After a trip with mishaps at every leg of the flight I am finally
in Prague. The most difficult part of it of course was being told by Delta that
the first leg of my flight had already left by the time I had arrived at the
airport. It was such a surreal experience. In the past, if something like that
had happened, I would have been very angry.
The humility to accept that no one including myself is perfect is such a simple tool to calm down any seed of anger. and cultivate compassion and caring instead...
I could never understand then that anger arose from fear: Fear of failing, fear of not having things go the way I had planned, fear of missing out, fear of not being perfect in my planning, on and on and on. I would have reflected in a situation like this, that fear as anger, on the people that would be trying to resolve the problem. Imagine, how embarrassed I would have felt upon discovering that in fact it was I, who was responsible for this mishap. With that negative energy I would have emitted, the staff trying to resolve the issue would have been also anxious, stressed, and eventually angry in the process. Even if the problem were resolved; nothing ever got out of control to give myself credit, everybody would have been left with significant amount of negativity and as Tara Brach says with “contraction of the heart and a smaller self” than we all were.
In my experience, fear is one invariable emotional as a guiding force behind anger
Every time something like this happened in the past, I was always left with distaste in my heart, mostly toward myself, I just didn’t know how to change this trajectory. Fear of unknown was the master… Especially, if later on, I found out that my own role, as was the case this time, led to all the crisis, I would feel guilt and shame, which would turn anger toward myself for the very same reasons… I must humbly say, in the last five years, but more so two years, I have learned a different way of existing through mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhist philosophy.
I hope before the end of my life I will master all these skills and some more... Now that my major, self-imposed life responsibilities have arrived at a favorable resolution, I hope in myself...
This travel crisis was yet another wonderful experience to put into practice what I have been working on in terms of pausing, observing, recognizing, and cultivating positive energy under any and all circumstances. I am now more dedicated to mindfulness after this experience than ever… Turning angry crisis-reaction attitude to mindful and peaceful crisis-response that left both everybody involved in the process of resolving the issue and I calm, happy, and feeling positive toward one another with no negative energy generated, was testimony that it works. After this big problem was resolved to the satisfaction of everybody, the other relatively minor problems were almost “No big deal at all…”
You may sign up for such Rolce Royce tours in Prague, but the city is covered with public transportation across the entire metropolitan expanse...
Kitty corner from my apartment building is a Turkish fast food joint: It turns out Doner or Gyro in Greek has become THE fast food in Prague, although they are not run by Turkish immigrants...
Looking down west on Vaclavske Square from the National Museum end
National Museum on the east end of Vaclavske Square
The art of book cover plating leads to this kind of elegant book covers, I learn from Pietra, my fellow opera-goer...
Old town square with the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn on Tynska Street
The cast receiving our gratitude and appreciation
If anybody could let me know how this man overcomes the center of gravity physics rules, I would appreciate it.
Tara Brach's lovely tool she recommends to deal with difficulties in our lives, I fully believe it is a helpful tool
I could never understand then that anger arose from fear: Fear of failing, fear of not having things go the way I had planned, fear of missing out, fear of not being perfect in my planning, on and on and on. I would have reflected in a situation like this, that fear as anger, on the people that would be trying to resolve the problem. Imagine, how embarrassed I would have felt upon discovering that in fact it was I, who was responsible for this mishap. With that negative energy I would have emitted, the staff trying to resolve the issue would have been also anxious, stressed, and eventually angry in the process. Even if the problem were resolved; nothing ever got out of control to give myself credit, everybody would have been left with significant amount of negativity and as Tara Brach says with “contraction of the heart and a smaller self” than we all were.
In my experience, fear is one invariable emotional as a guiding force behind anger
Every time something like this happened in the past, I was always left with distaste in my heart, mostly toward myself, I just didn’t know how to change this trajectory. Fear of unknown was the master… Especially, if later on, I found out that my own role, as was the case this time, led to all the crisis, I would feel guilt and shame, which would turn anger toward myself for the very same reasons… I must humbly say, in the last five years, but more so two years, I have learned a different way of existing through mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhist philosophy.
