Saturday, June 20th, 2009

A Smooth Swami

Seattle, Washington

No matter where he is in the world, I have always admired the smooth operation, despite an incredible work-load, of my monk friend, Romapada Swami. He is this year's chairperson for Krishna Consciousness world-wide and has a lot on his plate and sometimes it's not too palatable.

The night before, I was sharing the cabin space with him, ready to lay down my weary body at 10:20pm. He was engaged at his makeshift office in the next room. He was looking at the screen on his laptop. The news that appeared before him was tragic and nothing short of nightmarish. He sunk back in his chair but gave a smile. He told me what the news was and indeed it was sad.

I told him that I could never do his job, taking in so much negativity. "You have to smile and take things lightheartedly, otherwise you can't keep going." He said.

"I would not be able to sleep in such circumstances." I remarked.

The swami indicated that we all have to go through these things and it was God's mercy. I must admit that I sometimes carry a slight "attitude" towards American people for their boisterousness and sometimes just bad manners. I must also be careful not to be too stereotypical in this regard.

But this human being, this monk, this American swami from New York, is not ordinary. He's a thoughtful, caring, and sacrificial person, who has won my respect all the way for taking on a heavy burden for the sake of helping humanity.

Thank you, Romapada Swami for being an inspiration to me and others. Thank you for your good association.

4KM