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| Sannyasin on the first day I saw her |
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| Bernard Moitessier - Sailing to the Reefs |
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I have always had the feeling that these long journeys act upon my system as a thorough cleansing
of all the nastiness that accumulates during a period on shore. Once out of sight of the coast, a
man is all alone in the presence of his Creator, and he cannot remain a stranger to the forces of
nature that surround him. Soon he will be part of these himself, regaining his simplicity and
refining himself in contact with the brute forces that embrace him and swallow him up.
And it is this, I believe, this need not simply for novelty, but for physical and spiritual
cleanliness which drives the lone sailor towards other shores; there, his body and mind are freed
from their terrestrial ties and bondage, and can regain their essence and integrity in the natural
elements which the ancients deified. Wind, Sun and Sea: the seaman's triune god!
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