The Young in Joy
Halifax, Nova Scotia
I had taken a real brisk walk from Charlottetown to the Trans Canada Highway when I met some young party goers whom I greeted with a “Good morning!” to which they at 4 AM became a bit disoriented. One of them as they looked at their watch in a stupored sort of way said, “Oh, yah, morning!” as she giggled.
An hour later the van pulled up with five of our Halifax monks. We moved onto the ferry docks for the mainland. While on the ferry whales coasted along with us - appearing and disappearing - as passengers left their seats to see the spectacle. Alice, a middle-aged woman from Nova Scotia, approached me.
“I don’t mean to seem ignorant but what are the clothes all about?”
I went on to explain about our order of monks, which she had never heard of before, but it sparked new questions. As we were talking she looked at our two young monks Kurt and Marshal from British Columbia and remarked, “you don’t eat meat or take drugs?”
“No, not at all,” I said.
“That’s amazing. At that age they could be doing all sorts of crazy things. Do you get married?”
“Yes,” I said. “Most of us do get married but now while they are young they are receiving some training and it establishes a great foundation for them.” Alice was satisfied and we reached the dock.
This evening the Halifax boys and I held a Sunday Program of chant and talk with predominantly young folks and the free-spirited. They could have been doing all kinds of ‘crazy things’ but they were indeed thrown into the ecstasy of kirtan (chanting) and philosophy and they were blown away.
I hope they will stay frozen in the joy of Krishna Consciousness and avoid all the nasty things that can spoil lives.
7 KM
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