During this period (the first few days of the trip) I was practically possessionless, save for my camera, some cash, towel, and of course, my passport, all of which I had luckily kept in my rucksack, which I still had with me. Other than that, I had no other change of clothes whatsoever. I even had to ask the organisers for a toothbrush, which they quickly and kindly provided.
Hishaam, an endearing Jerusalemite who kindly drove us from the airport to our accommodation agreed to look into retrieving my suitcase from the airport, and I left with him my most valuable possession; my passport.
Unfortunately, upon his enquiring at the airport regarding my suitcase, he was given no information as he was told the person themselves would have to turn up.
Nevertheless, a few days later I had finally managed to reach the department responsible via email. To my relief, they did have my suitcase and invited me to come and collect it.
I went with our driver, Hishaam - a shrewdly talkative Jerusalemite - to the airport. Our drive proved quite insightful as we conversed on a number of topics. After some rather extended, but smoothly-running security checks, I was finally reunited with my suitcase. During this process, I felt a general level of suspicion and skepticism in the atmosphere. It was nice, that despite any perceived mistrust, me and a light hearted employee were able to rise above it all and share smiles.
Hishaam still had to pick up his group who were headed to Jordan. This was another humanitarian group. We drove towards the Jordanian-Palestine border and I was dropped off at a deserted car park surrounded by nothing but endless desert whilst Hishaam dealt charmingly with border control.
Here I was, in the middle of nowhere, with literally nothing except the clothes on my back, once again. I stared at the seemingly endless sand and arid landscape, contemplating what I suddenly realised to be an unambiguous metaphor of life; the desert.
At that moment, what the desert symbolised to me was as clear as the sky above it. There is meaning behind what the eye sees outwardly. Yet it is the heart that somehow knows. You see, what had once been a thriving, lush landscape, had now all turned to dust. So too, will everything we know, itself eventually crumble and disintegrate, and all that will be left is dust. Everything that we own. Everything that we so prize and in which we place so much importance. All our so called possessions in life, which we will leave behind the moment we depart from this world. This simple truth befriended me amicably during this moment.
The question remains then; what is the deepest truth. Where then, do we pay attention the most in our lives. Or perhaps the question isn't necessarily where, but what; what does everything we do in life symbolise? The clothes we wear, the things we buy, the work we do. Our behaviour. What is the meaning behind all of it? What is the meaning behind all of this? What is the meaning? What will our legacies represent? This meaning is to be found in the truth of nature, not the veil of nature. It needs only to be discovered, understood...
I stood out there in the sun for the best part of an hour as Hishaam went through the arduous process of dealing with the security at those borders. The scorching sun shone very highly in the sky, and I stood in reverie.
After Hishaam finally came back to collect me. We spent the rest of the journey back to Abu Dis conversing about different matters concerning life, death, relationships. I was very grateful for the stories and wisdom he imparted.
This episode served as a profound reminder to me as to what was important; the wonderful people around me and the experiences I was given the opportunity of sharing with them. Self reflection and self honesty in regards to ones inner state and true intentions. A true awareness of the contexts that we happen to find ourselves in, and sincerity in seeing the potential good with view of how we could help shape a beautiful future that befits this blessed land.
Looking back, losing my suitcase was a huge blessing. It helped me to see that many things with which we are excessively occupied are mere secondary matters. That the love; the true beauty that is hidden within us is what we really need to search for.
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