absolutely everything. i haven’t been writing much lately because i have been doing much thinking. processing- i suppose. the more things change- the more they stay the same. human nature. i have also been reading about chinese buddhism- a book by master hsing yun ‘only a great rain‘- and i am convinced that the ancients were really on to something there. this planet and this life is filled with chaos and hatred and negativity- and really, it’s only going to get worse as more and more folks suffer. we have 6 billion people on a planet that can’t sustain that many and we are using up our resources like crazy. we don’t have much time as a species.
but we can certainly make this life the best one we can- and i respect the buddhists premise that in seeking dharma towards our enlightenment- we must strive to help all other sentient beings get there too. what a nice idea. the truth is we need each other. the buddhist believe everything is interconnected- and science has pretty much proven that idea over and over- and that one cannot exist without another. john donne said as much when he said ‘no man is an island’- and as times become tougher and resources become scarcer- we will need each other as never before.
there is a gap in our skill sets over the last 100 years. we have millions of people in this country who believe that feeding yourself involves driving to the grocery store and buying food to take home and cook. they believe that getting a drink involves turning on your tap or buying water in plastic bottles. our way of life isn’t sustainable and the few folks out there who know how to build a cook fire or catch rain for irrigation or which vegetable grows well in which season- well, their numbers are dwindling. family farms are dwindling. it’s getting to be very depressing to live right now- here on this planet where everything seems to be going wrong at the same time.
but it doesn’t have to be. a big part of what i learned working in human services- teamwork. yep. one person doesn’t- and shouldn’t- carry the weight for everyone all of the time. while one person rests, another takes up the burden and we all work together. president obama cannot do this alone and he is putting together a great team at the top to help guide america through these tough times. but they can’t carry the insurmountable weight themselves. we must look at each other with new eyes. we must see that we are all americans and all fellow inhabitants of planet earth and we must work together to carry the burden. look at what people accomplished by sharing the load- the great pyramids; grains to feed the whole world; the internet- but we must reach down deep inside for our inner strength. we must remain positive and strong- we cannot afford to allow fear and insecurity take hold again as we did collectively after 9/11.
we are made of stronger stuff. we are made of tougher stuff- and quite frankly, there are billions of people on this planet who lived through worse times than we. when you feel sorry for yourself, or get depressed- remember that there is always someone somewhere worse off than you. it helps reset the perspective button.
from my google reader:
