A Spiritual Meditation … Or Blatant Voyeurism?

by Eileen Connolly - Faculty

I just bought an iPhone. And I LOVE it. I have an inordinate amount of affection for this little machine. Main reason: it calms me down. You thought I was going to say something about staying connected and gaining organized efficiency? No. Zen. That’s what I like.

For example, one of my favorite apps (Surveillance Shaker) scrolls through various locations on the planet and hooks you into surveillance cameras. You shake the iPhone and a new surveillance camera appears. You never know where you are on the planet. That’s part of the mystique.

I’ll watch the camera capture 5-10 second intervals of a location – and I’m instantly mesmerized. My breathing relaxes. I focus on the world and not myself. I see all sorts of scenarios: a student strolling across a campus chatting with a friend (wonder what they’re saying)… a car wending it’s way around a traffic circle (wonder where they’re going?)… a duck floating peacefully by on a mountain lake (wonder what the weather’s like there.) Another day: an underwater shot of a swimmer doing laps in a community pool. Interesting and odd.

Right now: the sun is setting on some majestic mountain village — who knows where. In that village people are making dinner. People are settling down for the night. I am here. In NYC. Wrapped up in my hectic work schedule. Focusing only on myself and how I’m gonna make it through the week, planning and scheduling and managing my life. Then I breathe a sigh of relief and calm down and think about the other people on the planet. This very instant. Someone else, somewhere else is feeling just like me. And she’ll do okay. She’ll figure it all out. And so will I. And so will you. One day at a time. Slow down. Calm down. Breathe.

I just shook again. Someone’s sitting around a campfire. Somewhere. Wish I were there. I suppose I am…in spirit.

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