... time to get deep....

Many questions were posed to us this week and in an attempt to discover more meaning to our daily rituals I will answer one now.

Q: How can we as a community, in this class, benefit from Banjar?

The Banjar is in its most basic of definitions defined as a village council; the community extension of the house that governs most aspects of personal and private, individual and communal village issues. While there is a 'subscription' payment to join the banjar, it is mandatory for all males to represent their family within it. It plays the functions of -town council -tribunal -department of public works -welfare council - environment and sanitation control -social outlet -youth mentor ship. They own their own fields and therefore its crops, has an orchestra and dance team, bank and runs the temples, markets, roads and houses (plus much more).

A: Each of us walks into class every Monday and Wednesday as a tired individual coming off of a personal day- but we walk into a group and become a community. Everything that each individual has experienced that day or week affects them personally but they way they feel personally affects the group. In ICAP we wait for everyone so that everyone is on the same page and no one feels pressured to move on to the next step if they are not comfortable with it. Therefore when someone walks into our 'banjar,' they bring their attitude, stress, and experiences with them; so we all affect each other. In this class we are encouraged to share both how we are feeling, our experiences and our insights with the banjar, which not only brings us closer but allows us to support everyone. Considering that banjar helps the community with whatever they are going through- we can do the same by providing support, understanding, justice... whatever it may be. I feel that in a way we all have to 'surrender' (which has been a recent key point in class) to the banjar in order to benefit from it. We are all learning to surrender to the banjar and share ourselves with the other community members- this can only benefit us as a group. We will grow closer, read each other and be able to perform or feel our dancing as a group and not as an individual. I have no experienced it yet but can only imagine how it will feel the first time we dance, walk, chant, or sing and are one and not individuals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DexAx3D9BAo
This is a clip of a Beautiful Balinese Banjar- the actually place of community not necessarily the community itself BUT while looking at the images you can only imagine the purity of the community events and gatherings that happen there!!!