Finally incomparable with this Alhambra key
On the key(hole) to being incomparable. At the Gates of Justice in Alhambra, Spain
Hi, everyone-
I’ve always wondered why we are constantly compared to others.
Sibling rivalry might be one reason. Or maybe it’s the parent-kid expectations? Imagine having to follow a father, so beloved by his people: an entire kingdom. And at the same time: having to wrestle in the backyard with a brother, whose military powers is pretty obvious even when he was still a kid blowing snot. Must be exhausting.
This happened to a young man, Yusuf, who is later known to have built the Gates of Justice in the historic architecture wonder:
Alhambra in Spain
I don’t have a famous father or a war-general brother. But it must’ve felt a bit like … being left behind. My grandmother could probably resonate with this. She was the first literate woman in her village. And the first woman to ever teach among an all-men faculty. My grandfather was also one of just sixteen men who helped Indonesia’s first President Sukarno fight guerilla battles to declare independence from Dutch colonialism.
Thing is … they led very unusual lives
—because it isn’t easy. To have unpopular opinions.
I think Yusuf must’ve felt the same.
He was the oddball we all know at school. Not quite unintelligent. But not quite a genius either. Friends would try to play and hang. But not getting what he’s all about—or what good he is to them, more like—they all just upped and left. Records describe Yusuf as being horrid in strategic warfare. And yet he found himself with a throne and a bunch of court advisors presenting battle plans. He was now supposed to lead … an entire kingdom. Command a battalion. And bring hundreds of men—into battle!
Now what’s he going to do?
What ended up happening, was pretty incredible. It is an epic tale that then got imprinted in three mysterious objects. In a lesser known corner of the vast royal compound now known as Alhambra in Spain. These three mysterious elements consist of a hand, a keyhole, and a horseshoe arch. All of which is supposed to unlock the path through the stalwart Gates of Justice. And finally into an unknown land only for those with courageous imaginations.
Myth or reality, the formation of the below story says all about …
What it takes—to be incomparable.
Let’s dive in.
Warmly,
-Thalia