The above is the Christ the Redeemer which overlooks Rio de Janeiro , Brazil. It is probably one of the most recognizable statues in the world. It is the “brand” for Rio de Janeiro. I was there in July for a conference and was able to visit it up close. It is quite a journey to get up to the summit. It is an impressive statue. However, the sublime mixes with the comic and the tawdry. There are the throngs of tourist taking pictures with their arm out streched, as if this is the way one should pose for a picture there. Then there are numerous shops selling miniatures of the statue. However, the view is one of the most spectacular in the world. There is Rio all below you. If you can ignore the tourists and just take a litte time to look around you it, it is a moment of zen- a moment which can not be described that overloads our finite minds and be reflected upon to gain greater awareness. (My greatest moment of zen was standing on a cliff on the Aran Islands in Ireland—seeing the waves crash upwards to the sky against the cliff and the skaking of the ground. The infinite being observed by the finite.)
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