Can We Heal?

Three major hurricanes, Harvey, Irma, Jose, back to back, along with raging wildfires in the west and devastating earthquakes, storms and flooding internationally have been dominating the news and magnetizing viewers to the reports on their screens. Major social injustice, such as the apparent attempted genocide of the Rohingyas, the continuing plight of Syrian and other refugees flooding into Europe, and the fact that all these disasters affect mainly the innocent, those who have done little to precipitate them, add to the continuing drama of the news. Economic and political upheavals, most recently the hacking of the major credit reporting institution, Experian, and the grab by hackers of millions of people’s financial and personal information further swell the negative news. Even though most of us are aware of the fact that the media reports mostly the negative news, the sheer volume of recent reports can be overwhelming.

What are we being told? What are we to make of these patterns? These events are not random; they are interrelated, and although the causes are complex, some conclusions can be derived from observing them. That the phenomena of hurricanes, wildfires and floods are directly related to global warming is now accepted by most scientists. Earthquakes, as well as the less often reported sinkholes, have been linked by some to the changes created in the earth by fossil fuel extraction. The suffering of Rohingyas, refugees and other poor, the instances of overt racism, police profiling, massive deportations which often separate families, and ongoing terrorism are all examples of the rising fear, anger and mistrust worldwide. Economic and political injustice and disregard for law are fueled not only by greed, but also by a self-absorption that excludes concern for the well being of one’s fellow human. There is a common thread.

All these are perpetuated by humans. Human activity drives and hastens the effects of global warming. Human anger, fear, hatred and dehumanization of others precipitates genocidal activities, racism, terrorism and distancing from the plight of refugees. Human selfishness and an almost religious belief in separateness motivate a disavowal of responsibility for the well being of others. If the accelerating breakdowns on our planet and in our societies are brought about by malfunctions in the way we perceive and relate to each other and to the creation in which we live, then it follows that in order to heal the rifts between each other and our life support, we need to heal our perceptions, thoughts and actions. I don’t think any of this is news; I do think it is something that many would prefer to avoid facing. However, the time for us all to wake up is now.

We are social creatures; we need to live with, communicate with, work with and love each other. It is hard wired within us, a part of our human genome which has survived centuries of adaptation. People who have healthily functioning social groups live longer. People who separate themselves out from other people, seeing only division, end up in violence and war.

All religions give precedence to this. The core is this: love God (by whichever name you wish to use) first with all your being; then love your fellow humans and creation. We are stewards of life. To see ourselves as separate is to renounce our innate function, to allow life to disintegrate into varied forms of destruction. We end up destroying ourselves and the planet we share.

It is difficult to care for one another when we live in isolation or in small groups distanced from each other. It is difficult to care for the planet when the focus is on what we can get from her or make her do. It is difficult to care for the life with which we share the Earth when we see only competition, perceive only that there is not enough to go around, and so must eliminate what is not us or press it into servitude. We need a new paradigm.

That paradigm is beginning to emerge. Again, it is not new. We have simply been ignoring its examples, because it has not been what we wish to see. It has not supported our aggrandizement. It is the idea of community, of groups of people, genetically related or not, who live together in groups large enough to be effective at sharing work, helping each other grow and generating support for all members of the group and the environment of which it is a part. These groups are also small enough so each member knows the other and self government is possible. It is a growing movement, with roots in indigenous tribal structure, extended family, small town community, and various monastic and spiritual traditions. It is not yet perfect; it is still growing and evolving, as are the humans who compose and practice it. Can it succeed? Can it become what is needed for us to be true stewards of life on Earth? That depends. It depends on us, the humans who must either become or perish. However, it provides the best medium currently available to facilitate our growth. Can we make the change? Can we learn to see our interconnectedness and to love and support each other, all of us here on Earth? I hope so. I have faith we can. And, I sense an urgency to do that now.

Let us then reach out to each other, especially to those we perceive as not “same”. Let us open to the idea that we are all of the same origin, appointed to care for each other. Let us feel and rejoice in the connections to our planet and to other than human expression of life. (Hug a tree – it’s a start.) Let us research and study community, practice it ourselves and help it grow. Let us ditch the fear, anger, violence, in favor of our true heritage. And, let us do that now.

Peace, Diane

Reflections on Charity

 

The awesome and awful effects of Hurricane Harvey have inundated the recent news as the incredible amounts of water dumped on the state of Texas have partially drowned Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Port Arthur and other Texan municipalities.  Countless numbers have lost everything they own.   And the inflow of help from local, out of state and private sources has been incredible.   Still, the calls go out for help, and the entire nation is aware of the need for contributions, even those of drop-in-the-bucket sizes.

