Alive
Our Western friends have a way of capturing joy and happiness by saying: "walking a tightrope between two mountaintops makes me feel alive." They usually say it while doing something extraordinarily risky. I believe the origin of this phrasing is the blood-hungry European culture, born out of destitution, death, and killing each other for survival.
Easterners don't need to put themselves near death to feel alive. They only need to do simple things. Work, love, friends, neighbors.
Once you understand what those things are, sitting down to chop a neighbor's coconut so your friends can drink is, in its own way, love expressed through labor — and it too makes you feel alive.
No comments yet
Owl post is moderated and may take a moment to arrive.