Open spaces

If we don’t change, we don’t grow
– Gail Sheehy

Without change, growth is impossible. Living forward, therefore, is about embracing change. Even looking for it. Not change for the sake of change, but to ensure that I keep my living space open. And, let’s face it, my living space is often more walled in than open. I hold on to what I am accustomed to. I treasure what is comfortable to me. I resist when someone tells me to try a new approach. I am not naturally open to change.

I was thinking today about the value of living with an open space concept, and I compared it with what I saw in Bali. During my visit last February, I wondered why the people there treasure open spaces so much. In fact, I found that much of traditional Balinese architecture is about open space, exemplified by the pavilion, the balé. It is a structure that creates a space that can be used for many purposes. Most importantly, it does not have walls.

I was even more amazed when I visited some Balinese temples, like Pura Samuan Tiga. I found it full of seemingly empty space, and images of deities were nowhere to be seen. The gods are in heaven, I was told by the helpful guardians, and they come to visit the temple once a year during the temple’s annual festival. So it seemed that the temple also served as an open space, which only truly came to life when the gods visited.

In fact, every pavilion I saw in Bali, from the small balé in the corner of my hotel room garden to the community halls of villages and the grand pavilions of temples, seemed to have its own character and atmosphere, yet they shared the common qualities of providing an open space.

Then it occurred to me that these pavilions somehow resemble the lives of truly great people in this world. To me, the greatness of these leaders is characterized by their vision, their openness, their strategic foresight, and their capacity to listen and respond to the needs of people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and opinions.

Would it be too much to say that a pavilion is a unique structure that links heaven and earth yet does not divide people on this earth by the construction of walls? For sure, if my life would have no walls, it would be much easier to see the changes happening around me, and to adapt my life to these changes.

A strong structure, yet no walls, what an interesting metaphor that is for a life that embraces change. In such a beautiful open space, there is nothing to hold me back from growing.

Photograph: A pavilion in Pura Samuan Tiga temple, Ubud, Bali.