Jerusalem Part 2

One of my favourite stories is that of ‘the Wandering Jew’, in which a shoemaker is condemned by Christ to walk the earth until his second coming. He grows old in the normal fashion until reaching one hundred whereupon he sheds his skin and rejuvenates to the age of thirty. The Middle Ages abound with sightings of the Wandering Jew, generally telling his story in turn for meager food and lodging, sometimes even undergoing tests of authenticity by local professors and academic figures. Encounters with the Wandering Jew occurred in virtually every Western European city – including London. That’s right; perhaps the wandering Jew was the first true British immigrant. There are other stories like it in the great repository of myths which lives every culture draws from. In the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, Ashwatthama plays the role of the condemned man, cursed to remain alive till the end of the Kaliyuga, the age of the dark goddess Kali. The origin of the gypsies can be found in this story, too. I’ve always felt like a bit of a gypsy, at heart; a 21st century nomad. It’s not that I’ve travelled much; it’s just that the city I live in, there are worlds within worlds. Every day, I meet new people; discover new languages; learn new things. Perhaps walking the planet as a wandering Jew is not such a bad idea after all…