I hope before the end of my life I will master all these skills and some more... Now that my major, self-imposed life responsibilities have arrived at a favorable resolution, I hope in myself...
This travel crisis was yet another wonderful experience to put into practice what I have been working on in terms of pausing, observing, recognizing, and cultivating positive energy under any and all circumstances. I am now more dedicated to mindfulness after this experience than ever… Turning angry crisis-reaction attitude to mindful and peaceful crisis-response that left both everybody involved in the process of resolving the issue and I calm, happy, and feeling positive toward one another with no negative energy generated, was testimony that it works. After this big problem was resolved to the satisfaction of everybody, the other relatively minor problems were almost “No big deal at all…”
Traveling from the airport to my apartment is unbelievably
easy, the beauty of being in Europe; public transportation! Bus 100 to Zlichin
metro station, which is a south-western suburb of Prague. Then Line B metro to almost
right across from my apartment. My citymaps app is again working beautifully.
This time, I discover I can add notes to selected places on the map for future
recall, nice.
The apartment building I am staying at is very close to old
town; as a result, it is an old building, too; you have to enter it through a
passageway that leads to a restaurant, first. Past the restaurant is the door
to the apartment. However both the building is well kept and my apartment turns
out to be a very charming two-bedroom one that could actually accommodate up to
8 people with the multi-functional furniture available.
This is the entrance of the Estates Opera Theater I will be heading to this evening
As soon as I put things away, I shower and change into a nice dress since I have a ticket tonight for Don Giovanni at the Estates Opera Theater in Prague, which I purchased couple hours before leaving Iowa City serendipitously: I had been listening to Czech language CDs for the last week. Yesterday morning, one of the sentences used was related to National Theater, which triggered an interest in perhaps going to a show while in Prague. Vola, Don Giovanni was on from August 9th to 31st! Now at 4 pm of August 29th, leaving the house to stroll around old town, I want to wear something that will be OK both for walking around but also to go to the opera without having to come back to the apartment. I didn’t even know that Mozart in fact had visited Prague in 1781 for the first time. After falling in love with the city, he had returned to Prague and written Don Giovanni there and finally had dedicated it to the good people of Prague. I will further discover while in Prague that they are in fact infatuated with Mozart returning their appreciation of his appreciation of their city. It will be such a lovely experience.
As soon as I put things away, I shower and change into a nice dress since I have a ticket tonight for Don Giovanni at the Estates Opera Theater in Prague, which I purchased couple hours before leaving Iowa City serendipitously: I had been listening to Czech language CDs for the last week. Yesterday morning, one of the sentences used was related to National Theater, which triggered an interest in perhaps going to a show while in Prague. Vola, Don Giovanni was on from August 9th to 31st! Now at 4 pm of August 29th, leaving the house to stroll around old town, I want to wear something that will be OK both for walking around but also to go to the opera without having to come back to the apartment. I didn’t even know that Mozart in fact had visited Prague in 1781 for the first time. After falling in love with the city, he had returned to Prague and written Don Giovanni there and finally had dedicated it to the good people of Prague. I will further discover while in Prague that they are in fact infatuated with Mozart returning their appreciation of his appreciation of their city. It will be such a lovely experience.
I walk toward Vaclavske Namesti, known as Wenceslas Square
in English, which is named after a 10th century Bohemian Duke. The
main avenue is on tram route, “Good to know in case I may need it tomorrow.” is
my first thought. However, in my entire stay in Prague, I will use the metro or
tram only three times, it is a city one can explore exclusively on foot. The
square, which was the site of a large horse market in medieval times is almost ½
a mile long, not so wide, but lined with many old picturesque buildings.
