My wife and I were enjoying the calm, soothing ambiance of my favorite Japanese restaurants, eating our favorite dishes and talking about the philosophical issues of life. It has been a long held family tradition to discuss philosophical matters and on this particular night we were talking about the
bane of materialism, the crushing pressure of life, the time poverty of modern existence
when our waitress came to the table. I turned and asked where she was from and
she answered China. She had been away from her homeland for a long time and readily acknowledged that a lot has changed in China from when she was there. I asked her more out of a whim than anything else what she felt
was the main difference between the two countries. Now,
I honestly thought the answer would verify the points I had been making about materialism overtaking our lives. However,
after reflecting about it, she turned to me and said, “FREEDOM!”
She explained that she could go here, there, anywhere without restriction, without government intervention, without fear. It was paradise. Her answered stopped me cold. Freedom! Movement! Lack of spatial restraint. I had never thought of that before. Here I was dwelling on useless buying habits, as I inadvertently overlooked the subtle freedoms that go into moving from one geographical space to another. I realized the diversity of humanity is based on its ability to move from one location to another throughout eons of history. Maybe spatial movement is a deeper part of us that we don't always understand or recognize. Maybe we should see life as a dance not only through space but mind. Anyway, it certainly was an eye opener for me, but then again that's why I love going to my favorite Japanese restaurant.
She explained that she could go here, there, anywhere without restriction, without government intervention, without fear. It was paradise. Her answered stopped me cold. Freedom! Movement! Lack of spatial restraint. I had never thought of that before. Here I was dwelling on useless buying habits, as I inadvertently overlooked the subtle freedoms that go into moving from one geographical space to another. I realized the diversity of humanity is based on its ability to move from one location to another throughout eons of history. Maybe spatial movement is a deeper part of us that we don't always understand or recognize. Maybe we should see life as a dance not only through space but mind. Anyway, it certainly was an eye opener for me, but then again that's why I love going to my favorite Japanese restaurant.
1 comment:
ZenMan! You stopped my mind. Freedom of movement - so basic. So much comes out of this. Just to move our body around. To not be a slave. Beyond that, I see that freedom of movement is limited in many spheres of life - by our job, finances, family customs, diseases. And, and materialism? Bet it has impications for freedom of movement too.
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