An Act of god

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A question I get often is how is this term going?

Before I get into that, a quick digression: Earlier this year I wrote about Kamiwaza, a Japanese word with no direct translation in English. It roughly means, something that only god can do.” Watching Jiro make sushi, Pavarotti hit that last note in Nessun Dorma, and even watching Kawhi Leonard highlights. All of that is Kamiwaza. In other words, it’s like seeing god go to work.

I think we are all inclined to be creative, we all enjoy it, why? I believe there’s a spiritual aspect to the creative process. Through creating we are performing an act of god. We become creators ourselves, bringing an idea to life, with every word, every note, every brush stroke. This act of creation is a miracle and this is precisely the feeling of Kamiwaza.

I realize that this word, Kamiwaza, described how I felt when I was running one of Canada’s largest student-run conferences. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I gave it everything I got but it never felt like work. To have a vision of an event and to see that vision become tangible was a feeling like no other.

That was two years ago, and ever since that event ended, I felt a bit lost. To have a taste of that feeling, and not to experience it again was weird for me.

This semester I’ve discovered that feeling again and I have the vocabulary to describe it. Through writing, I experience the divine. And what an incredible feeling that is.

March 23, 2020 · Newsletter


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