Worldwide, the recounts of disasters are similar. From flooding in the far East and monsoons on the Subcontinent, to mudslides in South America, to earthquakes in China, the Himalayas and neighboring areas, to fires and other calamities on almost every continent, the need for those who are not directly affected to extend help and support to those impacted by the destructive events continues, apparently endlessly.   It is easy to become numb and resentful, to wonder why we, individually are responsible for extending help, as opposed to governments.  (People tend to forget that government funds are available from taxes people pay in.)

We are called upon to extend charity to others.  Whether from religious organizations, private organizers, social media, semi-governmental fundraisers, our parents, friends, workplaces or beggars on the street, the number of requests for charity increases.  The needs can be overwhelming, as in major disasters, chronic, such as the homeless, or hopefully temporary, such as the laid-off friend who cannot pay bills or buy groceries for the month.  They can be small instances, such as a child who needs comfort, a colleague who needs a listening ear, or a passer-by who needs a smile.   The need is always there, and each of us is required to learn and expand the ways in which we can respond in charity.  It is a part of our learning here on Earth.

Charity is not limited to giving money.  The root from which the word ‘charity’ is derived comes from ‘caritas’, a Latin word meaning love.  Charity is love, not romantic love, but love for our fellow man.  Expanded, it means love for creation as well.   It has been said that “God is love”, in which case charity is also a divine attribute for us to strive to emulate.   Still, many misunderstand the term.

Charity is not something given from someone who is powerful (wealthy, exemplary) to someone who is weak (poor, incapable, shameful) in order to reinforce the self concept of the giver.  Nor is it something to use to create guilt in those who give only small amounts of resources to a need.  (In society, note the adulation of the wealthy who create foundations, and the guilt-tripping used by many fundraisers.)  The Bible contains passages referring to both these situations, valuing the tiny gift equally with the abundant one.  Although I do not exactly know, I would not be surprised to find such examples in every religion.  Charity is not an ego-enhancing or an ego-diminishing activity.

When one gives charity, one is simply restoring to the recipient that which is rightfully theirs.    That does not mean that the giver has consciously taken or stolen the money from the recipient in the first place.  It simply means that there is a balance in creation, that each life form, having sprung forth upon Earth, has a right to what sustains it.  To give to the poor is to contribute to restoring a balance which has been upset.  It is an act of love for the poor, encompasses creation in general, and also rebounds towards ourselves.  Giving charity is an act of love towards the giver, because we are all connected, all One,  all from the same Source.   What hurts one of us, including all with whom we share our planet, hurts all of us.   What heals one of us heals all of us.  The act and the effect may be small, or it may be of great magnitude.  It may be sudden and obvious, or it may be a slow accumulation of tiny drops.   The effect is created by us all, as we give or withhold acts of charity

There are many ways of showing charity.  Money is one way; it is the most obvious, most recognized and most fulsomely praised of all, especially in a consumer-driven economy.  As a result, it can be difficult to give anonymously, which, according to philosophers and theologians, is the way in which the giver is most benefited.  Important as the gift of money is (sometimes it is almost the only way one can give), there are other ways as well.   Pausing in one’s day to comfort or assist, smiling or positive words to someone who seems to be difficult to love,  listening or helping to heal, prayers, either with someone or from a distance – all are ways of expressing charity, of giving.  Each of us has the capacity to give; each of us is called upon to practice freely giving, to practice charity.

May we each resist the urge to become discouraged when we look upon the many needs within our world.  May we each look within ourselves and find the way in which we can best help another, express love towards another.  May we each persist in our practice, growing more capable each time we make a gift.   In the words of Dickens’ Tiny Tim, “God bless us, one and all.”

Peace, Diane

 

 

