100 WORDS

Last Thursday we could enjoy the magnificent combination of languages in a small circle of people. The presentation of the book Cien Palabras put us together in the situation of reading in front of others.  Not only were we pleased to do it, but we were also delighted by the live classical music pieces that some students from the Conservatory of Motril interpreted for us, in between the reading of the stories.

The cover of the book represents a circle divided into four, like four were the languages in which the stories were told.  As for the interpretations of the circle, these can be varied: it can refer to the circle of teaching and learning, the beginning and the ending of the course, and so on.  As Emilio said in his witty introductory words, the cycle of telling stories is ancient, and has passed from generation to generation.

Finally, the combination of music and reading stories is always a pleasant one, and the venue made it also very worthy to visit, and it will be kept in my memory as another stimulating activity that Emilio has organised during the course.

VISIT TO THE ALHAMBRA

After the Alhambra visit, there are a few things I would like to mention:
The Alhambra is the best reflection of the culture of the last centuries of the Moorish rule of Al-Andalus, reduced to the Emirate of Granada.

Many tribes, religions and races coexisted in Al-Andalus, each contributing to its intellectual prosperity.  In fact, literacy in the Andalusian civilisation was far more widespread than in many other Western nations at the time.
The quality of life, the access to education and to spiritual resources was much higher, something to which Europeans only got closer in the nineteenth century.

In addition, another thing that struck my attention was the fact that the windows were designed especially low so they could sit on the floor to pray or meditate.

Finally, what stands out for me is the Patio of the Lions, for the omnipresent symmetry and the symbolism that it has: the twelve lions representing the twelve tribes of Jerusalem and the courtyard divided in four parts, each one of them symbolizing the four parts of the world.  Each part is irrigated by a water channel that symbolizes the four rivers of Paradise.

It is therefore an architectural materialization of Paradise, where the gardens, the water, and the columns form a conceptual and physical unity.

RICHARD HARVEY'S LECTURE

Although in one hour or so, Richard Harvey spoke so much and so clear about love and relationships as I had never heard it before.
What can you say about love and relationships that has not been said before?  First of all, I would say that very few people know the difference between love, desire and need.
Today, we do not distinguish when one begins and the other ends.  Some relationships are based on sex, on that passionate desire of encountering their bodies in a physical act, whereas I can see other relationships that start as a social need, just because they are too afraid of living alone, yet they do not feel their lives are complete without a boyfriend / girlfriend.  In this sense, I would dare to say that those people that relate each other by need do not love themselves very much.

According to Richard Harvey, the perfect relationship lies in the balance between loving yourself and the other.  I could not possibly agree more.
In order to start a healthy relationship, you must know yourself first, who you are, what your story is, how you judge yourself, etc.  This may sound simple, but some people spend their whole life without knowing themselves, what they want, where they are, or the most important, where they want to be. This will lead them to immature, childish relationships, where they depend on each other.

On the other hand, and talking from experience, you find people that love themselves so much that they are unable to love others.  They just do not contemplate that idea, because they follow their own path, without allowing anyone enter it.

As a conclusion, only people who are really concerned about being involved in the realtionship, having a previous rich knowledge of themselves and being emotional intelligent, and sensitive enough to communicate with the other would be in the perfect relationship.

The rest (that unluckily involves most of the relationships we see around) is only a bunch of failed, useless and unhealthy relationships.