The Cosmic Dance

It's going to be another busy weekend for me. I also have a wedding dinner to attend tonight but most of my colleagues are not going. I will still try to attend because Indonesian wedding dinners are not that time consuming. And I am happy for my friend Djoni who is getting married.

Some people show up at the wedding receptions and then go off for a "proper" dinner elsewhere. Don't expect to find good food at Indonesian wedding dinners: it is normally served buffet-style--you have to queue up for it and eat standing up. Can't blame people for adjourning to a real dinner elsewhere.

In a previous blog entry, I mentioned that I sometimes feel like the vampire Lestat because like him, I am always observing the passing of time: people getting married, having kids, growing fat, loosing hair and being transformed by the demands of family obligations and job pressures. Luckily I do not have his deep sense of world-weariness. Maybe because I haven't lived as long as he has.

I am not free myself from the ravages of time but thank God I am still able to maintain my waistline after all these years. Exercise and my indifference to good food helps. Most of my friends grow fat after getting married--regular full meals and home-cooked food being contributing factors. Furthermore the task of building a family is a taxing one; it is difficult to find time for exercise and self-development. Events just take control of your life.

One of my married friends told me that after marriage and his first kid, he feels like the rest of his life has been sacrificed for his family. I was immediately reminded of a scene from director Franco Zeffirelli's great depiction of the life of Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. The screenplay was actually written by Anthony Burgess. In the movie when John the Baptist (played by Michael York) realises that the person he just baptised is the Son of God (played by a mesmerising Robert Powell), he knows that his job is done and his time is over: "He shall increase, as I shall decrease".

The path of a householder is a noble one: Building a family is like creating a work of art--well worth one's time. When we create works of art, we channel our energies and mental faculties to bring into existence something that did not exist in the world. It is the nature of the universe to create. It is the crux of human existence. The creative impulse is in everyone. It is up to us where we want to channel it.

Some people paint, some write, some compose music, some build skyscrapers, some bring up beautiful children and some even do all of these together. The wellspring of creativity is deep within us--its roots are even spiritual. Celibate monks and mystics channel them into prayer and meditation, spiritually transforming themselves in the process.

Whether we are creating works of art within the physical, emotional, intellectual or spiritual realm (refer to my previous posting, The Four Layer Stack), we are in essence participating in the cosmic Dance of Shiva. Each person choreographs his or her own dance in harmony with the rhythm of the Universe.

We are all creators honouring our Creator with our own humble creations.