Ben-B-Bloggin

Karma the law of causality……What goes around, comes around; So as ye sow, so shall ye reap. Jesus admonished: "Do unto othersas you would have them do unto you."These are noble intentions, but reality and reason must moderate these noble precepts.

Ben and I were experiencing a conflict between good intentions when we were visiting Paris this fall;well actual I was having more of a conflict than Ben. In a small rural town in Iowa beggars are uncommon, non-existent really. In some parts of Europe beggars are common Of all the cities we visited, Paris had the greatest number. If one visited any of the famous sights of Paris you were certain to encounter beggars. The Arch de Triumph and the Eiffel Tower were fertile spots for them and they could usually be found in great abundance. The most common modus operandi was to be approached by a woman….often in ragged dresses, pleading "Do you speak English?" If you said yes or nodded your head affirmatively, then she would thrust a little card into your hand which explained her sad plight.

The beggars to whom I was most likely to tip in a coin or two into their cups were the ones who sat along the thoroughfare silently, sometime in a mode of prayer, with a paper cup in front of them. I was particularly susceptible to beggars sitting on church steps. Usually I contributed when Ben was not around for he was usually contemptuous of my soft heartedness. After all my small coins were expended I adopted a more callous demeanor toward beggars just like nearly everybody else.

After a morning of sightseeing: the Arch de Triumph, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower I was pretty much inured to the pleading of beggars. It was a glorious fall day in Paris. Mass was being celebrated when were visited Notre Dame, All kinds of street entertainment was going one, there were bands of various strips, there were clowns and mimes, but I was wearying of walking and I finally succeeded in bringing Ben to a stop at a sidewalk cafe for rest and refreshments.

Then we plunged on to the square that was near an art museum and a church; the one Ben had been searching for. I agreed with Ben that this square was in fact more pleasant than the sidewalk cafe where I had collapsed. There were more restaurants for one thing. There were restaurant all along the southern side of the square full of people enjoying the fall weather Parisian style. One entertainer…..a man dressed in a black and white stripped t-shirt with baggy pants held up by wide suspenders was attracting a large crowd. Ben and I lingered on the margin of the crowd but we soon lost interest as we couldn't understand the jokes in French.

The next stop and probably the last one for the day was the Louvre which was fairly close Ben said. As usual he was right but by the time we got there I was beginning to flag somewhat. Going inside the museum was out of the question; we were too tired to really give it the attention it deserved. So we just enjoyed the ambiance of the sitting in the courtyard with the Lourve on four sides, observing the throng of humanity as it passed by us in an endless flow.

Finally we moved toward the Tuilieries, the famous garden between the Lourve and the Champs Elysees, as much as a quarter of a mile long. Those gardens are as lovely as any urban setting anywhere. We were just passing an arch when a woman asked me, "Do you speak English?" Without thinking I made it apparent to this lady that I was not to be bothered with and would she please stop invading my personal space. A reaction totally at odds with my Midwestern background. The lady quickly backed away…somewhat startled. I caught up to Ben who was forging ahead as usual and related the incident. "She wasn't a beggar…..I'm going back and tell her that I speak English." Ben nodded approval as if to say: OK, do it.    So I went back to the arch the lady could be seen standing in the same general area. She was, a tall, a well dressed black woman in a stylist pant suit…green as I recalled. "I do speak English," I blurted out. She reacted by smiling broadly. "What do wish to know."
      "Oh, my friends" she pointed to a group of people standing nearby, "wished to know about this arch."
        "Napoleon had it built to commemorate one of his victories, I believe.   Oh, Ben!" I beckoned to Ben who was hovering off in the distance. He had the map, as always, that would probably contain the information this pleasantlady was seeking. So Ben was brought into the group. They were an interracial group from Tanzania. I suspected they had religious connection,  but none were wearing clerical collars, at least I didn't observe any, not that I was looking all that closely Ben confirmed that Napoleon had the arch built under his supervision.We exchanged pleasantries as tourists will. I related that I was a Yank,that I had spent time in Ghana, West Africa, and that Ben was my son who lived in Germany. Ben and I parted company with the lady and her group;shaking hands and wishing each other well amid smiles.   

From the arch to paths turned to gravel stretching out in various directions. Ben and I came up to one of the very large circular ponds where many people had gathered watching the small sailboats that were floating on the surface. The sailboats were wooden and fairly large for a toy craft. I noticed that one sailboat was sailing in a direction opposite the direction of the wind and I wondered to Ben if it might be powered by an electric motor directed by a remote control device. Ben studied the craft for a while then concluded that the boat were in a maneuver called tacking. Ben also discovered the source of the sailboats; they were rented by vendors in kiosts on the edge of the pond. Ben inquired as to renting a sailboat. He was most interested in learning whether he had to return it or could he just leaving it sailing freely in the pond. He was told that he had to return it which may be dampened his enthusiasm for renting a boat.  

We continued down the gravel path to the next big circular pond, but at one pointed I separated from Ben to check the prices of the open air restaurants located a short distance from the gravel path. I wasn't gone long so I proceeded to catch up to Ben at the next pond which was much the same as the last one. People were crowded along the edge with children playing with sailboats and vaguely that kites were flying overhead. I scanned the vicinity but my search failed to produce Ben. "That's strange, I wondered where he can be?" I decided to just enjoy myself as the rest of the people watching childre with their toys and their pets. I was in no rush to move so when a park bench became available I quickly took possession of it. I lingered there for many pleasant moments then crossed over to the other side of the pond where I located another bench and continued my leisurely enjoyment of the afternoon. Still the doubt nagged me: Where's Ben? Maybe he's ansy and has gone toward the Champs Elysee? So I left the pond passing through two gates. The first was formed to two circular walls on opposite sides the grew in height as they converged together. But they didn't converge instead the two side formed a pathways between. However, on pass this gate was another wrought iron gate which defined the outer limits of the garder. Past this gate was the broad expanse leading to the boundary of the Champs.       As I passed the outer gate it bacame clear to me that if Ben was out there I'd never find him. I might as well give up on Ben and return to the hotel. I was having these thoughts when I spied the lady in the green pant suits. She was in an expansive mood, "Ah, we meet again," she exclaimed joyfully.

"Yes, its good to see you, but I'm looking for my son?"
            "Oh, I just passed him. He's sitting on a park bench on the other sideof the pond."
        I thanked the women profusely and hastened back in the other direction quickly retracing my steps. Sure enough, there was Ben sitting on a bench near the spot where I veered off the path to check out the open air restaurant. He had sat there the whole time, incredidable!    Ben and I were in high spirits having been united again. The feeling of euphoria continued as we walked down the Champs on a golden afternoon. All the while I was expounding on the mysterious power of karma. If I hadn't gone back and told that lady that I spoke English then I wouldn't have seen her pass the outer gate and she's wouldn't have directed me to Ben. Ben, of course, didn't buy the whole karma thing but he was willing to humor me along. Let the old guy have his fun. So were continued in high spirits as we walked. What a glorious afternoon.

At last we reached the big 'M' indicating the entrance to the Metro. We passed out of the sunlight as we plunged into man-made cavern of the Metro. Soon our thoughts were occupied by making certain we got off at the right stop. The throng of humanity took on quite a different aspect as we rubbed against each other in the crowded car. So the beauty of the afternoon faded all too soon but for Ben and myseIf it will never be lost entirely.

We'll always have Paris!

The Golden Rule Matthew 7:12

King James translation: Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them…….

Modern translation: Do for others what you would like them to do for you…..

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