal retreat at the monastery/ashram of which I am a secular member.

Our modern Western society doesn’t generally invest much time and effort in retreat and reflection, but my early adult years were in the Hippy era, when all the rules and conventions were being rewritten. As mass media became deafeningly loud, many people realised that solitary silence might be an alternative that was worth serious investigation.

A decade ago – in 2013 -  I experimented with the idea, by supporting a 24/7:10-day vigil in Lincoln Cathedral. Mostly, I was alone with my laptop in the silence of the night, learning the power of reflection and meditation, and indulging myself by scribing many pages that explored my wandering thoughts.

On visits to South India in subsequent years, I frequently took the opportunity to sit in silent reflection at Saccidananda Ashram Shantivanam. This ashram was developed in the 1960s by the English monk, Bede Griffiths. Although it is linked to the Roman Catholic, Camaldolese Benedictine order, it maintains a multi-faith doctrine, with liturgy drawn from all the major religious traditions. It has roots in Vatican Two, the international gathering in the 60s, which discarded several of Rome’s long-standing claims of the exclusivity of Catholic spirituality, and initiated an ongoing exchange of ideas between world religions, welcoming visitors of all faiths and none.

Over the years I have made several bold decisions to do something different with my life. These choices were not always entirely wise, but each one delivered some important learning. Over the next three months I shall endeavour to continue to explore silence, and shall share my experience in these pages. The link will appear on Facebook, or will reach you by email if you are on my mailing list. (PM me if you’d like your email to be added.)

After the catastrophe that launched the present decade, I am excited about how the coming years will unfold. It is now time to take drastic decisions to ensure that we create a better future for ourselves, our descendants and the World.

Go on! I dare you! Make your mark on the world

Bob Harvey. Abingdon, December 2022

• Links:

• Building Blocks Pre-schools https://buildingblocksindia.org
• Escape from Poverty  https://escapefrompoverty.org.uk/
• Saccidananda Ashram Shantivanam   https://www.shantivanamashram.com
• Listening in Silence (blog site)  Bobharvey9.blogspot.com