Namaste

In Sanskrit, namah + te (namaste) means "I bow to you." The words "na ma" mean, "not mine," or, the notion that one's ego is nonexistent in the presence of another.

There is significance (both in the Japanese culture and as a Hindu way of greeting) to bowing at the waist or bowing the head to another. It is to recognize the only one and pervading reality, divinity or God in all beings--our "oneness."


President Barack Obama bends over so the son of a White House staff member can pat his head during a family visit to the Oval Office May 8, 2009. The youngster wanted to see if the President's haircut felt like his own.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)


When I see this photo of President Obama bowing to the child, I am reminded that we are indeed "one." I see the layers of humility, acknowledgement, reverence, and compassion toward the child. But deeper still, Obama, to me, is communicating, "I am no greater than you. I am accessible to you. I am like you."

For so many reasons, this child needs to know these things. "Yes," Obama seems to answer. "My haircut feels exactly like yours. Namaste."