Mooi mens, Yo-yo Ma

"As a performer, my job is to make the listener the most important person in the room. The only way to avoid burnout is to care about where you are. My good friend Manny Ax would always say to me that it doesn’t matter what you did yesterday; if you’re here today, that’s what counts. Being present. Caring.

You’re working with living material. That goes back to memory. The living material is only living if it is memorable. Not only that it’s memorable but that you pass it on. That is what I’m thinking about with every single interaction. Whether it’s a kid, someone on the street, in a concert hall or with you, David. It’s the same thing: How to be present. Because if you’re not? Then why are we here? That’s it. You are acknowledging someone’s existence by being present. It may take a lot more energy, but boy, is it much more rewarding. It makes me happy. It makes people happy. It’s wonderful (zie dit interview)."

Wat is zingeving? Ik weet het niet precies en kan pogen een talig uitgebreid antwoord te ontfutselen, dat is niet zelden een intrigerend spel, ook een 'performance'. Ik weet met gevoelsprecisie dat ik het antwoord van Yo-Yo Ma geloof. Of, iets eerlijker gezegd, dat ik in zijn antwoord zingeving lees:

"How to be present. Because if you’re not? Then why are we here? That’s it."

En het doet me denken aan een uitspraak van Joseph Campbell:

"People say that what we're seeking is the meaning of life [...] I think what we're really seeking is the experience of being alive.."

Levendige ervaring, barstensvol zingeving :-).