Human Communion

communion [kuh-myoon-yuhn]:

• interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions; intimate communication
• the act of sharing, or holding in common; participation.

In case you never heard of him, I would like to introduce you to Matt. Matt's big claim to fame is that he traveled the world and videotaped himself doing a really goofy little dance everywhere he went. That's pretty much it. Oftentimes the locals would join him and did their own goofy little dances with him. He danced alone, he danced with adults and children, he danced with Gothic Lolita's in Japan and with primitive tribesman in Papua New Guinea. He even did his dance underwater and in zero gravity. Now as far as I can tell Matt isn't doing anything we would deem important. He's not doing it to raise funds or awareness. He's not distributing food or vaccines. He just dances. Yet this seemingly pointless silliness had a profound impact on me. Everytime I watch this video I find myself really moved, it makes me smile and it brings a lump to my throat.



I'm not sure why this little video moves me so. There is seemingly nothing profound about it and yet it stirs me in a way that only certain pieces of worship music used to. Yet this is in no way worship music as Matt is not a Christian or even religious, he is an agnostic and a humanist. Now growing up in the church I was taught to fear humanism and run from it where ever I found it. Yet it seems to me that this particular humanist has remembered something that many Christians seem to have forgotten. It is easy to become so caught up in all the darkness and misery of our world that we forget about all the beauty and joy around us. We lament how lost people are and forget how worth saving they are. I'm not suggesting that we put humanity on a pedestal, but isn't it worth remembering that at its heart, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God thought this world and its people were worth loving?

I love this video because it reminds me that humanity is a family. Despite all the differences that polarize us, we still have a lot in common. There is common ground, even if it is only the fact that we love to act silly when you point a camera at us.

Then again, maybe the lesson here is that a little silliness is a good thing. Maybe if you make a little time to be joyfully goofy you will have a lot less time to be fearful, hateful or spiteful.