The paradox in human condition is that in simplicity, there is joy and happiness. Perhaps we sometimes need a white background before we see the beauty in life’s nuances and simple details. Perhaps it is seeing the weaving fabric behind a complex tapestry. This is what I experienced during the quarantine.
Though physically confined, I was free.
I spent time and resource on things that mattered. Peaceful meditation and introspect, family and friends (albeit sometimes virtually). I had time to reach out to old friends and had time to enjoy the company of my children. Even though they were through silent moments in company. We were all there. Present.
I learned to create value through service. Having been without a maid since December, I’ve learned how to cook again. And cook I did to taste! The personal standard was high.
To love is to serve. I did the laundry for my kids sometimes. I cleaned around the house, with no reason except for love. To express love is also to be free.
As the end of the quarantine draws near, work prospects have started to emerge. Once engaged, here now comes the precarious balancing act. I will again be in contest with myself. How can I weigh simplicity against the measure of living within my fullest potential (As an athlete, an executive, and as a citizen of my community)? The latter brings unintended complexity driven by performance, merit and competition. I am a warrior and a field commander. That is my identity. The purpose to which I was made. The programming from which I act.
Have I not spent my time in this lull honing myself into a weapon? A sharp mind and a strong body? Willingly would I give both into the throes of my next mission. The marketplace, the city and the nations.
Where is the sweet spot and oasis between purpose and vanity?
Is my Lord and Shepherd leading me again on a journey of discovery? In all the chaos of this world, in all of these things, There is God.
Where art thou, my LORD and my King?
Sometime around 1994 my mentor and friend Fr. Zogby (God bless your soul) gave me this book: “The Age of Paradox”. Written 26 years ago, its truths still rings today. COVID19 has brought the world (Its life and economy) to its knees. But where is the simple truth behind this tapestry of chaos? Perhaps behind the foreground of disaster are the simple truths on the value of life and the spirit that drives us. Love, restoration and peace.
John Walter Bay 