The Gaze

Before you think I've gone crazy, let me tell you how it all started.

About two weeks ago, on a dreary Sunday morning up in Haleiwa, Kyle came across a flyer for some sort of "Spiritual Healer" that was coming to Oahu. It wouldn't have been that big of a deal, because Hawaii is a pretty spiritual place, and people like this come around all the time. But the way that this dude in particular went about his business was simply shocking. All he did was stare. The flyer said that his gaze had healed millions. That his loving stare helped us find ourselves. But all he did was stare.

We were overwhelmed by the pure, unintentional, real-life comedy that we had stumbled upon. His name was Braco, and he was famous throughout Europe. We went online and researched him. We watched him on YouTube. Everything we saw fed the flames of hilarity. He came from Croatia, where hundreds of thousands of people would flock to his sessions. They would stand before him, and he would simply stare at them. His gaze was said to carry such strong energy that people had been cured of illnesses and other afflictions. We rolled over laughing as we watched his promotional video, because all he did was stare. He was coming to the island soon, and we knew we had to be there. It was too good to miss.

The day finally arrived. It was a Friday evening and his last session was at 6 in Honolulu at the Jodo Mission. The plan was to see Braco and then go into town for dinner and drinks. I figured to get a good laugh and then kick back a little bit in Waikiki after a long week. We drove down there, bought our tickets, and went inside.

It looked just like the videos I had watched. There were about 40 people, and they even had about six "spotters" on the perimeter in case someone fainted from the energy of Braco's stare. Right off the bat, they told us that people who were under 18 or pregnant need not attend because the energy would be too overwhelming for them. A lady who had followed him around the world and wrote a book about his life gave an extended talk about how important he was and all the great things he had done with his gaze. Just looking at her, you could tell that something wasn't quite right, but she was very passionate about the power of this man who was about to come onto the stage. To stare at us. The spotters braced themselves, ready for action. I tried desperately to contain myself. It was like being tickled but not being allowed to make a noise or even flinch. I was about to lose it.

Next the somewhat crazy lady asked the audience who had been to a Braco session before. Fittingly, about 3/4 of the crowd raised their hands. She asked if anyone would like to come up and talk about their experience, and a sweet older lady came up to the stage. As it turned out, she worked at Wheeler Elementary, right across the parking lot from my school. She described in detail how just before going to the doctor to get treatment for pnemonia, she stopped in on one of Braco's sessions on a whim. Later that day, the doctor told her she had no symptoms whatsoever. When she subbed a class of special ed students the next day, they were shockingly calm, quiet, and productive.

As she spoke, I looked around, and it immediately occurred to me that all the people here in attendance believed. They were looking for hope, healing, and peace. They had all sorts of needs that they hoped could be fulfilled here. If it came from some guy up on a stage just staring at them, then so be it. Who was I to rain on their parade? I bit my lip and narrowed my eyes. It was time to open myself up to the experience. If nothing else, it would be a good opportunity to calmly stop and catch my breath in the midst of a hectic month.

He finally came on stage, accompanied by some dramatic spiritual music. Then he stared. I'll admit that I laughed a little bit right off the bat. I couldn't help it. But then I relaxed, watched his gaze, and took everything in. After about four minutes, he gave a little nod and walked off the stage. The music stopped, we sat down and meditated quietly for about five more minutes, and that was it.

Coming into this thing, I figure I would have been running for the door to bust up laughing by the end of it. But I felt great. Relaxed, centered, focused. As people were leaving, I approached the lady from Wheeler El who had given the testimony. She was happy to see me and I told her that I hoped that my students would also be positively affected by the session. She told me that she could already see the impact it had on me. Hmmm.

Was my spirit really healed by Braco? Did I become more one with myself? Who knows. The way I see it, we all have spiritual energy within ourselves. There are many different terms for it. Call it whatever you want. But everyone would like to find a way to embrace it, center it, use it to benefit their everyday lives. There are probably all sorts of things that could be done to help us with that. If the gaze of a man on a stage enables us to do it, then what's wrong with that? One of the quotes on the back of that flyer we found two weeks ago said, "Braco helps us find ourselves." I laughed about it at first, but maybe it was right. I know I was able to do something within myself that evening. So was everyone else there. Not bad for a guy who just stared.