Durmitor

Durmitor is a beautiful mountain. Full of places that captivate with something otherworldly and heavenly. And the fact that Durmitor is heavenly is not only related to those points with a high altitude, but also to picturesque gorges, miraculous and unexpected streams and springs, fairy-tale forests and lakes that have mysterious names and an even more mysterious appearance. It would be said that wherever a man goes from Žabljak, just a few kilometers away, he can see beauties that are beyond earthly understanding and earthly habits. With just a little will and a little more effort, visitors to Durmitor can see and feel a clear way out of everyday life, and that everyday life of ours can often be gloomy, boring, monotonous... (fruits of modern civilization that offers "an abundance of information and opportunities").

But already on the way to the famous Durmitor locations, while we still don't see any of the landscapes and scenes that the prospectuses and maps talk about so much - the observer can see lofty messages and recognize signs of spiritual truths, right among the stones, mountain vegetation and rocks. I think I saw some of those truths and messages last weekend, when I, with my relatives, found myself on the road from Dobro dol to Škrčke jezera, and further towards Prutaš. For experienced mountaineers and Durmitor connoisseurs, the mentioned route is not an undertaking, but for beginners, like my companions and me, it was a feat for the annals! It was not necessary to spend much time on this ascent, in order to notice a clear spiritual path that, parallel to the physical one, stretches the entire way.

Let me say right away, when I talk about the spiritual path, I don't mean elves, winged horses and other local myths, but rather a way of reading and understanding what is experiential and visible. Namely, this physical path is marked with clear signals, and with all that, the maps reliably tell its direction, its beginning and end (with cartographic legends and indicators of altitude, longitude, side of the world...etc). In addition to road signs and numerous geographic maps, travelers are usually armed with good will and the desire to conquer the section ahead of them. And yet, when we finally begin the ascent to the top, we encounter the vagaries of the loose ground we're traversing; by the whims of the air, which is becoming more and more rarefied and difficult to breathe (not to mention the whims of one's own physical fitness). And that's when sudden and unexpected questions arise about the meaning and feasibility of the just-started venture! And trouble never goes away alone. While you are at the foot of the mountain, you are confused and worried by the size of the mountain massif towards which you are heading and which fills your entire field of vision. Again, when you are near the top, below the highest point - your eyes do not see a clear way out, and the mentioned signals and suggestions from the chart seem extremely unconvincing. With all of this, somewhere near the top, the steps become increasingly difficult, and since there is "no way back" and the path goes "along the nose", all you have to do is apply the "step by step" method, hoping and believing that the instructions from of the manual, coincide with reality. In such a situation, persistence, ultimate faith in road signs, and the application of various skills (related to the advice of those who have gone there before us) will help us, and this will lead us to the final destination and give the whole journey a final meaning.

Yes, the spiritual path. How many times do the days of our lives look exactly like this climb up Durmitor? We too, in our life, have a concrete path, which is both marked (by our predecessors) and designed (by those who were able to see its beginning and end). We have, like mountaineers, an undoubted desire to move along that path. We grew up and live in an environment that nurtures the tradition that travel is possible, that it is useful and that it is worth trying!

However, at the first difficulties - "happiness no longer resides here"! Pain in the legs (read - some difficulty with health), difficulty breathing (it comes to him as - misunderstanding of the environment and our failure to fit into it), sudden rain or too strong sun (something like - social difficulties, low wages, unfavorable loans, low democracy of society in which we live, etc.) and what? As problems pile up, we trust the optimistic signals less and less, and identify more and more with the difficulties. Or, let's say the situation, when we find ourselves tired and insecure in front of a mountain skyscraper, shadowed by a stone giant, without a visible passage to the other side, dragging one foot after another... How similar it is to those circumstances of our lives when we live "day by day", and every day is more and more difficult and more meaningless, while the visible, measurable perspective before us is called - "this is impossible"!? Therefore, external, so-called the objective circumstances are difficult, extremely negative, and in such situations we are very inclined to identify with the difficulties, to lose the idea of ​​the feasibility of the journey we have started, and to enter a state of panic and hopelessness.

Our life has many properties that make it similar to a journey (the passage of time, changes in internal conditions and changes in external circumstances). Spiritual advice that we find on our life's journey, advice that we receive during upbringing and maturation, advice that is both optimistic and maximalist at the same time (e.g. church teaching about the afterlife, about gaining that afterlife, heavenly life - now and here, with your faith, your deed...), they represent certain signs on the road, signs that guide and suggest the possibility of a successful and happy ending. It's just that current troubles, and our tendency to draw a negative balance in a painful moment, create a dark image, an image that is - essentially - unrealistic, false.

That's why it's worth repeating that travel is achievable and meaningful. How we should stop, take a breather,... how we should not rush, but listen to our own strengths and observe the opportunities and difficulties around us. We need to be persistent and patient, both in our steps and in the surrenders that we have chosen ourselves or that have been imposed on us against our will and our plan. These things differ from traveler to traveler, from mountain to mountain, but one instruction is common to all of them - don't give up. Whoever does not give up, will pass through Durmitor and see the whole human life, and what is even more important - whoever does not give up, will pass through life, like through a mountain path, on the way from earth to heaven.