- What you were saying about religions reminds me of what happened with the movie about Jesus Christ by Mel Gibson. He wanted to be so accurate and faithful to the story as it has been passed on to us, that he even made the movie in Aramaic. Some people were not happy with the airing of this movie and in some cities of the US there were even threats. This situation prompted the authorities to have police at every movie theater airing this film. How ironic is that? You have a film on the life of Jesus Christ that needs police security because of threats?!
- I did not know that! Unbelievable. So why were they upset? Was this movie breaking any news to them? Or is this the first film on this archaic story?
- And all this going on in the USA, the worldwide top ranker in freedom! Is that freedom? That tells you how screwed up the world is!
- Totally. Listen, I believe that everybody should try this experience, come here (or spend some time with these monastics elsewhere) at least a few days a year. It should actually be mandatory for leaders of organizations and of nations to do this on a regular basis. The world would be a different place! Of course, in an ideal world, plainly everyone in all kinds of organizational and structural pyramids should come.
- So good?
- Yes! And the great thing is that they do not need to Katmandu, it is pretty centrally located.
- What do you think about the origin of man? Was it God, was it a Big Bang, was it evolution?
- Do I need to know? I am here today. I am more interested about the future, in terms of my life and of the whole humanity, than about the past, such a far away past!
- Wow! I had never thought about it that way. I’ve always been obsessed with wanting to know how the man showed up on Earth.
- To your question, I do believe that God/Superior Force or however you want to call it (to me, is God, but I respect if people get itchy or have different beliefs), is the author of this Creation. Now, if God created man exactly as the Bible says, or if that is a fable for easiness of education, or if he created a different kind of human being as we know ourselves today and we evolved into this, or if it was that he made the forces of this Universe meet in certain way that there was a Big Bang, I do not know, and I do not care. I do not see how knowing those details would affect my life today. I believe that God intervened in the Creation, and continues intervening. Maybe I am myopic, maybe I am totally wrong, but that is what I think.
- So, going back home now?
- It depends on what you call ‘home’. Technically I have been home-less for the last few years, and for the last few months I have been traveling around. Home to me is where my loved ones are. So for the last few months I have been going to my several ‘homes’. Yes, I am going ‘home’ now.
Such a short ride (thirty minutes!) for such a juicy conversation. We had already arrived to my destination, but we stayed wrapping up the discussion for a few more minutes, even though he had another customer to pick up elsewhere. We thanked each other for such a rich discussion and exchanged good wishes.
Quote of the Day:
“If we live in forgetfulness, if we lose ourselves in the past or in the future, if we allow ourselves to be tossed about by our desires, anger and ignorance, we will not be able to live each moment of our life deeply. We will not be in contact with what is happening in the present moment, and our relations with others will become shallow and impoverished. “
[From “Our APPOINTMENT WITH LIFE – Discourse on living happily in the present moment”, by Thich Nat Hanh]
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