Balinese Wisdom

I have always thought of America as a culture consumed with fear. It’s everywhere you look, from the message that (put on your best deep scary voice) “the security threat level has now been raised to (oh, gasp) ORANGE…” to the subliminal messages which allude to the fact that you will get (oh, gasp again) fat if you eat or drink anything that is not “light” or “fat free.” It would appear that our culture thrives on fear, at least in the advertising industry.

The other day as I was on my way home from a weekend at the beach with my Balinese buddy Dewa, he brought up an interesting point regarding the subject of fear. But first, if I may, a few words on Dewa.

Dewa is this tall, well muscled, good looking Balinese dude who seems like he could be employed as a body guard until you catch sight of the flowers tucked gracefully behind each ear and learn that he LOVES to sing Mariah Carrey songs. He is my “driver” which is to say that when I want to venture outside my quiet little town of Ubud and onto the wild roads of real Bali I call Dewa. He picks me up in his funky rig (amazing that the thing hasn’t kicked the can yet), windows always down (no a/c in this country), Mariah blasting on the tape deck, and we cruise. Now it’s important to note that Dewa is an incredible musician. In fact, he is even a bit famous in Indonesia for his talents, those being twofold. The first of his skills lies in song writing for Indonesian pop stars. Many of his songs have even been played on the radio and made into albums. The second of his hidden talents is the “macho dance.” I don’t really feel adequately informed on exactly what the macho dance is in order to give it a just description, but he has promised to show me pictures before I go. Can’t wait.

So when Dewa and I are cruising the crazy roads of Bali, we, well actually HE, sounds quite good singing along to Mariah. As we were coming home from the beach he put on some new tunes from James Blunt (American pop star of the moment).
“Kate, do you know James Blonde?”
“Who?” I said, then realizing what he must have said “Oh James Bond? Yeah, totally, he’s a hottie, well the Pierce Brosnan version is at least.”
Now it was Dewa’s turn to be confused.
“I don’t know what you say Kate.”
“You asked if I know James Bond, and I mean, not personally, obviously, but I definitely know who his is, like I said, he’s a hottie.”
Dewa is now even more confused.
Eventually we boil it down to James Blunt (he has the pronunciation of the last name a bit off), the pop singer of the moment, who was currently serenading us in Dewa’s beat up truck.

So there we are with James Blunt and Dewa singing a broken hearted ballad as we wind through the rice fields.
“What’s that word?” asks Dewa as the chorus comes on.
“Bravery” I respond after listening intensely to the poor recording. “He’s saying he has no bravery,” I elaborate.
“What this mean?” Dewa asks.
“It means he’s afraid,” I say, and so began the conversation on America’s obsession with fear.

“You sure have a lot of word in English for fear,” observes Dewa. “In Indonesian we have one: ta kut. It for every meaning of fear. Not much fear in Bali, so not need much word.”
I smile, loving his observation, nod my head in agreement, and start laughing as he lists off all the English words he has learned for fear.
“Afraid, scared, not brave, terrified, fearful, frightened…..” he keeps on going, and I’m impressed at the scope of his vocabulary.
“You know Dewa, there’s quite a lot of fear in America. I mean, there are even rumors that the Talliban (scary voice again, a bit of sarcasm too) are living among us!”

“Who’s Talliban? Singer?”

I have confused him yet again.

We continue our conversation about fear on a more serious note, determining that maybe it’s the lack of spirituality in the Western world that gives way to so much fear. Then again, many fundamentalist religious groups thrive on the concept of fear, so it’s tough to say one way or the other.
I tell Dewa that I think the problem is deeply imbedded in a culture that seeks happiness in the external world, particularly in material things. There is no doubt that capitalism thrives on consumption, and in our modern society, we have become masters of the art of consumption. Everything in the external world is always changing and impermanent. It can die, disappear, or be taken from you. This is a very scary thought if you depend on anything external for happiness. If instead you look inside for happiness and fulfillment, there aint no one who can touch that stuff other than you. Life then doesn’t seem so scary anymore.
The Balinese get this. What they don’t get is mass consumption. They on the other hand, seem to be masters of moderation. That, or it’s the fact that they spend so much time preparing for this ceremony and that celebration, they don’t even have time to get wrapped up in materialism. They seem to extract their happiness from moments, from being with their friends and family, from nature, and well more than anything, from just being. They do not have agendas, they are not trying to accomplish some big task, they are simply doing whatever it is they are supposed to do at that moment, and they do it not only with the whole of their heart but with a smile on their face. It is a true demonstration of grace and an inspiration to watch.
As a result, they are some of the friendliest people I have ever encountered, and it makes traveling alone feel more like you’ve gone on vacation with the entire extended family than off on a journey of solitude. I hear my name constantly being called out in the streets of Ubud from people I’ve met for all of 5 seconds. “Hello Keit!!! (that’s how they say my name). How are you today?!” always shouted with incredible enthusiasm.
In America, we seem to have lost that time to talk to strangers, or even to say a friendly hello. There’s an ever-present sense of urgency, business, and rush that seeps its way into every quick footstep of the passerby. There is this sense that what we are going to do is more important than what we are doing right now.

While the Balinese may be masters of the present and maintaining grace in every action, there is another side to this; besides I can’t completely bash America, for there are a lot of amazing things about it too. The dark side to this shiny coin is that not much actually happens in Bali. I was here a year ago, and I swear, the exact same clothes are hanging in the store windows. The only difference is that they’ve collected another few inches of dust and their colors look more pastel than vibrant. The same people seem to be sitting in the same places, just watching life happen around them. The same rituals and ceremonies are going on or being prepared for. There’s just a whole lot of sameness going on round these parts.
At first it freaked me out a bit. I mean, in America, the clothes in the store window have changed before you even got a chance to go in and see them! And to see the same person in the same place, aside from the robotic morning ritual dance at Starbucks, is a rarity. I’ve learned to see a subtle beauty in this sameness. It’s very calm and non-distracting, which allows you to focus on what really matters. Suddenly you’re not so caught up in all the change, rather you find yourself paying attention to a new kind of change, like the change in the wind, or the change in the light on a child’s smiling face. Time slows down, moments stand out, and you feel at ease, at peace. Then suddenly you’re thrown out of your peaceful moment by the sounds of a large truck honking, headed straight for you. The dazed look of peace turns into one of a stunned dear in the headlights, and like a cat you spring into action.
I guess nowhere on earth is perfectly peaceful…even Bali! So for now, I will just have to enjoy those rare moments and soak up all the smiles and friendliness I can. Someone told me recently that a smile is the most contagious thing on the planet…I sure hope so, it’s a disease I want to spread, and I think the Balinese have got it BAD.