The winds were overwhelming but calming.  The periods of rain were drenching but refreshing.  The brisk air cut threw your skin but awakened the very breath of life.  Standing in its midst was somehow a confrontation with truth.   The Highlands of Scotland, with all of its history and mysticism, with its struggle for freedom and bloodshed, was one of the most peaceful places I have been.  Isolated by its barren lands yet consumed by its beauty, it was a paradox that touched me deeply.   How could such bareness and lack of color produce such overwhelming beauty? How can a place engrossed with emptiness be overflowing with an undeniable…