Big Waves in Nazaré.

1/02/2019, Nazaré, courtesy of Jerry Ascione.

     It is a premise of this blog that the restless sea holds a stunningly accurate mirror to the vagaries of human consciousness – a sea upon which we struggle to navigate here and there both in big ships and in our own little boats, while Catholics hope eventually to sail off into the Big Blue Beyond aboard the Barque of Peter. Meanwhile the waves roll this way and that, now peacefully lulling us, now jostling unpleasantly against each other, now exploding in collision with some stubborn rock.

    It is usually only the top of the waves that we actually see, with little clue of the power that lurks in them. As they roll along on the wide ocean, their power is concealed in the circulation beneath the surface. It is an interesting fact that deep down, like a wheel, the wave is actually rotating opposite to the direction of travel. Eventually that water comes back to the surface, unless the whole process is interrupted by land. Then we may see its power indeed, even if it's rather late to do anything constructive with it!

     The wave’ of fashionable ideas is supposed in the West to be that of liberalism. I find even in casual conversation with younger people, as encountered in the Nazaré Hostel and mainly here to look at the waves, a strong counter-current. I suppose it eases the anxiety within, to watch those waves crashing on the shore. Meanwhile a 30 year-old Frenchmen regrets that ‘we seem to be losing the ability to marry – when people come up against problems, they just walk away’, while a lady gynecologist states that ‘she has never met a woman, who has had an abortion, who does not regret it.’ What goes round come round, and let's hope this wave comes round sooner rather than later!

     The wave of Brexit seems to be in danger of smashing into a cliff, but however I would point to a very obvious, but apparently unrecognised, little channel that could just carry them past the rocks. The House of Commons has after all concluded that the only thing which is impeding Mrs May’s famous agreement now is that pesky Irish backstop to prevent a hard border in Ireland. All sorts of improbable solutions have been mentioned, but not the obvious one that is staring everyone in the face, namely to do away with the border altogether. Anyway it was only a gerrymander in the first place, as everyone knows, and there is now every possibility of a majority even in the Six Counties who would vote for reunity. After all the Six Counties voted very convincingly to stay in the EU. To have credibility, Ulster should comprise all the nine counties, and that should really be the basis of any vote.

     My 'go-to' for what's up in Westminster, John Grace in the Guardian, writes candidly and movingly about his own struggles with anxiety today. You should have a read of 'The Devastation of Human Life is in View' while you are there. Go towards your fear might help with anxiety, but to get over it, you do need to do something about it. Physical, practical things can help, but this is when they really do have to be meaningful, relating to the threat.

     Meanwhile, Alec is delighted to find a few miles of land between himself and the sea, while getting his workshop splendidly organised. The Porto de Abrigo was officially closed yesterday, for only the second time since it was constructed. It’s generally one of the very few harbours on this West coast of Portugal that doesn’t close in bad weather. I’m going home for a fortnight on Tuesday, and will be hoping to get stuck into the Anna M again when I come back.

     Some readers get puzzled at the way I jump from one thing to another. I reply that the great wave of disintegration, of trying to cope with life by divvying it up into little compartments, is surely crashing into the rocks. It is in this direction, the direction of a new relationship between people, with their work, with nature, in short, with God, that we may look for hope!

     

Nazaré's Broad Beach Yesterday.