On the east end of it is the National Museum. On the middle
divide, close to the museum, is a vigil site, still being kept for young men
who had set themselves on fire one month apart during the 1968 uprising. My
heart goes to them. The Melantrich Building, from where Vaclav Havel and
Alexander Dubchek, the leaders of the 1989 uprising against the communist
regime addressed the crowds is also on this square. Since, it is getting close to dinner time, I am looking for
a place to eat before the opera. I want to find the Propaganda Bar, which
apparently has artifacts from the communist oppressive era that display their
absurdity. Unfortunately, I discover it is closed.
The vigil site still kept alive for the young men, who set themselves on fire during the 1968 uprising
During my search, I find a lovely corner café, where I have a delicious vegan vegetable goulash. After a quick tour of the Old Town Square, I head to the opera house. I have over half an hour and there is a lovely sidewalk café/restaurant right across from the opera house. I feel like having a glass of wine, but unfortunately, they don’t have any outside seating for me. Just as I am planning to leave, a woman probably my age volunteers to share her table with me. She has a very sweet and warm face, I will later learn her name to be Pietra. She will go to the opera, too! She is from Germany and is in town because her husband is a book cover plate maker and is attending an international conference on this matter!
During my search, I find a lovely corner café, where I have a delicious vegan vegetable goulash. After a quick tour of the Old Town Square, I head to the opera house. I have over half an hour and there is a lovely sidewalk café/restaurant right across from the opera house. I feel like having a glass of wine, but unfortunately, they don’t have any outside seating for me. Just as I am planning to leave, a woman probably my age volunteers to share her table with me. She has a very sweet and warm face, I will later learn her name to be Pietra. She will go to the opera, too! She is from Germany and is in town because her husband is a book cover plate maker and is attending an international conference on this matter!
The Turkish proverb, “Who travels more learns more than who
reads more” was meant to be for moments like this. I didn’t even have such a
concept in my mind and nor would I ever have a reason to explore anything close
to it had I not bumped into this woman to learn about it. Apparently, book cover
plating is the art of illustrations on the front cover of a book with or
without the title as one would typically find in old books. It sounded from her
description, though, that it is still an art form. This much interest in books, justly so, and what I
experienced while I watched Fahrenheit 451 last night on the plane, what a
contrast:
Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 are a film and a book everybody should read...
I can't help but think "Can any force eliminate off the face of the earth human kind’s interest on books, language, thought and learning?" Fahrenheit 451 was a nightmarish science fiction movie with motifs from the book 1984, in which the rulers of a futuristic American society are trying to eliminate all books and intellectual tools that trigger thought! All such materials are confiscated and burned by huge fire trucks controlled by a Ministry and the owners of any intellectual material, who are called “Eels” are jailed and/or killed. I share this with her, she not only watched the movie, but also read 1984 and knows what I am talking about. No wonder, we instantaneously connected. She is also very impressed with the fact that in that futuristic society depicted in Fahrenheit 451, people, who wanted to preserve written material and books shared the responsibility of reading and memorizing a book that they believed had to live in human memory. When she leaves, I am left with her warmth. Although I am trying to feel the same compassion for all that I encounter, how can I not feel closer to a human being like her with our shared love for books, thought, and art? I move to her seat and the Estates Theater is now in my view with all its humble grandeur...
I can't help but think "Can any force eliminate off the face of the earth human kind’s interest on books, language, thought and learning?" Fahrenheit 451 was a nightmarish science fiction movie with motifs from the book 1984, in which the rulers of a futuristic American society are trying to eliminate all books and intellectual tools that trigger thought! All such materials are confiscated and burned by huge fire trucks controlled by a Ministry and the owners of any intellectual material, who are called “Eels” are jailed and/or killed. I share this with her, she not only watched the movie, but also read 1984 and knows what I am talking about. No wonder, we instantaneously connected. She is also very impressed with the fact that in that futuristic society depicted in Fahrenheit 451, people, who wanted to preserve written material and books shared the responsibility of reading and memorizing a book that they believed had to live in human memory. When she leaves, I am left with her warmth. Although I am trying to feel the same compassion for all that I encounter, how can I not feel closer to a human being like her with our shared love for books, thought, and art? I move to her seat and the Estates Theater is now in my view with all its humble grandeur...
