2004-11-03 - 12:09 p.m. From Pema Chodron, Start Where You Are: ...When the world is full of ego-clinging or with attachment to a particular outcome, there is a lot of pain. But these painful situations can be transformed...In Yugoslavia there's a very painful situation...If you asked someone on either side what they wanted, they would say they just want to be happy. They see the others as the enemies and they think the only way to be happy is to eradicate the source of their misery. We all think this way. And then if you talked to the other side, they would say that they wanted the same thing. No one is ever encouraged to feel the underlying anxiety, the underlying edginess, the underlying soft spot, and therefore we think that blaming others is the only way. Reading just one newspaper, we can see that blaming others doesn't work.... What Pema is sayin', and what I'm suggesting now, is that we have an obligation not to get sucked under by despair just because our guy didn't win. We have an obligation to speak and live our truth (and to do so without demonizing the opposition). I really, really, really wanted Kerry to win, and so did most of you. He didn't, life goes on, let's not get engulfed by darkness or see it in the so-called enemy's heart. Let's just keep embodying and acting on what we believe in. Furthermore: But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:16, 17 thoughts? (8 comments so far) previous - next blog archive contact