Happy New Year.
I am honoured to host this special month to start the year
2014.
As you are aware, I am in London pursuing a master's degree
since last October. Life has literally been a whirlwind here, inundated by lots
of coursework.
While every week passes by at such a high velocity, it at
times becomes a challenge to pace myself. Under circumstances like these, you need something that anchors you
to what is important in life. What is it for you? Sports, hobbies, axioms by philosophers?
For me, it has always been tennis, running, reading, photo shooting,
and training at the gym (including my pathetic attempt to swim in the pool).
However, what if I could not find time (or more precisely, cognitive space) for
them? It was a quest that I had in mind at the beginning of the term, which was
partly philosophical, partly pragmatic (not to say being philosophical is not
pragmatic..).
Walking in the path to school, I found an answer: a
cathedral.
Although it indeed is rhetoric, where it could be anything
else such as temple, shrine, mosque,
home, etc., I was fortunate enough to live close enough to see the magnificent
architecture with a roof of the beautiful blue, St. Paul’s.
Though not being so
pious myself, I would go to church as a kid at times, and ever since, I have
always had fondness to the Christian community, which might be why I was
particularly drawn to the consecrated atmosphere here. As I pass by it on a
daily basis, its colossal and monolithic presence provides me with a certain
sense of reassurance.
The grand existence of
it is strongly associated with the ideal exterior of me, which withstands
storms, the cold, and anything that challenges. The magnificent inside relates
to my interior, or what is of essential value at heart. Among all are friendship,
sincerity, and dignity.
This view of what
entails life’s significance seems to have been with me since a long time ago,
but it was rather floating without forming a particular shape. Or put in a more
poetic APLP way, I was holding the holy grail in hands, seeking where to place
it.
Once I passed the
entrance one day, I was immediately mesmerised by the tranquility that absorbed
footsteps, the clatter of people and even the priest. Any noise that otherwise
would be heard with annoyance became tamed inside the holy walls of Anglican. I
was in a parallel world, shielded from the external terrene that had now
transformed minuscule. I felt that the place anchored me, letting myself
assimilated with the serenity in the midst of a metropolitan city.
I walked about inside
for a while, perceiving what the ambience had to offer, and listening to myself
like a person introspective, which I am. Gradually, I veered my attention
outward, to the people around. People from different nationalities and cultures.
Not many were talking too much or loud. There seemed to be one thing in common.
Feeling of sanctity? To me, it was more like respect to this place special to
many.
Looking back, I have
visited places that possess significance to the local. An instance would be
temples and shrines in Japan; another would be the ruins from the past dynasties
in Cambodia, and the Tibetan Buddhist temple on top of the hill in Shangri-La
old town, Yunnan Province, China, just to name a few. They are all open to the
general public (that is why I could visit), and have the power that is
stupefying in a way to engross their visitors regardless of where they come
from, literally and figuratively. In such places, we tend to look back on
ourselves and be more mindful of our own behaviours, quite naturally.
(However, on the other
hand, we do hear about contaminations of touristic places by their visitors. It
seems to be true that there unfortunately are those who are obtuse enough to be
careless. This contamination is also an occurrence in the minds of people in
general as in the potency of the place is being diluted.)
When I was in
Cambodia, I found a little cool quiet place in a ruin surrounded by mossed
stone walls with a ray of the afternoon light for a self-reflection and
contemplation upon the course of journey in Asia so far and ahead. Having
secluded myself from other tourists in a personal space, my cognisance started
to swim more freely, perfect for delving into the inner universe and examine
each slate of experiences.
It is amazing how
difficult it is to find a quiet place in our daily lives. Even in your room,
you would hear some noise, maybe even in the middle of the night. Or the noise might
be a silent one that sneaks into your mind and clouds your thoughts.
Putting yourself in a
new, special place might help.
- Will try to develop
a bit more on this thought in the next entry.
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