Live_in_the

In the blink of an eye, another year is almost over. The year 2001, did however, bring us more grey hairs than expected, what with the Sept. 11 attack and the subsequent world recession, which has made many of us see nothing but gloom for the year ahead.

Uncertainty normally makes us look inward, while fear of the unknown makes us rethink our priorities in life. On the positive side, this helps us value family togetherness and small, simple happiness even more.

But there's a dark side to retreating into our own secure shell. Holding on to what we have makes us more conservative in our outlook. Celebrating who we are intensifies the we/they dichotomy, which encourages us to overlook the needs of others. The result is an increase in to-each-his-own individualism at a time when we most need compassion and an open heart to mend rifts and avoid conflicts.

How to get through a crisis without losing our humanity?

The challenge before us is on many levels. Globally, patriotism in its different forms is on the rise across the world, which could lead to more wide spread ethnic violence or a head-on clash with the US-lead economic globalization now reinforced by American partiotism.

Moreover, we still can not escape the spectre of the Sept. 11 attack, which informs us that terrorism can strike us off gaurd at any time, anywhere in this global village.

Nationally, our challenge is how to prevent patriotism from degenerating into xenophiabia.

True, we need unity to get us through the tough times together. We need unity to negotiate our stand in the international arena towards fair trade, instead of being forever pushed and shoved about to accept unquestioning the so-callled free trade system that benefits only the big players.

But economic nationalism can easily end up serving only the local capitalists at the expense of small people and the environment. Also, since Thai nationalism is tied to race, its rise tends to aggravate racism and discrimination at home against the indigenous hill people and illegal migrant workers who become scapegoats for all sorts of problems in our country.

Meanwhile, the increasing popularity of meditation retreats shows how Thais are responding personally to today's uncertainty. Although this shows resiliency in our socitey's mechanisms for coping, it is worrying that these retreats more often than not strengthen the practitioner's mental isolation rather then awake their compassion and sense of responsibility to free society from suffering.

Worse, since mainstream Thai Buddhism and its establishment are at once with race based nationalism, their reponse to ethnic conflicts is often at one with the racist supremecy of the dominant group in society.

How to strike a balance? The Buddhas's Middle Path is not some wishy-washy notion of compromise. It means giving our heart and soul to achieving a state of non-exploitation at all levels. It demands standing up to the power of old habits, culture, religion and political ideology that are so divisive and exploitative. It demands all-out perserverence to be kind to ourselves, others and nature, without getting lost in the illusion's spurred by anger, greed, fear and false beliefs.

Another year is passing. If wealth and success remain the yardsticks by which we measure ourselves, then we are doomed to our anxieties and fears, and next year will be no different to this one.

But if we can honestly say that we are becoming kinder as a people and our happiness is increasingly independent of the sensory pleasures, then our grey hairs and wrinkles can serve as a testament to our wisdom. And it will no longer matter what next year brings because we are living fully in the very moment.

Brad's comments:
Although this is written about Thailand, it is eerily appropriate to all. We are more alike than different is a motto to live by. If we (the US) take an isolationist approach to managing our affairs (e.g. pulling out of the Salt II missle treaty, the Kyoto environmental accord, etc.) we are using our power, if you will, to take care of ourselves. Peace comes not from our ability to protect oursevles, but from our ability to build relationships with the world. On the global stage, how can we stand comfortable in the knowledge that we are secure and comfortable, while others in the world are suffering and poor? It is true that we can not, nor are we expected to help everyone, but we are continuously being viewed as wielding our power to meet our needs, and pulling out of the global village in an attempt to take care of ourselves. The politicians of the world are "coming together" to battle terrorsim, but the people of the world are not for more wars and killing. The battle on terrorsim will prove to benefit the people in power more than the people of the world. The money spent on reactionary and military approaches would be better spent proactively to save lives and help countries out of poverty. When we travel the world we realize how easy it is to divert our eyes or our path so as to not see what makes us uncomfortable back home. On the road it is impossible to divert our eyes or our path, and diverting is exactly what we do not want to do. We see the poverty and experience the difference between the haves and have nots. We are the haves and benefit from our position. This means we have to work twice as hard to be compassionate and caring, less we be diluted by our comfort and ease of life and thus stay within our zones of comfort. We live in a global community, do not forget that! Resist the urge to buy into the statement "you're either with us or against us". We are all in this together with different perspectives.

We are more alike than different.

Peace and love,
Brad