'Respect' seems to be built into the culture here, and I find it very appealing. This morning I heard some amplified music coming from the technical school across the street so I went down the hall, looked out from the 5th floor balcony and saw the young teenagers gathering for their school day. There is a security guard who greets then at the end of the driveway, and each child would put their hands in prayer position as they walked past, hundreds of kids, and he returned each greeting with a jovial salute. The kids were in uniform, black shoes, black pants, burgundy shirts and they gathered for a flag raising ceremony at the beginning of the school day. The music switched to what I assume was the national anthem, as the colors were raised.
On my morning walk, I heard more music being piped in to an elementary school playground where upwards of 500 kids were sitting in formation, each class with their own colored shirts over black pants or skirts. I believe that it was the first day of school, and there was a ceremony in which they came up to the front of the assemblage and made offerings to a group of monks who were collecting the food and putting it into large baskets. The backdrop to this activity was a 15 century stone wat, some 50 feet in height, which is just outside of the school gate. So there they were, a group of orange clad monks, sitting in front of an ancient monument, and receiving gifts from each child of the school. It was tradition and history and a sense of belonging to something greater. Very lovely scene for this solo traveler.
That's right, solo, but not lonely. I have a strange contentment in simply being here in the moment. No great desires, no need to connect, I think I'm in some kind of trance, actually. Even though I'm aware of the buzzing city, the signs, the motorcycles, the hustles, I'm not feeling any judgment about it, which for those of you who know me, is kind of weird, me being one of the more judgmental people that I know. (not that I'm making a judgment about it, of course). But maybe there is something in this place that is way way deeper than this year's 'high season' when the town is full of tourists. It's a holy city after all, and the temples and monuments speak to a vibe that easily transcends the rushing around, the search for the next day trip to the zip line, or minibus to the elephant rides.
There's something about the monks that tells me that they are the protectors of spirit here. And the fact that there is an organized ritual in which the school children support the monks, strikes me as a very very good thing. It bespeaks (sorry for that word) a culture that values history, spirit and respect.
posted by Rich Glauber at 8:36 PM
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