According to William Shakespeare “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” (Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Scene 2).
Is that really true?
If it was called something really horrible like “Deadly Gangrene” would we consider it’s smell to be so attractive?
The smell of rotting flesh is often described as “cloyingly sweet” or “sickly sweet”.
We don’t normally associate words like “sweet” with death but there you have it.
So, on the question of the impact of a name, Danita has been saying that since we are now settled I’ll have to stop writing about “the adventures of an urban nomad”.
According to her we are no longer nomads.
Is that true?
Toward the end of our house-sitting phase (a stage of life which lasted five and a half years) we were in one house for 18 months.
Because it was someone else’s house we viewed that time as a pleasant respite from being constantly on the move.
We still regarded ourselves as nomads during that time.
In October we moved into our current house.
If we use the measure of time in one location we haven’t yet broken our house-sitting record so could still be regarded as nomads.
Alternatively, if we use the fact that we are living with our own possessions (still a very special treat after more than five years separation) then perhaps we are a bit more settled.
Dictionary.com defines “nomad” as;
1.
a member of a people or tribe that has no permanent abode but moves about from place to place, usually seasonally and often following a traditional route or circuit according to the state of the pasturage or food supply.
2.
any wanderer; itinerant.
We certainly meet some of those criteria:
“No permanent abode”
Our “abode” appears to be permanent but since we are renting we really are living at the whim of someone else.
While we have a lease it only gives us certainty for a short time (if that, since a lease can be terminated if the owner really wants to).
Even people who own their homes can find themselves moving for all sorts of reasons; lifestyle, work, unemployment, natural disaster, politics – the list is endless.
Also, while we now have a central base, each weekend we are visiting new parts of the island we now live on.
Hence, you could say we “move about from place to place”.
OK I admit I’m being a bit pedantic here and probably stretching the definition beyond any recognisable state.
However, the question still stands – are we still nomads?
Indeed, who of us can say with ABSOLUTE certainty that we will never move away from our current location?
Probably no-one.
And so we should all see ourselves as nomads.
From a spiritual perspective we certainly are.
If you accept the view expressed by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin; “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” then what does that mean for the permanence of anything in our lives?
Basically, there is no such thing as permanence.
So, from that perspective we are all nomads.
As spiritual beings (which are eternal) we have a relatively brief sojourn in this world.
Like nomadic tribes, we may return to the same locations many times, across a single or indeed multiple lives.
My view is, this is a very important phase in planetary evolution and there are a specific group of souls who keep coming back at important times to assist in the process.
These periods correspond with the changing of the astrological ages, currently Pisces to Aquarius.
If you’ve had the experience of meeting someone where there seemed to be a real soul connection, who you feel you’ve met somewhere before but it isn’t possible in this lifetime, you may know what I mean.
Then again, this may all be nonsense and I could be on, what my business partner Andy, refers to as “who’s been smoking what?”
It suits me to agree with Pierre.
So, I’ll continue to write as an “urban nomad” because, even though in the strict sense of the word I’m becoming a bit more settled, ultimately I think a nomadic mind-set means you can be less attached.
And, as the Buddha has pointed out, “attachment is the source of all suffering”.
So perhaps, by developing a nomadic mindset, we can all become a little less attached and enjoy our lives just that little bit more.