So from Wednesday through Friday I was attending talks revolving around the teachings and the heritage of Ivan Illich. The people I had the pleasure to listen to and hang out with included Marianne Gronemeyer, Franz Tutzer, Martina Kaller, Barbara Duden, and Bernd Guggenberger. And let’s not forget my keen friend Margit, who I met when she was teaching my English class in late school, and who for some reason saw something special in me when I was at a rather low point in my life and introduced me to her circle of fantastic people.
The talks were fascinating in terms of intellect, humanity, and language. As someone who tends to use a lot of abstractions in his thinking in order to find solutions to clearly defined problems, I was presented with a whole new (or at least unconsciously forgotten) paradigm of ambivalent and sensual reasoning that revolves around the Human Condition. It was a humbling experience, and I felt a bit of remorse and shame for my narrow interests and my tendency to seek relieve in shallow dissipation during the last couple of years.
The whole thing was a transformative event. I have a hard time coming to terms with the notion that I almost would have never met these people. I can’t help but feel incredibly grateful.