Having lived for many years in Los Angeles, I am well acquainted with the bustling activity of city life. However, with my quest to finding peace and balance within, I have always maintained a certain distance from city activities so that I may remain free from its imposition on my life. So I lived mostly at a small mountainous suburban area, further away from the city, but within visible range of the skyscrapers and buildings that sketched the vibrant city of LA. From that higher altitude, I could still see the city without getting caught up in the humdrum of its activities.
Recently I had an opportunity to live on the top floor of a high rise apartment in Bangkok. From that vantage point, I could witness the constant flow and feel the pulse of city life--the automobiles rushing through the many flyovers, the metro rails and subways that seem to emerge from the heart of one building and disappear into another, the various shades of lights on offices and apartments and some flickering with captivating banners, the schools and other educational institutes with periodic trails of ant like figures in uniforms, the constructions workers who along with their towering equipments look like a spiderman without his costume, the spotted green dots amidst the buildings that bear a far resemblance to the concept of trees, and lastly the omnipresent entertainment parlors with blaring music that pierce into the skies, etc. Isn't this the hallmark of just another busy city that can never quite stop?
But then again, it is obvious to note that the human quest for activities and excitement forces one to seek balance, sooner or later, in one form or another. Physical recreational areas, gardens, and healing outlets offer the environments in these bustling cities for people to connect back to nature. I observe from my temporary shelter in this high rise apartment, the attempts by people to have gardens on top of some of the buildings, and some swimming pools, tennis courts and fitness centers are usually secluded on the higher floors of the buildings, etc., all in an effort for the wealthy city dwellers to seek respite. There are also the small hives of Buddha and other deities spread out everywhere where people can turn off their auto pilot mode in the flurry of their daily activities, and connect within to their heart and spirit.
Incidentally the names of both Bangkok and Los Angeles mean "the city of angels" in their original languages. The abode of the angels is pictorialized commonly as being "among the clouds". I couldn't help reflect that this may be referring to witnessing life from top of these buildings. At a distant, or from the top, we all have a better view of life and its "tentacles" remain less potent.
Almost everyone desires to live their life in an angelic manner, seeking noble and wholesome activities to balance their body, mind and spirit. But when these potential angels descend down to their earthy abodes, scurrying through life everyday, they tend to get lost in the maze of its complexities! Then these same individuals are compelled to run away from the cities, seeking balance and solitude amidst nature, or at some holiday resorts, or even monasteries. However, these escapades are temporary or at best a revitalizing break! The freedom one seeks from the city life may just be the desire to be "in the clouds" where their angelic best blooms in full.
Perhaps these expensive and difficult trips to find balance and harmony in one's life can be avoided. It may not even be necessary to seek out top floors of tall buildings or any other forms of expensive accommodations that give "extra space". In our effort to retain or reclaim our angelic nature, we only have to learn to remain connected within our own selves, where the purity and harmony of nature manifests completely, and wherein the "path to the clouds" is instantaneously available upon demand. However, to learn to do so, in every moment of our lives, and no matter under what conditions we find ourselves in, we have to learn the art of "Coping with Life".
Unfortunately it is not an art we learn at Schools or Universities, nor at our work places or churches/temples. This is an art to be mastered in the University of daily life, amidst the noises of cities, the complexities of relationships, and the reality of life, sickness, old age and death.
Unfortunately it is not an art we learn at Schools or Universities, nor at our work places or churches/temples. This is an art to be mastered in the University of daily life, amidst the noises of cities, the complexities of relationships, and the reality of life, sickness, old age and death.
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