My Thoughts II, A Church

            I am thankful for the many gorgeous days I have experienced in my life. Mornings are especially important for me because it is the beginning of a new day; new opportunities, choices and things to experience arise.

            It is on such a beautiful, bright July morning that I found myself walking through the side-streets of Paris on my way to a museum. I always enjoyed the peacefulness which exists in big cities at ten o’clock in the morning. That is the time when most people have made it to the office, school or wherever they need to be. The people generally left on the streets are those who are retired and those who work on the streets, be they taxi drivers, cleaners, construction workers and such.

            As I turned a corner and was heading down a sidewalk of a major street, I saw a church to my left. I like old churches because they are works of art. Especially in France, where they are hundreds and hundreds of years old, they are quite a site to see. This church which caught my attention was nothing spectacular in comparison to what Paris and France in general has to offer in terms of its architectural aspect. Yet, it called me.

            I walked-up to the front doors and they were locked but after checking a few more doors, I found one to the side which was unlocked. It weighted a ton. I got it open without disturbing the gods and stepped inside. I suddenly felt as if I entered a time capsule. There was not a sound. Nothing but my footsteps and then, the floor squeaked. Or it might have been an earthquake … sounded very similar.

            What a strange experience. There was a lady sitting all the way up in the front row, a little to my left. I took a right off the aisle and sat down in the middle of the wooden bench. I placed my camera beside me. Took off my back-pack and sat it to my right.

            I can only meditate in churches and forests. How odd … a non-believer in the house of God. The ground should open up and eat me. It will not. It’s stubborn just like I am. The lady left. I only heard her. My eyes were closed and my head down.

            Alone. I only like churches for what they bring in their artistic architectural form and for the peacefulness I experience when I am alone inside. I am not fond of rituals. I dislike the plate for collection. The Great Spirit asks for no money.

            In fact, I cannot hear the spirits when there are people around me. Hence, I often need and like to be alone. “I was born alone and I will die alone,” I remember who said that. Or, “we will die and see.” I remember who said that too. Many things, I don’t remember … it bothers me.

            The Christian institution is an obstacle in the search for knowledge, for me. I want it dismantled like a Lego toy. Let’s build a new one! One that works; one that respects Life and chases no profit!

            The peace I experienced in that church was older than time. It allowed me to see myself. I could have been dead maybe. I walked into nothingness and everything at once; into a place with no borders or languages. That was the infinite land of spirits.

            I will remember that day.