I read a gentleman's blog today. He's a doctor and practicing Buddhist. A very thoughtful guy who posts about once a week on various topics, but often having a thread of ways to find agreement, or peace in your life in a world with not enough of it. I usually like what he says and even have found comfort in a some specific things he's offered.
But yesterday's post was about how to create peace in a world seemingly driven by war. It's a common topic and his suggestion was a typical one I've found irritating whenever I've heard it. Basically it's: work on making yourself happy (or "at peace") and hope that your happiness positively impacts people around you. That's the best anyone can do.
My problem is that this is exactly what's already going on in the U.S. today—and why those in power are able to get away with all that they are. They put in enough measures and laws for the masses to grab hold of to feel they have their own hand in deciding how or whether to be "happy" or not. Then those in power use that complacency to pass or subvert other laws to get to their version of happiness. Most people's ideas of happiness are set from a young age. And they are more than happy to allow you to find your own happiness, as long as they can continue to pursue theirs—which is the amassing of money and power. All fine and dandy, except their version of happiness seems to always need to infringe mightily on many other people's happiness. And with globalization, those in power can actually choose which group of people to affect in pursuing their "happiness", keeping the wool neatly pulled over the eyes of their neighbors, or constituents, as the case is.
I've long been a bit envious of people who can turn away from guiding change in others simply by "deciding" to be happy themselves and hoping it will catch on. But unfortunately, I've seen too much what I would call "cultural momentum manipulation" in the world to let my life's years pass without trying to really create change in the world—beyond smiling at passersby.
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I agree that one must take action to create change. I also want to challenge you to rethink your position that focusing on the inner transformation is ineffective.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that on the surface it would appear that change only occurs when people get busy and actually do something. But this overlooks the critical issue that intention is the root of all action. Think clearly about how anything comes to fruition such as an invention, or a business, or a project. There first must be the idea, and preceding the idea is the intention to do something, and preceding the intention is the preexistent state of mind. I would argue that if people apply determined effort to understand the state of mind and their intentions the fruit of that effort would be effective, efficient action.
Think about how one good idea becomes a multimillion dollar business, or social change movement. That original idea probably occurred in a single moment. Amazing how it can grow into such a powerful force.
So it needs to be both, or you could say a "balance" between doing and being. Which is the heart of the buddhist teaching of the middle way.
Check out my blog at www.terryhookerblog.blogspot.com
Terry, thanks for your post. I agree wholeheartedly with your point, and it's something I need to keep in mind more often. I've worked for change in a few capacities and I so often see people get diverted by so many small details. I am a pretty impatient guy so I have a tendency to clarify the big picture and dive right towards it, sometimes brushing aside incremental efforts. But that's not always the way that change can happen. Sometimes those smaller steps are essential.
ReplyDeleteThen I think about the overwhelming amount of change that this world needs and the complexity of things and I start get anxious. I will try to keep your words in mind when that anxiousness starts to well up.
Allen