​​​​​​​Laura Gamboa

A River series (an ongoing project)

Rivers are systems responsible for draining water from the surface of a basin and for carrying a large quantity of material. When this material gets into a lake, river or ocean, it is being "deposited" and therefore, expanded. A river is the time, that time that passes and passes without stopping; is the distance that separates an ocean from another, which divides us and a few others; and the water that it carries is the people.

When people travel, loneliness is experienced. This always happens when one person moves to another country that is not his/hers, and worshiping what one had before appears again.
Occasionally we are faced with situations where a loved one is away  from our side. This can happen by choice, be motivated by circumstances or correspond to the normal development of the natural course of life. Depending on the reason for departure, we can estimate the time before the reunion, whether it will be long or short, but still a sense of emptiness in the absence of the loved one can be felt.

It is known that any separation by painful as it would be , is only temporary, that is, that at some point -no matter how distant it may seems in some cases- people meet again and then it seems as though there was never any absence. Here it becomes clear that the pain experienced by the departure is directly proportional to the sense of attachment to the person who is absent.
When people are absent by choice or by circumstances beyond their control that sometimes is motivated by a desire to improve and be better, accepting the departure is easier, because the best for the love ones is always wanted and they are provided with support and understanding to facilitate their crossing.

The absence of a loved one is expressed only in physical form; their memories still keep us together despite the distance and time. We are so close to the person who departed, as are our profound feelings towards them and how identified we are with one another. If the feelings that bring us close together are mutually deep and there is a high degree of empathy between the two is possible to feel the presence of the other despite the distance; know their states of mind, emotions and moods as if they were on our side, being able to get confused with the ones of our own; and in some cases "catch" their thoughts as if they were our own.
You can see that when affection is sincere is also freedom, wide and eternal, the physical presence is no longer essential to express it, and the barriers of time and distance disappear to make way for an eternal here and now that rises above all circumstances, allowing to the most noble qualities of human beings flow freely, thus creating an enabling environment for growth of all persons involved.

Written in 2001

 

 

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