I wrote this awhile ago, but it still seems relevant…
Today I feel alone. This is symptomatic of the slightly depressive/manic cycle I abandon as I mature. It primarily affects me after I binge on drugs, alcohol especially, which is logical considering it is a depressant. Low emotions encourage introverted examination. Why do I feel alone? Perhaps due to my work process, which is sadly almost entirely individual these days. This is ironic considering movie making is one of the great collaborative ventures. I am happy that so many people want to collaborate with me, and I try to work with as many as possible. Though when it comes to making money it is often me and the computers. To a certain degree I choose this, since I largely work freelance post-production. I definitely wish to move from this daily environment, encapsulated by two boxes and four processors, to a situation where my compatriots move electrons through flesh instead of silicon. What I want is communion. Oh, I know. I’m getting into one of these scary God discussions, aren’t I?
com·mun·ion /kəˈmyun 
yən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kuh-myoon-yuh n] Pronunciation Key–noun
| 1. |
(often initial capital letter) Also called Holy Communion. Ecclesiastical .
| a. |
the act of receiving the Eucharistic elements. |
| b. |
the elements of the Eucharist. |
| c. |
the celebration of the Eucharist. |
| d. |
the antiphon sung at a Eucharistic service. |
|
| 2. |
a group of persons having a common religious faith; a religious denomination: Anglican communion. |
| 3. |
association; fellowship. |
| 4. |
interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions; intimate communication: communion with nature. |
| 5. |
the act of sharing, or holding in common; participation. |
| 6. |
the state of things so held. |
[Origin:
1350–1400; ME (< AF) < L
commūniōn- (s. of
commūniō) a sharing, equiv. to
commūn(
is)
common +
-iōn- -ion ]”communion.”
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 11 Oct. 2007. <
Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/communion>.
So my favorite definition of communion, and its etymological base, is the simplest, least religious one: sharing. I find sharing of any sort helps me to feel better always, even when sharing costs me resources (time, money, etc) that I desperately lack. When I think about Communion, I often think of its most magical element. Bread & wine transformed (or consecrated or transubstantiated) by a ceremony and some magic words into the flesh & blood of Jesus Christ (aka my man Yeshua bin Yosef). I doubt that Yeshua thought the magic was the important part, even though I would have gotten the thumbscrews for thinking this a couple centuries back. Jesus was all about love and care for other people. It makes sense that his big memorial act was to remind people to share, which is one of the most loving and caring acts we commit.
Communion, gathering into a group to share what is available, whether it be food, thoughts, words, songs, or simply love, was an important daily act in tribal human cultures. Nightly the tribe gathered to share a meal, sing & dance, listen to a story, or otherwise pass time together. They also spent most of the day interacting with a group, though often separated into genders. Our society abandons these practices in favor of a handful of mutated versions: the safely escapist individual experience of watching visual media; the semi-participatory experience of watching someone play music; or the highly sexualized bar/club dance experience. While I enjoy doing all these things, I think somewhere my being misses the interaction of the early tribal practices. A study I heard about on NPR discussed how singing in choruses, and the physical nature of harmonizing with others, releases endorphins. Endorphins are one of the neurological chemicals that make us feel happy. Other communal experiences that achieve harmony, whether acting in a scene, having an especially powerful conversation, or even sharing a loving hug, certainly wash me in a near opiatic calm. Thankfully, more of those experiences fill my life than ever before. When I feel alone, I need only remind myself that the oneness of existence is inherently alone, and expresses itself as me and the other objects of being to experience community. We exist to clearly express its love for itself. I am happy to be a part of its loving equation.
L&P,
Mark Maccora