WHOSE WORLD IS IT ANYWAY?

During the closing residency in Baguio City back in April, walking the labyrinth was a popular solitary activity for all. One day, a thorny bougainvillea branch jutted into the labyrinth's path, so I had to veer off to continue walking. A small inconvenience, I thought at the time, but the next day, the branch was cut off, making the path more walkable. My unexpected, fleeting thought at the time was, "Is bougainvillea in the way? Or are we in the way?” Whose world do we live in?

Since our house sits on the top of the hill, we have all kinds of birds perching, yakking, singing all day long, from crows to magpies to sparrows, and occasional muted herons gliding far away. A stray cat family is also nearby, I know. Once in a while, a stray cat would be bold and curious enough to come near our window and peek into it. Then, there is the most unwelcome, imposing centipede resting inside the shower stall once in a while in the mornings, who bravely ventured through the drainage all night. Whose world is it anyway?

We often see things as we are, rarely as they are. Perception rules the day while reality resides in the shadowy background. Blending into the already complex reality of many different “worlds,” humans, with all our unique and personal stories, enter as well, creating wonders and even havoc in a dizzying reality. There is no way I can understand and see everything clearly. The only thing given to me is my life and what I get to see, with all its treasures and troubles. That precisely is my only calling, to live my one and sacred life as earnestly as I can. At the same time, it would do me good to realize and remind myself that the best I can see is to see dimly. This permeates humility and wonder at the same time.

With this baseline understanding, our stories touch and connect, generating meaning and purpose for each of our lives. Since no one is an island, we create reasons for our existence by allowing others’ stories, including bougainvillea, birds, and cats, to enter ours, deepening and/or expanding our lives. To be sure, these touchpoints and connections also cause pain and suffering, and they are all part of the grand plan, if you will.

Over the weekend, my wife and I happily hosted friends from Singapore and the Philippines, recent fellow graduates from CenterQuest Asia. They were on their way to Mongolia to do a two-week contemplative pilgrimage, including trekking in the Gobi Desert. After the closing residency, I had been missing my CenterQuest friends, so this was going to be a treat. When my wife told me back in the US they were planning to swing by to see us, I had circled the dates in anticipation.

We picked them up from the Seoul Station in the heart of the city. After spending half a day walking, shopping, and eating our way through the city, we drove to our house in Yangpyeong. The weather was grey but cooler, so a perfect day to meander and enjoy each other’s company. We kept saying it was surreal to be together. After a home-cooked dinner, we sat around our dinner table and talked for hours, reminiscing about personal and collective journeys in the School of Spiritual Direction and looking ahead to our unfolding stories.

They were curious about our recent journey to Korea and Asia. As we shared, they were so engaged in deep listening that we kept going in opening our hearts and desires. Looking back, that remains a highlight for me, not because we shared, but because their attentive presence validated our presence in Korea.

Then one of the tangential storylines we shared was about Suji Enneagram and how we got involved and what we hope to do. As they listened, they asked us what our plan was for the next day. I shared what I thought we could do together. They asked us, “Could you run an impromptu Suji Enneagram workshop for us instead?”

They entrusted time and honest, vulnerable reflection the next day during the workshop. Our eyes met and saw beyond the eyes, peered into each other's souls. We saw as one, not as two or dimly, albeit briefly. It was the work of the Spirit, piercing into each other’s hearts and stories and making our hearts warm.

Our stories powerfully collided, creating sparks of intimacy and wonder, moving us closer to our true essence and to our Creator. Whose world is it? But firstly, it is the world of wonder and connection, not because it is without pain and suffering but precisely because of them. And the world is not the prescribed kind, unable to escape the “destiny of all” in the end, but the kind we get to participate in, discover as we go, and author our own life books. It is also the world of freedom with all the moving pieces of life and incomparable complexities, impacting and creating meaning for everything. Ultimately, everything and everyone belongs and has meaning for all if we let them. This world and the cosmos only belong to God, who sees everything perfectly in union and whose name is freedom, redemption, and love.