as i returned from the sea this morning, something inside of me said i should take a look at the neighbors wall, after the hard rains of yesterday. so i passed my house and was saddened to see that again the stone wall had collapsed onto the road! i felt so sorry for him. he had just had it built a week ago, and after the first rains, part of it collapsed. everyone that passed by stopped and laughed, along with him and his wife. then came the task of picking up all the rocks, and having it rebuilt again, hopefully stronger. the workmen did it again and everyone was happy for him. but after the downpour yesterday, the same part of the wall was now broken on the road.
a few hours later as i was placing the offerings at the entrance to the house, i heard the grandma of my compound suddenly laughing out loud. she had just walked over to the neighbors and saw the broken wall. laughing?! i was shocked. how could she laugh at someone elses' troubles? but then i heard the owners laughing too. as i walked back to the house together with the grandma, she again laughed, saying "two times! again, and again..." and laughing. i realized that no one feels like a victim here. they are simply laughing at life! at how things happen...there is no worry, it is clear that there is "someone" else running the show, and everything is perfect.
i wondered if they would laugh also in the face of death, or if it had happened to them, and not to the neighbor? then i went off to meet my friend/landlord. i mentioned to him about the wall falling down again. before i had a chance to finish he was already laughing. i realized this is just a natural reaction to life. i even asked him if it had happened to his wall, and not the neighbors', would he still be laughing? and he laughed and said "of course!"
as i returned home i saw the grandparents standing next to the pigpen where the 9 little piglets had been born two days ago. i joined them to enjoy watching the little newborns. but to my surprise one of them lay dead on the ground. a look of horror crossed my face as i looked towards the grandma to ask what happened?! and ...she laughed and said "from the rain, two died." i quickly counted and found only 6 piglets there. again trying to understand the indonesian i asked why only six? and she laughed again, along with the rest of the family and said that another one had died the night before.
so my reflection on whether they would be laughing even in the face of death, was just answered... Yes! i asked myself why this seems like a strange response to me? and i thought that if i really and truly accepted everything as perfect and god's will, there would be no place for regret or worry or anger or fear. whatever was being revealed to me would just be the reality at this moment, for reasons beyond my understanding, and can i just watch it all, participate in it with perfect faith? not be identified with it, not think things should be other than they are? and then maybe i too would have a natural response of laughter as life revealed itself before me each moment.
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