Growing up in a small town in India I have never imagined living in what I call “back to the future” culture clash situations for myself, which I now notice around me in my day-to-day life all the time. There are times I felt Jeez I never signed up for this roller coaster ride. Well I can’t say that… the moment my spirit chose to be here on earth I have signed up for this surprising, funny, bitter, sweet, sour journey. There is a world, culture, tradition, language, so apart that I left behind and I am in this new world in the middle of nowhere. But still there is something that beautifully connects everything and makes me feel and believe that there is oneness to everything and everyone around me. Otherwise how would I be able to connect with my lovely Ethiopian friend in New Zealand or my new Russian friend that I met at the park a few days ago. Within few minutes we met we realized how much in common we had it was almost like we had a soul connection or spiritual connection. I give full credit to mediation. Meditation brings me this genuine feeling of connectedness, oneness, openness, beyond any judgment this warmth and love to all the people around me. You wouldn’t believe how it works until I tell you a true story.
It was my second week at Massey university at New Zealand when I met this young women from Eritrea. We saw each other in the hall way and I said hi I saw you in my class to-day and it looks like you need a hug and so I gave her a big hug and said I am Radha. She was almost instantly in tears and said how you know I needed this hug and why are you so nice to me. I said I don’t really know I just felt like she needed one. She said she knew one other Indian friend and they are nice but some others don’t smile at her and don’t want to be her friend. I said great! You are the first African I ever spoke to, ever gave hug to in my entire life and you are going to be my friend. She was a bit surprised. I told her it could be culture clash because I live with this wonderful American man who has no bone of racism in his body but we do misunderstand each other and misinterpret what we say and perceive things differently so we both made a deal, a pact, the rule is there is no negative intention in what I say to him and no negative intention in what he says to me. And the communication seems to be working just fine. And I also met this wonderful kiwi girl in the class who genuinely loves and cares about everyone around her. My new friend was really surprised and said so you have other friends too? I said I have friends like you, there are no others and we laughed. And there we were… talking to each other in between the classes for the rest of the day and we remain as best friends up to this day. If not for meditation that makes me feel this strong sense of connection to all spiritual beings I would have never met such wonderful, beautiful souls in my entire life.
To be continued….
If we agree that the bottom line of life is happiness, not success, then it makes perfect sense to say that it is the journey that counts, not reaching the destination.
-Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
Radhika Bauerle Radhika Puranam 