Pied Piper

As I was going through old email files  the other day, I uncovered this bit (immediately below)  that I had written as part of a conversation about computers, children and education.  Interestingly, the first sentence resembles an idea currently expressed by some, that in about a hundred years, give or take a few, people will be abandoning bodies to upload their consciousness directly into Cyberspace.  I do believe, although I have watched only part of it, that the movie The Matrix also incorporates this idea.
Here is the excerpt:
It is rather scary to think that one day everyone will exist in virtual reality, divorced from the Earth itself, from knowledge of how to relate to people, and without any need to calculate, write, spell or speak – because the computer can take care of everything.  Yes, a computer is a powerful tool.  However, even if you are a rich girl with a mansion and servants, it is wise to be able to do the things the servants are doing for you.  Then, at least, your existence is not dependent on the continued willingness of the servants to take care of you.  I think we do our children a distinct disservice by allowing their lives to be swallowed by machines.  Yes, they need to know how to use the machines; they also need to know the things people knew before machines disempowered them under the aegis of making them more powerful (another illusion). If we really want to serve our kids, we will see to it that they can actually do the math, not just tell a computer to do it, that they can speak and write well – vocabulary and grammar – and that they have been fully exposed to the classics of the philosophers, scientists and humanists of several cultures.  We will do that even if it means Saturday school.  We will also see that they have at least two weeks during the summer away from devices and connected to the earth – summer camps, gardening, survival courses or orienteering, or the like.  This in connection with other people, who will also not have devices.  At least twice a month we will make sure to do an outing on a smaller scale, with the same purpose.  This should be a minimum for our kids, if we do not want to lose them to machines.   They, too need to have a foot in each world.    The Native Americans, most of them, are aware of what I am talking about.  Some of them have managed to keep a foot in each world, and they are richer for it.  
There is an old story about a village that hired a flute player (piper) to drive away rats from their village with his magic flute.  When he had finished luring the rats out of the village into the sea, the villagers decided that they were not willing after all to pay his fee.  The piper then played another tune, luring the village’s enraptured children into a mountain, from which they did not return.  The analogy here is the enchanted flute and the addictive road into Cyberspace.
Of concern is not simply that we use computers, but that we are drifting farther and farther away from the Earth and physical reality.  Cyberspace is convenient, intriguing – and addictive.  It is at first useful to have at our fingertips all the connections that Cyberspace allows us; it is increasingly pleasurable, and socially sanctioned. Gradually, our various pathways into Cyberspace  become extensions of ourselves to the extent that we cannot comfortably be apart from them.  We check them first thing in the morning, before bed, and many times in between.   We use them both to conduct business and for personal activity, such as shopping – even grocery shopping. We socialize via the Internet.  We panic if we feel we have forgotten our devices, or if they are not working for one reason or another.  Our communications with others are increasingly through our devices, less frequently face to face with each other.  Less and less awareness is given to our physical surroundings, especially those of Nature, in favor of attention being focused on the Internet.  We have, in essence, moved from Earth to Cyberspace.  The addictive factor has ensnared us.  Perhaps those who think the next step is abandoning our bodies for Cyberspace are not so far off base as it would seem.
The process of growing from pre-screen technology to where we are at the moment has been a gradual one, slow enough so that it has been easy to remain unaware of what has been happening.  The use of technology as a babysitter is not new.  The TV screen has long been the resource of choice for giving parents a break, as have video games, and much has been written on that subject.  From land line phone to cordless phone to cell phone to smart phone has seemed a reasonable progression.  From the first IBM computers that would fill entire rooms, to personal computers and laptops, calculators rendering memorization of number facts unnecessary, I-pads capable of giving instant answers to classroom questions, and computers and data bases becoming prevalent means of teaching in our schools, expanded technology has been joyfully touted as money-saving and more effective (?) learning experiences.  It has been welcomed by most as the wave of the future.  We can no longer read maps and find our way by ourselves.  Instead, we have a digitized voice telling us when to turn right or left.   Somewhere in all this progress, have we stopped to anticipate where we are headed, to think about it?  Or, has the process been so gradual that we have happily jumped on the bandwagon, without questioning where the wagon was headed, as the frog who is being slowly heated in the water fails to jump out before it is cooked?
The Earth is becoming feverish and ill.  Global warming has begun to show results in sea level rise, glacial melting, droughts in some areas and floods in others, and changing weather patterns.  Again, the progress is gradual, making it difficult for some to perceive the changes or to acknowledge the changes we need to make to ameliorate the effects of warming and adapt.  Those who are least involved in Cyberspace are the first to perceive and acknowledge the Earth’s distress.  Perhaps, if we still can, coming back at least half of the time to the Earth on which we were born would create the extent of awareness among the people needed to do what is necessary to heal the Earth.
Let us do ourselves and our children the favor of frequently unplugging from our technologies to discover again the joys of touching the Earth that has nurtured us, becoming familiar with our fellow non-human inhabitants on the planet, and reconnecting again with each other face to face.  We need and deserve at least that much.
Peace,  Diane

Valuing Our Differences

A recent tweet from the ongoing reality show flowing from the White House announced that transgender people would no longer be able to serve in the US Military, despite  the sizable numbers of transgender people already serving.  The  reason given had nothing to do with the ability of the excluded people to perform the duties of a soldier.  The tweet declared that it was too expensive to provide them with the hormones and surgeries needed to change their bodies into the form the transgender people desired.  No mention, of course, was made of the cost of waste in the military, of unreasonable profit made by the military-industrial complex, or of the reputed provision of Viagra to soldiers who desired to receive it.  (The latter information is from a source quoted by Stephen Colbert on a recent show.)   Banning the provision of expensive sex change surgeries AND libido-enhancing substances is understandable;  banning the recipients of these benefits as a solution to the problem of expense is not.

