Perhaps the itinerant monks called ‘Gyrovagues’ were especially responsible for promoting this view of our condition as eternal strangers. They journeyed ceaselessly from monastery to monastery, without fixed abode, and they haven’t quite disappeared, even today: it seems there are still a handful tramping Mount Athos. They walk for their entire lives on narrow mountain paths, back and forth on a long repeated round, sleeping at nightfall wherever their feet have taken them; they spend their lives murmuring prayers on foot, walk all day without destination or goal, this way or that, taking branching paths at random, turning, returning, without going anywhere, illustrating through endless wandering their condition as permanent strangers in this profane world.
About This Quote
Themes
- Art — Creativity, expression, and the role of art in society
- Beauty — Appreciating aesthetics, grace, and the sublime
- Freedom — The value of liberty, independence, and self-determination
- Nature — Appreciation for the natural world and our place within it
- Peace — The pursuit of harmony, reconciliation, and inner calm
- Philosophy — Deep thoughts on existence, knowledge, and the nature of reality
- Poetry — The art of language, rhythm, and emotional expression