On Monday, October 19, we traveled to Glymur, which is the tallest waterfall in the entire country of Iceland. Throughout our time in this spectacular country, we have seen a myriad of inspiring natural wonders. By far, however, this hike was (one of the) most incredible and moving places that I have seen thus far. For the duration of the entire hike, I was struck by the pure beauty of unspoiled nature that seems to be customary in every part of Iceland’s waterfalls, mountains, volcanoes, and glaciers. While we were walking up the side of the mountain to get to our destination, I used that time to engage in introspection and contemplation of all that I have seen and felt throughout this experience.
At the beginning of the hike, I reflected on one of my favorite quotes: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” These proverbial words from the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. mean a lot to me — specifically, I am encouraged by this phrase. During the first half of the hike, up until we got to the spot that we ate lunch at, I continued to try to put this quote in the context of everything which I have seen and all of the things which I have learned of as a result of the CELL program’s curriculum, our trips, and being engaged in the Solheimar Ecovillage community.
First and foremost, I came to the conclusion that I am still very much in the forming stages of my activism. Seeing examples of activists in Landvernd who know their aims and goals, and activists at Solheimar who perhaps are not even aware that they are activists (i.e. the staff who works with the home people), has been transformative for me. Of course, I have met activists before, but I can sense a passion and desire to always reach further for principles of equality, justice, and peace in the hearts and souls of all activists that we have encountered. Additionally, I thought about the types of questions I would have asked Birgitta Jonsdottir, since we planned to meet with her this past week, concerning her experience in the Icelandic system of politics.
Perhaps the most memorable part of this hike, in my opinion, was the location at which we had lunch. Seeing both the top of the waterfall and its “end” — but does the waterfall ever really end? — in the only place that we could see these from, was moving in a way that I struggle to describe with words. I felt an overwhelming sense of incredulousness at how we can always look back at our accomplishments and the mistakes that we have made, in addition to being able to look up and wonder where we are going, how to get there, and maybe even if we wish to go elsewhere instead. Obviously, plans do not always work out, and so at times we must shift our adventure elsewhere. Life lessons can be garnered from a textbook, but they can also be obtained through observing a waterfall and looking within.
“Sjaldan er ein báran stök.” (There seldom is a single wave.) – Icelandic Proverb
– Andrew Siva