Right answer: You are a seeing being.

The clowns I met under the big tops at circuses were entertaining, pure, and wholesome — never scary. What fun that was! Their brilliant hilarity lives on in my heart even today.

They catered to us kids, I’m sure. But they must have done something to adults as well, for they laughed with just as much abandon as we kids did. That is art! Of course, as a kid, I could only appreciate the hilarity.

Today, if I put those clown acts under analysis, I’m sure I’ll find more about how petty we are and more life lessons.

“The medieval fool was continually reminding us of our mortality, our animal nature, of how unreasonable and ridiculous and petty we can be.”
~ Andrew McConnell Stott, Dean of Undergraduate Education and English professor at the University of Buffalo. Specializes in clowning culture.

Question: What are you? Right now? See the right answer above.

***

Let Me Take you To The Circus

So, pretending reluctance, a clown appears from behind the curtains. A bucket dangles on his arm, and in his back pocket, a big shovel. Do you see him? The stage is dark; he seems confused, so he turns to the audience for instructions for where to go.

“Go that way, that way!” Voices of children, fingers pointing him to every direction, tell him.

He nods and begins but walks in circles, still confused. Even before he stumbles over his oversized shoes, that clown already has the children roaring with laughter. I love it.

A few minutes more of audience interaction and together with a drumroll, a circular light tumbles through the tiers of seats — just one light.

The clown sees it. The children and everyone else in the audience see it. Can you see the children assume leaping positions trying to reach the light? It’s a beautiful translucent light. Yes, a shiny object of desire. They all want to get that light. How fun, right?

Well, the light bounces around for a bit between the children, tempting them. It just about slithers between their fingers; the children even open their mouths to try to grab a bite at it in vain.

Until finally, the light takes a long leap and quietly lands right beside the clown. The children stomp their feet and clap loudly; some even send their fists up in the air. This is an accomplishment!

Well, sure enough, the clown looks into the audience for more instructions. This time they tell him to scoop it up — the light, that is — and to put it in his bucket.

He nods with exaggeration. Indeed a light the size of melon can fit in his bucket. He gets to work. But the light that is now thought of as a ball starts bouncing again — this time like one of those crazy balls.

The clown runs, tumbles, gets up — adds more antics, but cannot catch up to the bouncing light.

But without anyone noticing, the bouncing light gets a little bit bigger and bigger every time. Oh, no! Now, that ball cannot fit inside the clown’s bucket.

It continues this way for a while until what started as a small bouncy ball has exploded into a giant bubble that covers the entire stage and bleeds out to engulf the audience. The clown pumps out his chest, enthralled. The audience is captivated, and I, just another kid in the crowd, am mesmerized. Are you?

***

The Adult in Me Sees Lessons

What has happened here? Light is everywhere. That’s what happened.
The clown is a seeing being. The children and everyone in the audience are seeing beings as well.

As seeing beings, we ARE that light. We carry it inside without recognizing that we are that amazing. We spend our lives in darkness, sometimes chasing after shiny things like validation, acceptance, trophies, followers, adulation, and light. We already carry an abundance of light within us all along.

A beautiful, translucent light — a worthy light, a desirable light that illuminates — is what we are.

And our energy that emits from our light can change perception. Allow it to stream out of you, watch it bring forth someone else’s as that is what light does.

The love that you brought when you came into this world is as pristine as it ever was. Why have you forgotten? Why do you insist on blanketing it under pretenses and stale bravadoes? Absolve yourself.

There are more lessons that I see from the clown story, and I’m sure you can pluck one from there as well. No pressure, but perhaps you wish to share?

***

Blue Insight Publication on Medium first published this story. I invite you to click on the FREE LINK.
Furthermore, a dear friend of mine recently wrote an article that I feel complements the idea of light that I allude to here as light comes through no matter what.

“Can you make a difference,” my friend asks? Please visit Kathryn A. LeRoy’s website here. Or, to join her newsletter, you can subscribe here.

Image by Basil Smith from Pixabay