Twerking
Hearing that an TV interview with an academic was about ‘twerking’
certainly made me stop and wonder. What will this actually be about? Why is an academic talking on this? That’s not what that person has ever spoken about…
The academic in question is actually a friend well-known for working on a certain topic (not twerking) for several decades. Tired of always being associated with just one thing, they threw that unexpected title in to challenge assumptions.
But it not only challenged assumptions of the audience, stopping the mind (and potential engagement) from going into auto-pilot of what they would hear or see. It also was a powerful reminder that things change. People change. What they care about changes. How the world is changes. What we need to engage in changes.
Once again, one of Buddhism’s three characteristics of existence pokes its head up: impermanence. Because what is change if not another example of impermanence? And seeing this equation of change=impermanence can be helpful for those who find change difficult. It throws us up against the concept that nothing stays the same or is around forever: not us, our bodies, our world, our connections…
Challenging stuff. But so is life (and twerking).
With a bow
Maitripushpa
