The Heart is in it!

Today is Pentecost day. I overheard a conversation where one was saying it is also the birthday of Christianity. I went for service early in the morning. I liked, as always, this morning’s preacher who was from the Dominican Congregation of Virginia, USA. I got to learn the Dominicans are also known as the Order of Preachers. Now, I happen to be in an area where there are quite many Jesuits. I know of the jokes they exchange among themselves that is the Franciscans, Jesuits and Dominicans. It is joked that one of each orders has a combination of these virtues in different amounts:  hermitic, pragmatic and philosopher. These virtues happen to be the butt of many jokes. This time it was about...never mind. The joke is so old I may sound like an old broken record. But, my morning Sunday service was a warm and a spiritual fulfilment for me.

 At around 10.00 am, I joined 3 friends of mine as a team of four. We were part of a larger group of over 300 people (adults, young and children pushed in prams). We walked 1:3:5 miles to raise funds and to raise awareness around what communities can do to reduce the risks that exacerbate cardio-vascular diseases. We met at one place, were flagged off and as a team we walked the different assigned miles. Our team walked all the five miles. There are so many lessons one learns when one decides to engage in community activities. As a strong advocate for community-work in which one expects not to be paid a salary, I have always told my friends and any who cares to listen to my philosophy the three reasons why we engage in work: reward, skills and networks. Rewards may be in various forms and not necessarily the salary. It could be psychological satisfaction that one is able to take time off and be part of a number of persons who have accomplished an activity. Skills may come in many ways including person-to-person communication or organization of an event. One does not fail to pick a lesson or two on organization of events. Humans are social and in engaging in these kind of events it may enable one fulfil the social aspect of meeting other people. It may add to the feeling of being part of society. It may be a point of reference for one as well as topic for conversation. Such experiences make up the stock materials in one’s brains and being part of one’s memory it may be enrichment that will form future conversational or problem-solving points of reference.

There were two major intentions of the walk: raising awareness about cardio-vascular diseases and; renewing a commitment towards engaging in physical exercises as one of the best ways to prevent cardiovascular and lung related diseases. The event was colourful and the sun was bright. By the end of the walk a dark cloud was forming and later after two or three hours a down pour followed. I had kept my bicycle somewhere convenient. I managed, to barely make it back home before it rained, to file this report.