Every November, for at least the last six, our campus community has been blessed by the color, pageantry and warmth of the Hindu New Year celebration called Diwali. This annual event has become a tradition for me as well as for my family to support and to attend. Over the years, we have enjoyed the music, the lights and the dancing, sometimes we have even joined in. We have also consumed more samosas than I care to divulge. Each time we are thrilled to be there and to once again have the opportunity to witness such an extraordinary thing. We, like many others who are not Hindu ourselves, are happily drawn to it and we count on it happening every year. This year was no different, with one exception. This year there was an air of relief and release about many of us who were in attendance on Nov. 3. We were relieved to be thinking of something other than Sept 11 and we were content to at long last participate, even in the smallest of ways in the remarkable act of releasing our joy. It is the latter that I wish to spend a little time with here.
Releasing joy is something that is often times quite hard to do under the best of circumstances. The current global crisis we are facing makes it even harder, but ever so much more necessary. Releasing joy is commonly believed to be incredibly hard to do here at Hopkins anyway. But, here's what I know is true: We do it here, in spite of ourselves and in spite of the pressures we are all under. Sometimes we just neglect to appreciate why and how.
What I am privileged to witness every year at Diwali is a community coming together across religious, racial and age divides to simply wonder at color, at light, at sound, at movement, at beauty. From time to time, we overlook how very lucky we are here at Hopkins. We become either consumed by our intellectual pursuits or by our own personal paths. We disregard the essence of joy, of connectedness with the essential things that feed our souls. It is set aside as a priority. When this happens we miss the obvious richness which is implicit in our diversity.
Over the years I have known a great many students who count Diwali as one of their very favorite "holidays" ever. These students have been Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Baha'i and yes, of course Hindu. I am certain that the sheer work involved to pull off such an event for well over 500 people in the Glass Pavilion probably takes its toll on the Hindu planners. I hope they know that the spirit which is captured and so warmly shared during this one evening has a power that can never be diminished and that it has the capacity to stay with us long after the last celebratory candle has burnt through. Simply put, we need it and others like it, and we need to remember why. Events such as Diwali connect us to one another in surprising ways and bring us to a new place of understanding and appreciation for this world we all share. We are once again reminded that celebration feeds our human need for joyous release and we are refreshed by that reminder.
In The Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote, "Reflect frequently how all things in the universe are linked to one another and how they are related. For in a sense all things are interwoven and therefore in friendly sympathy. All things follow one another because of the active tension and the common spirit breathing through them all, and because of the unity of all existence." As we turn the corner on this semester, during this daunting period in our collective history, let us remember that we live in relationship, not in isolation. In the days and weeks to come, as Ramadan, Advent, the Winter Solstice and Chanukah assume their place in the rhythm of our daily lives, and as we continue to face a world in conflict and more academic pressures here at home, remember the wonder and release contained in celebration. Offer a prayer and a supportive smile as your Muslim roommate enters a month long time of fasting and reflection. Join your neighbor down the hall as he or she lights Chanukah candles, attend a Christmas concert and breath in the crisp, frosty smell of our ever changing night sky. Live your life with a deep appreciation for "the unity of all existence." Take some time to savor what is all around you and by all means take time to share in the release of joy.
My Turn is an opportunity for faculty and staff of the Johns Hopkins University to express their opinions. Sharon M.K. Kugler is the University Chaplain
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.