The Dance of Life

When Nikos Kazantzakis decided to write his novel, Zorba the Greek, he wrote in his notebook:  “My life’s greatest benefactors have been journeys and dreams. Very few people, living or dead, have aided my struggle.  If, however, I wished to designate which people left their traces embedded most deeply in my soul, I would perhaps designate Homer, Buddha, Nietzsche, Bergson, and Zorba.

Zorba taught me to love life and have no fear of death….If it had been a question in my lifetime of choosing a spiritual guide, a guru as the Hindus say, a father as say the monks of Mount Athos, surely I would have chosen Zorba.  When words and life became too constricting for Zorba and he felt suffocated, he leaped to his feet and began to dance….”

I differ from Kazantzakis in that my greatest benefactors have been primarily persons—the people in my life that I call “Star Persons” (spiritual guides).  But, alas, none of these came close to being a Zorba.  Oh, how I wish there had been a Zorba along my journey way to teach me to love life even more than I do—and to DANCE even more than I do!  

In my youthful years I loved to dance, but as the years went by, there seemed to be less and less opportunity to do so, or so I thought!  How I wish a Zorba had come along then to teach me.  Don’t let this happen to you.  Dance!  Jesus invites us to a Party, not a Wake.  He is the “Lord of the Dance” you see!  He means for us, like Zorba, to DANCE!

“Dance, then, wherever you may be; I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.  And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be, and I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.”