“This is my simple religion; there
is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our
own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” – Dalai Lama
I stood elbow-to-elbow, skin-to-skin,
within a small group of campers within a massive group of concert attendees at
the Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Tour. We were in more ways than one
cosmically connected to each other, as well as connected to the surrounding 30,000
people that were dancing, singing, crying and experiencing what one can only
describe as euphoria. Maybe it was the blistering heat that lashed at our skin
like a whip for three days straight. Perhaps its dehydrating malicious rays
gave us all a false sense of affection for one another. I like to think it was
deeper than that, in fact, I know it was. I had only met a handful of these
people Thursday and as for the loving masses, I’d hardly spoken to a fraction
of them. Yet, here we all were, a part of one another, a part of something
bigger and better, something meaningful.
Mumford and Sons finished their set
list and exhausted, both physically and mentally, the group and myself began to
wade through the multitudes back to our campsite for the weekend in Guthrie Oklahoma’s
Cottonwood Flats. The next morning would bring an end to an amazing weekend
that still has me awestruck.
As we sat around the small propane
grill and chatted about life, about our newfound friends’ 12-hour trek back to
Chicago, a friend of mine stared blankly into the dark. Several minutes went by
before she turned and said, “I have nothing left, but love.”
That really stuck with me. I
carried it the rest of the night and into the next day, meditated on it as we
took down the tent and loaded up the car. I agreed, after the concert that
night, there was nothing left but love.
But I’ve walked that path before.
I’ve experienced the sense of communalism that comes when likeminded
individuals meet and share experiences. What I was afraid of were the coming
days. When I was removed from the festival, where love was not so easy, when I
was back to the real world where holding the door for someone became a task
instead of an innate response, wouldn’t it all fade away like the times before?
It is hard to see the good in
people during your day to day. I’ll admit, for some it’s easier than others,
but at some point the majority of us just give up and fold back into the
normality of ugliness.
My mother called me when I got home
from the festival Sunday night and we chatted briefly. She shared something
with me that opened the floodgates. Two high school friends of mine had
contacted my little brother Saturday and taken him to a college football game.
They didn’t need to. They could have found a friend their age to go, could have
sold the ticket. They could have done a number of things differently, but
instead they cared enough to take the time and remember one individual that
looks up to them more than they will ever know. As the tears ebbed down my face,
I came to the realization that just because I was back to reality, just because
every person around me might not have the same loving qualities of those I
experienced over the weekend, didn’t mean it wasn’t out there. It didn’t mean
it was time to fold back in the crowd.
In life, we experience connections.
Singular, within the confines of a small group or even on a cosmic level, no
matter the significance or size, throughout the years we become connected to a
number of people. It’s important to seek out the good in those people that we
connect with. It’s important to treat them with outstanding kindness. If we
strip away all the ugly, all the hatred and hurt, all the want and lust, we’re
left with a singular emotion. But let me tell you that what’s left is by far stronger
than any external force man could create. It’s stronger than we ourselves ever
imagine being, and it’s something we must consciously gain, something we must
perpetually establish within the confines of a global community. It’s love, and
when there’s nothing left but that, we will soar.
