A philosophical walk through the local nature, accompanied by thoughts about faith and faith in general.

Hoarfrost as far as the eye can see - a frosty, mystical and surreal photo tour between the years: On the Way of St. James up to the Staffelberg, the mountain of Franconia, I was presented with a sight that is rarely seen. Standing on the precipice, the view down looked like a frozen coral reef. A backdrop that not only touches the eye, but also the mind - time and again, you are confronted with faith and fundamental questions about life and existence.

How much I love these moments of relaxation! Every time I am out and about with my camera in my hand and in good company, I feel a deep inner fulfillment. My best company is my wife - she not only shares my passion for such outings, but also my eye for detail. She also takes photos and we complement each other wonderfully. I have copied many good ideas for motifs from her - her sense of perspective inspires me time and time again.

Letting the world and nature affect me in all its facets while my thoughts wander freely and seemingly aimlessly is essential for me. It is as if I am taking my inner self for a walk - letting it roam freely through nature, where it can enjoy the simple, essential things. For me, nature - especially the forest - has always been a place of essentials and an anchor that always brings me back to myself.

The belief in something higher is ultimately also a belief in oneself. It offers a framework that provides support and can create a moral basis for existence. Faith is essential in order to cope better with difficult times in life. However, more and more people are losing their faith - or no longer feel able to believe.

We experience many moments of contemplation, peace and reflection in our lives. We are responsible for many of these through our own conscious actions, but for others something else is decisive. The unbeliever calls it coincidence, the believer in the Western world of faith speaks of God's will, and in the East, Asia, people often speak of fate.

In my early years, many older people told me about the Book of Life, in which everything is supposed to be recorded. Here, too, the belief in fate resonates. But who really guides us? Is it ourselves? Do we have complete control over everything? If not, who or what determines the course of events? Is it chance? Does chance even exist in the universe? If everything that surrounds us is characterized by physics, by cause and effect and by laws, how could chance exist?

A place - a bench with a table - invites you to linger. To have a snack. To reflect.

And again and again we are confronted with faith in life. We can ignore many things, sink into everyday life and allow ourselves to “recover” from it through countless distractions.

There are many paths in life, many possibilities. And yet we only ever know the one path we are currently on. Many people often think about the other, imaginary paths and wish they had taken a different turn. But perhaps the path we are taking is already the best possible path? Perhaps our view of the path will change if we change our attitude - if we are grateful for what we have instead of looking ungratefully at what we don't have and may never get.

Sometimes the paths are rocky, sometimes not. This time, however, the path has become particularly smooth: Many hikers who cross our paths have started to skid - they have literally taken to the black ice. But perhaps sometimes in life you have to take a risk, jump in at the deep end and accept that we are on black ice more often than we realize.

And failure is also part of life. If we fall along the way, it doesn't matter that we have fallen - what matters is that we pick ourselves up again, keep going and do better next time.

I believe we all have a guardian angel. We don't see him, we don't know his name, but maybe he catches us when we stumble on the ice of life. Just a thought - a thought about faith. Perhaps this angel will also save us from taking a wrong turn so that we stay on the right path.

It's easy to see close up, but it's much harder to see far away: the horizon is often covered in fog, and sometimes it seems to end just a few centimeters in front of our eyes.

Moments of contemplation: there are many benches along the path of life, but it is always the human encounters that invite us to linger. Sometimes they only last a few moments, sometimes minutes. Occasionally we walk part of the way together, and only rarely do we share the entire path - from the first encounter to the destination and perhaps even beyond.

It's getting whiter and whiter around us. The trees disappear behind an increasingly thick layer of hoar frost. The white takes over the visual dominance - similar to wisdom in life, which can grow and gain strength over time just like the shimmering white on the trees.

And again and again there is the opportunity for reflection, for inner peace. Whether we accept these invitations or not is entirely up to us - because, as is so often the case, free will is strict.

Human encounters: With some we strike up a conversation, many only appear briefly and wordlessly on the horizon, and then we never meet again. Most of them we don't even know exist. This makes us think about how important it is to appreciate the people we are actually in contact with more.

And time and again we encounter faith. It has many facets and does not always have to be linked to a belief in a higher power. But very often our belief in ourselves is closely interwoven with it.

Again and again the stage set: here nature in the hoarfrost and there the human encounters in the theater of life.

And then there is faith.

And the stage design.

And faith again; sometimes mixed up in the stage design.

And we ourselves are pulled out of the picture onto the stage, inextricably interwoven with the whole. Often without wanting to, we suddenly find ourselves in the spotlight on stage.

Perspectives often change - sometimes without us noticing or wanting to. Is it fate that has a hand in this, or is it just chance?

How often have we stood on the edge of the abyss without even realizing the danger of falling? Did a guardian angel save us - or was it just chance that left us unscathed?

And again and again these moments of reflection - benches in life - invitations from heaven to pause, reflect, take a breather. How often have we let the opportunity for correction pass us by?

At the end of the path, the circular hiking trail on the heights of the Staffelberg, there is a new beginning, just like in life. There is faith again - or chance? Belief in something higher is often similar to belief in chance, because both are based on the principle of faith.

Sapere aude!

S.

The link to the original German text: https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/XonrjzR8Nl