Things That Resound (Part I): Intro

A thing resounds when it rings true

Ringing all the bells inside of you

Like a golden sky on a summer's eve

Your heart is tugging at your sleve

And you cannot say why

-Andrew Peterson, More

As I wrapped up the "chronicles" of my journey thus far, I struggled to identify the most appropriate transition to my long-term plan for this project. Do I just dive right in? Do I start rambling on about whatever island I happen to pass, whatever fellow sailor I happen to meet? I could do that. It would probably be pretty boring.

So I thought again about what it was that I was really trying to do here. Why is it that I'm typing into this screen for this blog at this moment, rather than doing so for some other one? I enjoy writing. But why am I writing this? And why now?

I then came to the realization that these answers came down (as they often do) to the line of an Andrew Peterson song. In his album The Far Country, Peterson brings his audience time after time into an unyielding encounter with the reality and nature of death. True to form, his lyrics paint truth upon the canvas of the listener's heart. One encounters in his songs all that is most beautiful in both death and life- the sense of where we really are and where we're going. He concludes the record with a song called "More", in which he begins at a somber grave site and ends in the midst of our wildest dreams.

It struck me that a verse from this song (which I've included above) ultimately encapsulates what is likely a major impetus for my sitting here at this moment working on this particular project. You see, I really enjoy reading books. I start more than I finish- but I start a lot. The world is fascinating to me. You could give me a book about some obscure topic and (if I wasn't allowed to be distracted by the many stacks of other books sitting on my desk) I would most certainly find something within its pages that was interesting.

For that reason, my journey of leaving England hasn't been all hardship and struggle. It's been tough, no doubt, but even a lonely boat can encounter some incredible things. Having said that, after acquiring a certain amount of "knowledge", I began to recognize that there was a subtle distinction between certain types of knowing. Most languages, in fact, have multiple words for the verb we English-speakers simply refer to as "to know". For instance, in Spanish there is saber (to know a fact, or to know about) but there is also conocer (to know in the sense of  a relationship, to be familiar with, or even to know intimately). In More, I believe Peterson is referring to the latter when he sings about a "thing that resounds".

As we all know (you decide if this is an instance of saber or conocer), the world is not merely a collection of facts and pieces of information. Even at the most rudimentary level, there really is more. I don't yet fully recognize what more there is. But I'd be lying if I didn't say that I feel deep within me, even if just on occasion, the sense of ringing bells, golden skies, and tugging hearts. In the next series of posts, I hope to share a few of those "things that resound" which seem to have stayed with me no matter where I travel.