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Thursday, May 10, 2007
No Answers...
Globe Staff Photo / Dina Rudick)When I started this blog in 2005, it was because a couple of wise guys thought that I should blog about my trip to Camp Casey.
Before the Iraq war, I was adamant that it was wrong. I led a peace group at my church, protested, wrote letters, etc., etc. But, obviously, nothing anyone did stopped the war. We attacked Iraq, and I went to Camp Casey in August of 2005 and again in April of 2006 so that W would hear the voices of those opposed to the war. He didn't care.
Over the last couple of years, I have learned much about the damage that our country has done and is doing all over the world - not just in Iraq or Afghanistan. We (the U.S.) can be very charitable - if someone is our friend and we agree with their policies (or if it benefits us). But we can do some really horrible things that hurt people in other countries as well as our own.
When I think of the problems that are facing us, when I think of the cruelty that is being done in the world, I can get bummed, I can feel hopeless, and I can feel overwhelmed and impotent.
The biggest gift that I got from four months of pain, no sleep, and helplessness followed by a month (so far) of pain and recovery is TIME. Time to step back and think and be.
Everyday I read and listen and am totally taken aback when I hear people telling others what is right or wrong or how things should be. (I know that I have been guilty of this in my life, also. - I hope that no one listened to me!) Now, when someone tells me a "fact", I just hear them stating their opinion. This is true of everyone, but especially the media, anyone talking about their religion, or anyone associated with W.
I may be wrong (and this is only my opinion) but things don't appear to be quite as black and white as people try to lead us to believe.
And I don't have any clue as to what is best for anyone - including myself sometimes.
It appears (my opinion still) that we can plug one hole - the Iraq hole - in the dike, and we can plug the Darfur hole, but we will still have all kinds of leaks in South America, other parts of Africa, our country, etc., etc. I'm not saying that we don't work to plug the holes - that is very important - but we also need to look at the source of the holes. What is it inside us that wants to have power over others? What is it in us that wants revenge? What is it in us that can take and take, knowing that our taking causes suffering to others? Most of us do these things on a small level, some of us do it on a bigger level, and people in power, well, they get to just go for it and do it up in an enormous way all over the world.
So when I read that the Dalai Lama, a man way wiser than I am, doesn't have the answers after all of his years of meditation, study, travel, and work toward an autonomous Tibet, I wonder if there are any answers.
I know W has (er, thinks he has) all the answers, but I give the DL and his "not knowing" more credibility!
When visiting Smith College, the 14th Dalai Lama, warned
"that his beloved Tibet is 'passing through the darkest period in our almost 2,000 years,' acknowledging yesterday that he is not certain how to motivate the people of the world to care about issues he sees as threatening to humanity."
"...the Dalai Lama largely stuck to his oft-repeated message, which he delivers in numerous speeches around the world, about the importance of compassion. He said that education and wealth are not sufficient means to happiness, but that 'warmheartedness is the key to a sustained, peaceful mind' and that 'anger, hatred, jealousy, these are destroyers of a peaceful mind.' He warned that technology and knowledge, unless combined with compassion, will lead to 'unbelievable things.'
I love that man...
Labels: Camp Casey, Dalai Lama
posted by Carol at 11:48 AM
6 Comments:
Sometimes I think life isn't about finding all the answers. It is about learning that you don't know everything, and then learning that you don't know anything.
Agreed!
And I think that that is just alright.
Whilst humility (lack of arrogance) is important, nay *essential*! I feel that there _are_ some certainties in this world which we can know...
For me, one certainty is that acting like brutes, and killing and purposelessly hurting our brothers and sisters around the world is wrong. In my heart, I do not doubt that, -not ever.
~ And more especially, I do not doubt it when I see the sort of people who so hunger (or lust?) after doing that killing and maiming stuff, -they are not people I respect, they are not people I look up to, to my mind they seem ridden with selfishness and pride and arrogance, --three qualities which our major spiritual leaders have consistently called 'sinfull'.
I, as a tiny human 'learner' may not know anything about anything, so I look to those wonderful beings who have acted as God's emissaries, and listen to what they have said. I hear them say things like 'Murdering fellow human beings is wrong' and then take my cue from there...
I feel an important thing about 'questions and answers' is that we each try to find the answers ourselves, but not to impose our conclusions on others?
A non-violent way of relating to each other is crucial to human relationships, (I am a big fan of NVC and Dr Marshall Rosenberg! see: http://www.cnvc.org/)
In peace,
Yan (UK)
Hey Yan,
I so appreciate hearing from you.
This really is a small world...
I like Marshall and Nonviolent Communication also. It is such a great tool for realizing that we are all one - that we have the same needs. It teaches us to be able to communicate clearly and to realize that ALL people can get their needs met.
Marshall comes to Colorado once or twice a year because he has some family here, so I have taken a couple of classes from him. He is the master of NVC and watching him in action always brings tears to my eyes.
Right now, I want to sit with the concept of "imposing our conclusions on others" for awhile. We impose some things on our children as we raise them, yet we want to also allow them to explore and learn on their own. As we become adults, maybe we still want a mom and dad to tell us what to think sometimes. The media and religious leaders can insidiously (or obviously) impose conclusions that are taken in as truth and it is so much easier to just believe them than to think for ourselves. It appears to me that adults need to have dialog and question, as we are here, not just taking in what someone throws at us, but investigating for ourselves.
I appreciate your input.
Dear Carol,
...I in turn appreciate your replies! (~:
You write:
"Right now, I want to sit with the concept of "imposing our conclusions on others" for awhile. We impose some things on our children as we raise them, yet we want to also allow them to explore and learn on their own. As we become adults, maybe we still want a mom and dad to tell us what to think sometimes.
The media and religious leaders can insidiously ... impose conclusions that are taken in as truth and it is so much easier to just believe them than to think for ourselves.
It appears to me that adults need to have dialog and question, as we are here, not just taking in what someone throws at us, but investigating for ourselves."
_________
I couldn't agree more! -esp with the latter. You will likely have read Eric Berne and his " T.A." concepts?
In his seminal book 'Games People Play' he talks of the P.A.C. roles (parent, adult, child).
I feel that many disreputable politicians often play this to the hilt, ie: they pretend to be 'the good parent' to us, and thus cast their electorate into 'child' mode, wherein the latter are more easily first frightened, -then manipulated by the underhand ones.
A more healthy (or 'evolved / grown up') society needs not this 'Parent --> Child' relationship from it's leaders. We instead relish a Peer --> Peer relationship, = 'Adult --> Adult'.
_________
As regards child rearing, I feel we still very much need to respect children, as beings, _and_ ... know that they are beings who chose to be born into our care, so that we can help guide them as they grow.
~ So in that, the relationship is, -perforce, a different one from an adult-to-adult scenario.
__________
Now, having written all of that, I ought go back and (with 'self-empathy') ensure it is free of any 'Jackal Language' !!
(~:
xxx
Yan (UK)
The Games People Play - read that in the '70's and had forgotten about it. The concepts that you brought up are still relevant.
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