thenewobjective@gmail.com
the universal tragedy
"Though dead hands ring the garden/And these are violent times/And violence brings more violence/And liars bring more lies" -Efrim, ASMZ
"It is better to suffer wrong than do wrong."- Socrates
“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” - Thich Nhat Hanh quote
"Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love." -Martin Luther King Jr.
In the spirit of MLK, I think I shall use this space to renew a call for non-violence. Perhaps I will expand on this and provide arguments and citations and intellectual reasons. But I shouldn't have to. Maybe the above is enough to speak for me. People often ask me what I have faith in, if I do not subscribe to the commonly held belief in an anthropomorphic god who interferes in our lives. I have faith that one day we will all be able to realize that we are a community, like it or not, and that this fact is inseparable from our individual identites. I have faith that one day we will reassess our values and live in harmony with each other and our environment. That one day we will live rightly, live the message we preach, and that we will recognize institutionalization as a cause of dogma and restriction of freedom. Why do we waste so much energy defending out beliefs instead of living rightly? Why are we so sure our beliefs are right? Why do they have to be? Insecurity will fade when we bring back into focus love for the other. Violence always begets more violence. Non-violence, ahimsa, whatever you'd like to call it, is not a mere pacifism; it posits something much greater. Somethings are worth dying for. Unfortunately when most people say this, what they really mean is somethings are worth killing for. I renounce this attitude, one rooted in insecutiry and egocentrism. The variosu religions of the world all differ greatly; they cannot all be absolutely true. But they all urge us, at least in terms of there response to ontological questions, to submit to that which is greater than our meager selves. You can interpret that as you wish; call it god or nature or whatever. But as far as our being goes, we are a community, as a species, and it is time we submit to the truth of that and care for the wellbeing of all others as much as we care for the wellbeing of ourselves. Not just our kin, or our townspeople, or our classmates, fellow citizens, or whtvr. All. Loving others cannot be dependant on their being 'lovable,' but instead must be unconditional. On my readings, this is what Buddha urged, it is the message Jesus of Nazareth preached when speaking of the Kingdom of Heaven, it is essential to the concept of reincarnation, the god is love is all of sufi islam, and on and on. Be peace.
"It is better to suffer wrong than do wrong."- Socrates
“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” - Thich Nhat Hanh quote
"Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love." -Martin Luther King Jr.
In the spirit of MLK, I think I shall use this space to renew a call for non-violence. Perhaps I will expand on this and provide arguments and citations and intellectual reasons. But I shouldn't have to. Maybe the above is enough to speak for me. People often ask me what I have faith in, if I do not subscribe to the commonly held belief in an anthropomorphic god who interferes in our lives. I have faith that one day we will all be able to realize that we are a community, like it or not, and that this fact is inseparable from our individual identites. I have faith that one day we will reassess our values and live in harmony with each other and our environment. That one day we will live rightly, live the message we preach, and that we will recognize institutionalization as a cause of dogma and restriction of freedom. Why do we waste so much energy defending out beliefs instead of living rightly? Why are we so sure our beliefs are right? Why do they have to be? Insecurity will fade when we bring back into focus love for the other. Violence always begets more violence. Non-violence, ahimsa, whatever you'd like to call it, is not a mere pacifism; it posits something much greater. Somethings are worth dying for. Unfortunately when most people say this, what they really mean is somethings are worth killing for. I renounce this attitude, one rooted in insecutiry and egocentrism. The variosu religions of the world all differ greatly; they cannot all be absolutely true. But they all urge us, at least in terms of there response to ontological questions, to submit to that which is greater than our meager selves. You can interpret that as you wish; call it god or nature or whatever. But as far as our being goes, we are a community, as a species, and it is time we submit to the truth of that and care for the wellbeing of all others as much as we care for the wellbeing of ourselves. Not just our kin, or our townspeople, or our classmates, fellow citizens, or whtvr. All. Loving others cannot be dependant on their being 'lovable,' but instead must be unconditional. On my readings, this is what Buddha urged, it is the message Jesus of Nazareth preached when speaking of the Kingdom of Heaven, it is essential to the concept of reincarnation, the god is love is all of sufi islam, and on and on. Be peace.
posted by tno at 01:34
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