After a wonderful seven days at our Gathering at the Chateau Millemont, this evening I am staying at a hotel on the West Bank of Paris getting ready to travel in the morning to Rotterdam.
The last time I was on the West Bank of Paris was in the early spring of 1963. My close friend from Walla Walla High School, Mike Friedman, was traveling with me. There are many stories to tell about in Paris, some of them not to be shared here. There is one though, with some regrets, stands out in my mind.
Mike and I were sitting at a Coffee Shop, along with a beautiful canal, with two beautiful young women from Northern Ireland, we had just met. There were five Algerian brothers sitting at another table close to ours.
For whatever reason, they became very directly rude. Finally, I had enough and asked them what their problem was. It became very clear that they hated us because they saw us as Americans.
In those days I did not take insults gracefully! I sized up the situation and realized that although there were five of them, they were smaller than me. I realized if we stepped outside that a couple would try to jump on Mike and the others on me. Considering the odds, I realized I could not give them the first shot.
I also sized up who was their leader and knew if I could quickly take care of him in a very debilitating way and the brother who appeared to be second in charge, the others would back off from the fight.
Finally, we stepped outside! Before they could prepare themselves, I let out a yell and threw the leader on the ground, through some wrestling moves, and broke his arm. His screaming in pain threw the others off guard, but I keep coming at them with my full rage. Mike did a good job of backing me up and keeping two of them busy.
busy until I could get to them. Before the confrontation ended all five were on the ground with several broken limbs, as I did not want them to come back on us again!
My regret is that I now understand the anger and hatred these Algerian brothers were expressing against Mike and I, as to them, we represented the US Government’s destructive actions in the Middle East, destructive actions that continue until this day!
I am now, doing my best, to Walk the Red Road and support the manifestation of the Fourth Way, a Sacred Path that transcends the destructive Pathways of Assimilation, Resignation and Conflict and focuses on healing broken trusts, healing intergenerational trauma, healing myself and trusting in the Creator of All Good Things as a source of forgiving myself and others. It is not an easy Path, but it is a good Path!
