After kirtan (basically singing and dancing around) one night in the local Krsna temple, a fellow westerner came up to me and gave me a hug along with a "welcome home." It was the first night I had attended kirtan. It certainly surprised me. The people here--at least the ISKCON folks--have been so incredibly welcoming and friendly. I've really felt "at home." In fact, this entire time in India, I've yet to feel that "woah! I'm in India!" feeling. It's like I'm waiting for it to hit home--and I'm not sure it ever will. What's it all mean?
Well, what do we mean by "home"? This has been a nice meditation on how we're all human, no matter where we are. People are people and they're more-often-than-not friendly. Anyone could literally move anywhere and it could be home.
But we also have multiple homes. I have my home in Iowa with my family, my history, my Alma Matar...I have my home in San Francisco with my memories, my idealism. I have my home in Rhizome with my closest friends. I also now have some sense of a home in Vrindavan, India. It's a special and wonderful place. So many homes.
Hari bol
Dylan
Too bad the only "home" we all really have is the planet earth and we are ruining it. Doesn't really matter how we "feel" or where we think of as home does it? Not really. It's all the same. Just different economies and different distributions of resources. Do they have McDonalds yet? If not, they are missing out!
ReplyDeleteHome it seems is a particular "sense of place" as a spineless nazi philsopher once described. The particular nature of home (as opposed to other places) seems to express to a feeling of unconditional belonging. Dorothy declared "there is no place like Home" while clicking her ruby slippers within the Emerald City in a declaration of the value of mundanity. Home is both mundane and precious.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any McDonald's on my trip, but I've been in more of the poor rural areas. I did, however, hear that there are McDonald's, but they have to serve lamb instead of beef (the whole cow thing). Hah!
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