I was watching a film short on Oprah's new network the other day. A group of people erected (I will refrain from giggling as my prepubescent behavior dictates) what was essentially a room made from PVC and white sheets on the sidewalk of a bust city street. Inside the "Zen Den" were a variety of items at different times during the day ranging from bubbles to an exercise bike to a drum set. The film simply showed people entering the white sheeted confines and ultimately how they chose to spend their time in there with the props provided. My first reaction was the only people they could entice into the den were the free spirited who typically have a way about them enabling moments of free expression anyway. My prediction proved correct for the first handful of people that entered. However, my thought process shifted direction when I saw the business suit enter.
After a few minutes I had seen a plethora of people doing what instinctively came to them when presented with the props and a certain level of anonymity. The raw energy these people emitted could be felt on the screen. I witnessed the release the banging of drums allowed and the return of memories, most likely good and bad, the act of blowing bubbles created. An elderly lady entered and simply laid down for a nap.
For a while I was envious of them all. Each person that stepped out of their comfort zone by entering the unknown was able to find a place where all inhibitions could be let go of and raw reaction was appropriate. It reminded me of just how much we hold each other back. Of how guarded we keep ourselves in hopes of self preservation. We have learned that freedom of expression is many times met with judgement and that judgment many times feels bad. By limiting our expression we lessen the blow. Or do we?
I started wishing that every street corner had a zen den. That my job had one, as well as my home. I thought about how much more peaceful the world would be if we had an nonjudgmental outlet for what we were feeling in the moment. How having no stimuli but your own self and what you are doing would allow honesty within your own soul for a few moments. How we wouldn't do what we assumed those watching want us to. How cause and effect would never be negative.
I am not sure what I would do in the zen den. But I would love the opportunity to let my feelings and my energy show me.
