The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker (4)
I was really skeptical about the way some things were handled during the course but, in the end, I must say I benefited from it. Although there are still two days left I don’t think the list of my teaching hints will change dramatically. They may be truisms for you but this is what I found really useful.
Don’t be caterer but challenger.
Restriction is a powerful tool.
If you are bored with old things, turn them inside out or take them to extreme.
Literature generates creativity.
CLIL and TBT could be blended into projects.
Get moving images back to life through news and ads.
Silence, please.
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker (3)
You come to the shore and what you see is mirrored in a sheet of water. The correspondence between the water and the world gives you the chance to compare the two. You won’t capture the images but getting into the water, and so getting wet might be an unforgettable awakening.
I think I know which way to go now…
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker (2)
You keep telling yourself: a pack-rat intellect won’t make a good pilgrim of you. Isn’t it what we do? Don’t we try to sort out our thoughts so that the final meeting with the absolute could be more fruitful? Yes, we do, but we also could get lost in the act of preparation as we look for some kind of scaffolding to climb on and believe that all those medieval relics will help us keep walking: the scrap of St David’s cloak, the cheek bone of St Margaret’s face, St George’s liver, the fragment of St Thomas’ skull… A weir collection, isn’t it? Even if they are real, no one will let you put them in your own pocket. If they are meagre fakes, you’ve been fooled. What you sometimes need is your empty hands and pockets as well. Keep your eyes wide open because you never know when you can stumble upon something valuable. If it doesn’t belong to anybody… finders keepers…
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker (1)
The above-mentioned title has nothing to do with the book by Alan Sillitoe… or maybe it has…
A pilgrim is the one who knows the place of destination whereas a tramp would never know where he will fall asleep next time. However, their walks of life are completely different. What is in common between the two is that they usually walk. The former would walk for he is a modest human, the latter would do the same as he lacks not only money.
While walking, you give yourself a great opportunity to scrutinize the surrounding. The details seem to be more distinct as what was blurred before in the rush of a day becomes a new spot of your interest.
It is entirely up to you whether you’ll take the advantage or not, whether you’ll become a pilgrim or a wanderer.
If you would like to start your pilgrimage, you have to get rid of things that are too heavy to carry with you. You have to make choice. Throwing something away might not necessarily be a waste.