We humans seem to have made little progress towards healing our discomfort with whatever is not the same as we are.   Expressions of hate, discrimination, or diminishment are an obvious symptom of that discomfort.   Less noted – and even socially approved – are the many attempts to make into SAME that which and those who are different.   Sanctioned by such goals as non-discrimination, equal justice and opportunity, we can mask our discomfort by declaring the other SAME.   It is a surface illusion, and the fervor with which we pursue it is in itself an indication of how deeply rooted our dislike of “other” or “not same” is.

Truly treating people with equal justice, equal opportunity, equal recognition and acceptance demands as a prerequisite that we acknowledge that we are not same – we are all different, from differences in personality, education, nationality, gender, color or race, religion, sexual preference and any number of identifying traits.   To treat a black person as white, a gay person as straight, a man as a woman or vice-versa, to make them same,  is to beg the issue of equality in favor of sameness. To do so denies the other the right to his or her own identity, fails to acknowledge the differences that actually exist, and demands that the other be just like us.  This position is no more honorable than the one which hates, discriminates against or diminishes the other.  It is simply quieter, less obviously aggressive.

The healing must first occur within ourselves, at the level of our discomfort.  We must reacquaint ourselves with humility.  Contrary to what many assume, humility does not mean debasing ourselves or thinking we are less worthy than others.  Such thinking simply exacerbates the problem.  To be humble is to recognize not only that we ourselves are valuable, but that all that is different around us is also valuable, of equal value with ourselves.  The diversity is myriad; the value is constant.  To recognize the value of that which is different does not negate the value of oneself.  They exist side by side.  We need to learn to appreciate diversity, and not try to make us all same, either in our minds or by virtue of legislation.

Can we not exist in harmony side by side, not same?   Can  Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist and atheist not live together, respecting the other’s position, allowing the differences, and recognizing each other’s essential value without trying to make us all SAME, in whichever way we think we can?  It is possible to do this, even when we disagree.    Why can transgender people not be soldiers?   At what time was being SAME a qualification for that profession (even though killing the “enemy”,  which requires that the killer first make the other mentally less human, is not exactly a formula for harmony)?   Transgender people have their own set of problems; we have ours.  We do not have to be SAME, nor do we have to agree.  We simply need to recognize each other’s value.

Since when has marriage had nothing to do with children?   For ages, marriage has been the expression of union between male and female, a union both generating bonding and pleasure, AND producing children.   “Gay marriage” then, is not marriage, no matter how many laws say so and no matter how many legal penalties are levied against those who do not agree that they are SAME.   Does that mean that gay unions need to be persecuted, or given fewer legal rights to things such as inheritance or joint tax filing, or employment?  Not at all.  Gay unions simply need their own word, an acknowledgement that theirs is a different kind of union, which can be recognized and treated with respect even by those who disagree whether this kind of union should be legal.  It is not necessary to redefine marriage, eliminating the aspect of children and negating its original meaning in order to make all SAME.  We can be different without hating each other,  not forcing each other to agree to one set of ideas or another, or to act as if we agreed.   We can drop the conflict.  We each have our own sets of problems.

Is there never, then, a way in which we are all same, human, animal, plant, mineral?  The answer is yes, and the answer is difficult to perceive.   We all come from the same Source.   Perhaps our clinging to the comfort of sameness is rooted in the memory of that Source, from a time before all that is came to be.  In that broad and overarching sense, we are same.   The energy of a star can be in a drop of water or the splendor of a tree; the beauty of a flower can be in our own bodies.  Perhaps finally realizing this basic and timeless unity, reconnecting with it, will enable us to finally detach from the endless pursuit of either making the endless variety around us SAME or making it less valuable than ourselves.   We can wonder at and appreciate the limitless distinctions that make us each who we are because we know that at the infinite level we are same.   No law can make that true; it is simply within the endless variety of Creation.

Peace,      Diane