Fringe

This week I realized that the image that best describes my mindset and reading-habit is: rafelranden. It's an image in Dutch. In English translated best with 'fringe' or 'outskirts'.

My Fringe on people:

• Hermit and nerd Armand Schulthess (1901-1972) who created his 'Library of Knowledge' around him.
• Financially independent noble Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba (born 1926).
• South Sea trader and writer Robert Dean Frisbie (1896-1948).
• Voice in the wilderness Ton Lemaire (born 1941) who lives alone in France and who asserts that 'homo sapiens' is collectively trying to commit suicide on planet Earth and that we need a more spiritual orientation to our planet and universe.
• Writer Gavin Maxwell (1914-1969). More
• Father Ho Van Thank and son Ho Van Lang who hid themselves for 40 years in the forest.

My Fringe on history:

• Stone age in contrast to our mechanized world.
• Ancient Egypt in contrast to ancient Greece and Rome.
• Neoplatonism in contrast to mainstream Christianity.

What's my point? It gives my life color and light as I engage myself with people, periods, books and languages that are not mainstream in my country and society. Thereby I appreciate what I have. It makes me realize - time and again - that nothing is given and everything comes from somewhere and has its own, individual story. It makes a normal and mainstream life, my life, better intelligible.