Context Makes the Individual

Sept. 23

A political rally of some sort delayed my ride from arriving on time, so I ended up being quite late in reaching Tripura University.  I bustled my way down the stairs, slipping off my shoes and rounding the corner to join the class.  They were all cramped together in a large cluster of awkwardly positioned wooden desks, more fit for a primary class than college students. They seemed a bit off guard at my quick entrance.  In a kind of deeply entrenched, knee-jerk action, they suddenly struggled to stand up as I appeared.  That wave of standing students sent a wave of feeling respected over me, though I quickly gestured for them to sit, in an almost knee-jerk reaction of my own.

Back at the National School of Drama (NSD), whenever I entered the studio, if the students were relaxing on the floor before our session began, they would quickly sit up upon seeing me.  You cannot help but feel some change in yourself as your mere presence has such an effect on others.

I think that is what draws me to all of my travels (partially).  As the context changes, so does who I am.  I don’t mean so much that I literally act or think differently.  It’s simply that the new context instills in you a feeling or outlook that you might not have in another setting.  The context nearly urges you to slip into an altered persona, despite yourself. 

Quite honestly, when I am at home, I feel that kind of ‘unacknowledged presence’ in the way we treat a spectacular natural feature we have lived with for a long time. It’s there. We know it’s there. We occasionally remember to look at it, even think of it with a remembered admiration, but mostly we move on with our lives, the spectacular feature existing as a background to our daily doings.  When I am at home, the passion I have for what I do can often slip away into just a daily normality, as the spectacular aspect of it fades into the background.

That’s probably what enticed me into theatre.  It’s definitely why I work with children.  And most spectacularly, it is a primary reason I travel so much.  Each of those refocus the attention back on the spectacular to feed the flames of passion.  Just that simple change of context— stepping into a classroom to infuse creativity into children’s lives or entering a theatrical space to rehearse or perform or connecting with a group of people in a different country—will alter my sense of myself, inviting the passion and building in me a renewed sense of worth.

What’s so amazing about this to me, and essentially why I value this contextual wave of renewal and purpose, is that it is NOT about me.  It is truly about the CONTEXT.  I know that the NSD students treat each instructor in the same way.  I understand that the University students will stand for each professor or lecturer who enters and I recognize that a classroom of children will respond in a kind of unrestrained joy for many who visit their classroom.  And that’s what makes it so wonderful to experience.  Each of those contexts are embedded with a sense of ‘acknowledged presence.’ Respect, joy, anticipation for the wonder-filled and a genuine feeling of ‘I know you are bringing something spectacular to this place’ greet you at the door not because of who I/you am/are, but because that context is so vibrant, so present, so spectacular… and you cannot help but feel yourself swell with joy as you quickly turn the corner to join in.