Songs of the New Day.
"Sunrise, and the new day's breaking through
The morning of another day without you."
These are the opening lyrics of a song by Uriah Heep. While the song is excellent, I consider the opening lyrics depressing, with a person whining about their lost love. I much prefer "Morning Has Broken" by Cat Stevens, a song that celebrates the dawning of a new day.
A new day breaks at dawn, bringing life to everything. Most of us associate dawn with the sun's rising, but dawn starts much before. I will write a blog post on dawn and dusk in a few weeks.
Before the break of day.
One of my favorite experiences is being on a river before the day breaks. While I don't want to disparage modern ships and enormous vessels, I prefer to be on a simple wooden boat, sitting in silence with nothing but the sound of the breeze and the river flowing. We avoid silence, preferring to drown it out with loud music and cacophony. Still, when you are in the middle of a river, allowing the waves to rock your boat, enjoying the morning breeze, letting yourself go, and putting your phone away, you experience freedom.
I sat in the boat and took many pictures, which may give you the impression I spent my entire time behind the camera. Not true, I say. I deny the charge because I took a few photos, even though I have many. Most of the time, I sat with nothing between me: the river, the breeze, the clouds, the sunlight, and the silhouette of the temples.
Allow no barriers.
If you get to a spot and lift your camera from the start, you place a barrier between yourself and what is happening around you. I sat in the boat, enjoying myself, at peace with myself and the world. These are moments when you realize we waste our lives arguing about politics, religion, war, and worrying about events we cannot control.
We can't control the colors of dawn, but we can allow ourselves to savor every moment. Once, I overheard a jaded man tell his bride that the sunset she was gurgling over was available in their hometown. I pity the man because I know I can be on the boat every morning, and the sunrise will look different every day.
Real vs. manufactured Gods
I do not believe in a manufactured God because we allow this God to bind us in artificial rules. While I call myself an atheist, a better description is 'animist.' I believe that if a divine spirit exists, it exists in nature.
Some prefer to use the word 'God.' So, when you are on a boat in the middle of the river, watching the sun paint the clouds and sky, feeling the breeze, and listening to the sound of the wind and the river, you may well say:
'If there be God, it is this, it is this, it is this.'
Close your eyes, and listen.
My favorite melody about rivers is Pandit Hariprasad Cahurasia's "The Song of The River."
How should you enjoy the melody?
1. Ensure you have twenty minutes of undisturbed time.
2. Switch off all unnecessary gadgets and notifications.
3. Darken the room.
4. Close your eyes.
5. Meditate for two minutes.
6. Click this link on your computer and immerse yourself in the music.
The Latin word, 'anima,' is the origin of the word 'animism.' Anima means 'life' or 'soul.' Animism, therefore, refers to the belief that every natural thing in the universe has a soul. Modern religions, especially monotheistic beliefs, regard animism as primitive; however, I consider animism to be superior to organized religion, even pantheistic/henotheistic faiths like Hinduism. Modern religion places faith in scriptures and idols, not in the natural world, so we wish to conquer nature, not live with nature's spirits.
Links
https://www.streetdirectory.com/lyricadvisor/song/fpolcp/sunrise/
https://poestories.com/read/silence
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/animism#:~:text=Animism%20comes%20from%20the%20Latin,objects%20in%20all%20major%20religions
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