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4-06-07 - After forty years our
paths cross again.....sort of
[This is an interesting email I just
received from Randy Kavara - DC]
[[I don't know if he's receiving my answers to his
email. He sent it twice - the first time a month ago - and MK told me he'd
found my Cc to him in his graymail, spam filter.]]
It was late 1966 or early 67,
and I had just
arrived, as part of that youthful pilgrimage, in San
Francisco. While the details have become sketchy over
the years, I do remember staying in a flat in the
Fillmore district. Of all the people I met while there,
and there were many, one in particular stood out. We
both had a strong desire to understand, how shall I
put it, the nature of self, unconditioned mind,
ultimate reality, etc, you no doubt get the
picture. Anyhow, that one person was none other than
David Chadwick. I was only there perhaps two weeks but
during that time you took me to the Zen center for
meditation and to see Suzuki. We had many interesting
conversations and philosophically were in a very
similar place. You also escorted me around the area, I
remember eating at a little cafe in Fillmore, and were
all around good company. When I left to go back to L.A.
you gave me your name and an address where you could
be reached, I believe it was a Texas address. Of
course, that disappeared decades ago, but my memory of
our meeting did not. I have wondered many times over
the years whatever became of David Chadwick. In fact,
I've mentioned you to my wife as well as my
children. My children still remember me relating an
incident that took place on one of our walks to the
Zen center. Walking through Fillmore we were accosted
by two large fellows, who at one point grabbed my arm
and tried to pull me into a a car. Triggering off the
fight or flight response, I was just starting to
resist, although I hadn't really figured out how best
to handle the situation, and almost instantly you
grabbed my other arm and had the cultural insight to
tell them that we were on our way to church and that
"God wouldn't like someone interfering with that" at
which point they loosened their grip and we continued
on our way, albeit at a faster clip. As I've said
earlier, every so often something would trigger off a
thought related to that time and I would wonder what
became of you, how your life unfolded. Then , just a
few days ago, in a large used bookstore in Knoxville
Tennessee, I saw a book about Suzuki and noticing the
author's name told my wife that this was that fellow I
connected so well with on one of my forays into San
Francisco. Now I realize the likelihood of you
remembering is slim and it doesn't matter a great deal
in any event, but it has been satisfying to me to
have an answer, of sorts, as to what ever happened to
David Chadwick. It's also satisfying to know your life
appears to have gone reasonably well, that you pursued
a philosophical path, and even that you're still on
the planet. In any event, it didn't take long, thanks
to the internet, to find a little more info, including
this e-mail address. If this rings a bell of any sort
let me know, if not there are a few more details
drifting into my mind that might help.
Glad you're
ok,
Randy
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