U MURTU NSIGNA A CHIANCIRI (THE DEAD PERSON TEACHES YOU TO CRY)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

The Sicilian proverb, U Murtu nsigna a chianciri (The dead person teaches you to cry), means that there is only one master in life. It is life itself. There is no better teacher than life! Just as the death of a loved one makes a person who has never cried cry, so the various life situations teach how to behave.

The proverb does not rule out the teachings you can get in schools and universities. However, if you do not live your life fully, all your learning will become a dead letter.

Even Gautama Siddhartha realized that living life would be much more instructive than the teachings he received in his royal palace. By living life, he stumbled upon suffering. He felt compassion for those who suffered, and in the end he became Buddha.

Suffering, fear, adversities are not always negative, for they fortify the one who comes across them. Some people learn the life’s teachings immediately, others later or even at old age. You never stop learning. Better later than never!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

A TRIP TO HOMIGOT IN YOUNGILMAN (KOREA)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

When one travels, it is easy to come across something new and special.

It happened to me when we arrived in Homigot in Youngilman, located at the eastern end of the South Korean peninsula.

First of all, I enjoyed the beautiful view of the large fields full of yellow rape flowers. The yellow waves of flowers were fantastic! The rape is not a common plant in my home-island, Sicily. In Korea, it is mostly used to make oil. The color yellow is a symbol of happiness! People enjoyed the magnificent view and took a stroll through the yellow fields.

Not far from there, we came across two sculptures that had been made twenty-three years ago to celebrate the dawn of the third millennium. They are two open hands. One is in the sea, the other is on dry land. They look at each other. The symbolic meaning is quite clear. Two parts of one body are separated, but they wish to be reunited. This can symbolize the wish for the peaceful reunification of Korea, but it can also be considered as a general symbol of peace. After all, all countries are parts of the same body: the world!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

CHERRY BLOSSOMS IN KOREA

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

By the time we arrived in Korea, the cherry blossoms in the city of Daegu had already almost withered. In fact, these beautiful, delicate, and unique blossoms last for three days only.

While walking on the streets, we were showered with white and pink petals falling from the branches of the cherry trees. It seemed to be under a romantic snowfall. This reminded me of the caducity of human beauty and of the Panta Rei of the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus.

Hopefully, next year I will be able to see the Korean cherry trees in full bloom, but they will be different blossoms, and I a different man, for everything changes in life and nothing remains still. You cannot repeat the same experience twice, as you cannot step into the same stream twice.

The only unchangeable thing that never fades is the beauty of the human soul, but to see it you need an extra organ: the third eye!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo