(Hall of Mirrors/Galerie des Glaces at Le Chateau de
Versailles)
Peace. Quiet. Silence. Solitude. These are the
things I love about Lincoln. One needn't go far to
find one of these in their own home, neighborhood or
in Logan County. The traffic isn't awful and the
crowds aren't either. Small city life isn't so bad.
Paris--everywhere I go I bump into someone.
Everywhere I go there is some expression of
creativity. Everywhere I go, even in the churches
that request silence and the museums that encourages
being quiet, there is noise.
Sirens. French. Laughter. Horns. English. Crying.
Trains. Languages. Emotions. Yes--all of
that--everywhere--at any time of the day.
And it is, well, beautiful.
Before coming to Paris I read in the book City and
Noise: Sound and Nineteenth Century Paris by Aimee
Boutin, that in order to understand the city, one
must engage Paris as a melodious space that
orchestrates different, often conflicting sound
cultures. Herein lies the beauty of Paris, while the
same noise that drives unnerves an introvert like me
to the core, the sounds of a busy city are
refreshing in their own way. The humming of the
streets indicate life. My inability to understand
most, if not all people, reminds me that the world
is much larger than Lincoln, Illinois and that
English isn't necessarily the language of love.
One must give themselves over in order to fully
experience and understand whatever the other might
be: person, place...even our own self.
|
The world is so big. So marvelous. Sure, we have our
moments. But some 1000s of miles away from home I've
felt nothing but the goodness humanity has to offer.
From the hospitality to the folks I'm staying with,
to the waiter who chuckles with patience as I order
in French, the mercy of God is all around us.
Merton once said, in regards to encountering God in
life, "It is simply opening yourself to receive. The
presence of God is like walking out of a door into
the fresh air. You don't concentrate on the fresh
air, you breathe it. And you don't concentrate on
the sunlight, you just enjoy it. It is all around."
At one point I was reluctant to admit the
possibility of finding the divine in raucous cities.
Perhaps my favorite city Chicago is too familiar and
I know how to navigate it. But Paris has taught me
cities have a peace of their own, the pulse of an
uncontainable Love; they have a solitude that only
enhances the silence our spirits need; to be quiet
may take more of an effort but the few moments there
are indeed define grace.
[Adam Quine, pastor of First Presbyterian Church
in Lincoln] |
