English
Ko sem šel prvič onkraj mej Evrope, sem bil pod vtisom najrazličnejših zunanjosti, zato nisem mogel zares dojeti bistva. Svet je pač zelo drugačen od domačih krajev: eni so črni, drugi živeči na ulici; nekje je neznosno vroče, drugod diši po neznanih sadežih, in tako naprej. Pri drugem potovanju se vtis ni dosti spremenil. Nakar se mi je postopno, po nekajkratnih potovanjih na druge kontinente izluščilo razmišljanje, ki je postalo vprašanje: kje smo Evropejci izgubili veselje do življenja?
Zgodilo pa se je tako. V deželah tretjega sveta se mi je začelo redno dogajati, da sem bil ob rajajočih ljudeh redno pretresen, ker sem vedno znova opazil, da so preko pesmi spontano vstopili v veselje, ki ga pri nas nikoli nisem srečal. Denimo takrat, ko je v Kamerunu pred branjem odlomkov Svetega pisma pri maši procesija rajajočih ljudi vstopila v cerkev. Spredaj so šli štirje mladi, ki so bili, kakor da bi pripravljali pot. Za njimi je šla mati, ki je na glavi nosila Sveto pismo, ob njej pa njene prijateljice. In spet za njimi nekaj mož, ki so nič manj rajajoči poskrbeli za polnost veselja. Ljudstvo pri maši ni delovalo začudeno, temveč nasprotno, rajajoča procesija z Božjo besedo je tudi njih pripravila do rajanja. Videl sem plešoče, vriskajoče, pojoče … vključno z duhovniki. Ko sem končno doživel takšno izredno veselje, sem bil nad njim prevzet, obenem pa nisem znal vstopiti vanj, ker pri nas tega ne počnemo. Ne gre za to, da ne plešemo v cerkvi, temveč gre za dejstvo, da ne rajamo, pa naj bo v kakršni koli obliki. Tam doli pa sem imel občutek, da so se vsi okrog mene smehljaje pozibavali, gibali in plesali, jaz pa sem se počutil okamnel. Zares nenavadno!
Ne iz ravno najbolj bogate dežele, pa vendar iz prvega sveta, sem vedno mislil, da smo mi najbolj razviti in da če že, potem lahko pomagamo tistim v tretjem svetu. V smislu: bogati vedno pomagajo revnim. A kako kratkovidno je takšno mišljenje. Najprej seveda to, da se razumemo kot prvi in sicer na podlagi denarja. Hecna stvar. Nakar pa kot razviti. Mi, ki smo se kot kontinent povzdignili tako visoko, da si domišljamo, da lahko z razumom narekujemo (ne)obstoj Boga; in ki smo začeli verjeti, da nam bo denar dal, kar sicer daje Gospod. In tako sem se postopno naučil, da moram tretjemu svetu pustiti, da me uči in bogati. Ker enega jim pa ne manjka: veselja.
English
Joy, where are you?
When I made my first trip outside the borders of Europe, there were so many things that impressed me that I couldn’t get the point. The world is very different from my home country: some are black, others live on the streets. Some places are scorching, and others are full of unknown fresh fruits smells, and so on. The second trip was not any different. After a while, thou, after several trips to the other continents, I could identify thinking which became a question, Where have we, the Europeans, lost the joy of living?
This is how this question came to my mind: when I traveled to third world countries, it has become a regular experience that celebrating people deeply touched me. I realized how the songs are the entering point to the joy which I have never known on our continent. I was at the mass in a church in Cameroun, where just before reading the Scripture passages a sort of procession entered the church. In the front, four young boys were there to prepare the way. A mother followed them. She was holding a Holy Bible on her head, and her friends were accompanying her. Some men followed them, and they were as much celebrating as the others. What I saw was the fullness of joy. The people of God, present at that mass, did not seem surprised, but on the contrary, the celebrating procession made them dance as well. I saw people moving around, shouting in joy, singing, including the priests. When I finally experienced such a thing and when I was utterly overwhelmed by it, I then didn’t know how to enter it because we don’t do that. I am not saying we don’t dance in the churches (that’s not what I expect, nor I suggest it) but that we don’t celebrate the joy in whatever form. Down there, I had an impression everyone was happily moving and dancing, expect me who stood there as being petrified.
I might not come from the wealthiest country in the world, but it still is the first world. I always thought that we are the most developed and that we help those in the third world. That’s the way how it goes: the rich help the poor. How short-sighted was this! First of all, the fact that we understand ourselves as the first, based on the money, to be sure. Amusing thing. Secondly, because of our development. I’m wondering which one. We as a continent have elevated ourselves so high that we have started to be sure that we can dictate the (in)existence of God by our mind. We have also begun to believe that the money will give us what God alone can provide us with. I slowly learned that I should let the third world teach and enrich me. Simply because there is one thing it has abundantly: the joy of living.
stalno na poti 