This opera will be memorable for me since Don Giovanni,
Mozart, and Prague have this strong interconnection. When Mozart returned to Prague
and wrote Don Giovanni here, he chose this very theater for the world premiere
of his opera, which he conducted himself! When I walk in, it will feel like I
know this place. No wonder I will think to myself later when I read that the 1984
movie Amadeus had made generous use of this theater. Interestingly, I am not the only tourist with an interest in
this show; I hear a variety of languages spoken around me.
As time gets closer to 7:30, crowd in front of the Opera House grows bigger, too...
The variety of nationalities represented in the audience must be in quite contrast with the world premiere, but who knows... In my balcony box is a family of three from Netherlands! This phenomenon of globalization has a beauty to it, too: How else people from all over the world would have been able to come to an opera in Prague so that in one box, there are no Czechs but spectators from 2-3 other countries? My neighbors are very sweet and warm people. They almost feel guilty that they have already lined up in the front but I am happy in the tall chair right behind them, which still gives me a beautiful view of the stage. Throughout the opera it downs on me where the Turkish “Don Juan” adjective comes from to describe men, who are exactly like Don Giovanni!
The variety of nationalities represented in the audience must be in quite contrast with the world premiere, but who knows... In my balcony box is a family of three from Netherlands! This phenomenon of globalization has a beauty to it, too: How else people from all over the world would have been able to come to an opera in Prague so that in one box, there are no Czechs but spectators from 2-3 other countries? My neighbors are very sweet and warm people. They almost feel guilty that they have already lined up in the front but I am happy in the tall chair right behind them, which still gives me a beautiful view of the stage. Throughout the opera it downs on me where the Turkish “Don Juan” adjective comes from to describe men, who are exactly like Don Giovanni!
When I come out of the opera house, I am debating whether it
would be safe to walk outside at 10:30 pm alone or whether I should get in a
taxi. Old town is as crowded as day time. I decide, it should probably be safe.
I wear my little backpack on my front body and walk back to the apartment
staying on the main avenues. No problem at all. To tell you the truth, Prague
now is a truly European city, with no more or less risk for pickpockets or
other delinquencies compared to other big cities in the continent.
In fact, in Paris, my cell phone was almost stolen from
underneath my travel book in a café, in southern Spain our entire luggage was
stolen from our rental car, several meters away from where we were in another
café. Not once I felt at risk in Prague. Although I paid attention to my
surroundings especially on Charles bridge, in Old Town and in the subway
system, there was not one encounter that made me feel there were unsafe people
around me. All I received from people of Prague was warmth and goodness. When I arrive home, I am without sleep over the last 36 hours. How
tense it started, but how peacefully it progressed. Tara Brach says “In the
thick of things, it may be difficult to remain compassionate, positive, and
non-reactive. When all is said and done, one needs to go back and think what
could have been done differently to make that difficult situation less
stressful and more positive an experience for future encounters. I practiced
this several times in the last two years. This time it was different: the
lightness in my heart is from finally being able to say that, even in the thick of
things, using these skills I have been practicing is possible…
I know, life will give me plenty opportunities to continue these
skills. I can’t help but feel grateful to those, who have helped me see that I
have to be patient with my close circle to allow them be, the way they would
like to be, not the way I believe is best for them to be. I can only hope that
those that might have felt pressured by my fear-led comments and acts, although
made with the best intentions in the past, can forgive me for unintended stress
and perhaps sadness I might have caused. My face is wet, but my heart is light, lately I can touch the good
and kind core in my heart much better than I ever have . I know that,
that is true me…
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| That is the guarantee to lasting journey to our deep good core... |
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| Without this, is it possible to show true compassion to others? |
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