A glass half-empty is discouraging, but not as discouraging as how misled people can be when a glass half-full is perceived as brimming over the top. War is discouraging, too, especially wars that seem to go on forever. It's as if the countries involved grow to believe that everything is dangerous and foreboding while the rest of the world goes on about business as usual and relatively unscathed. Some countries seem to draw violence toward them, and others don't. Why is this?
It's discouraging to hear that children are starving in poor countries not because of lack of donated food, but because of men that continue to fight for some kind of power even though the ones that win are usually short lived. The unkindness and lack of compassion is amazing, and a reflection of how little we have advanced as human beings.
When we hear that the world is becoming a cesspool of greenhouse gasses because of our voracious appetite for carbon, and yet we continue to drive powerful, large vehicles for - status, power, and because of insecurity - similar reasons that leaders in Africa keep starving children from food. This has to be discouraging as well.
And it is discouraging to see homeless veterans begging in the streets because a wealthy society has no patience with so called non-achievers, yet these veterans achieved enough to keep the wealthy safe. How sad.
It's disappointing to see emergency rooms filled with sick people who have no insurance, the choice being between eating and medical help for a vast majority of them. And insurance companies that cherry pick their clients and turn down the risky ones who are ill. Or drug companies that not only self-test and regulate their own drugs, but then knowingly release questionable ones that harm people simply because the drug companies must keep their stockholders happy with a greedy bottom line.
It is a shame as well when HMOs cancel a patient's health insurance because their sick child has hit some kind of a glass ceiling and therefore their lives are no longer worth the money that the insurance company has to put out, while Wall Street greedily insists that, the regulators inflate everyone's lives with worthless dollars so that the stock market remains happy and so that Wall Street's wealth is taxed little. And all the while, the working man and woman does the heavy lifting.
These things are all discouraging, but the most discouraging thing in the world is; that nothing ever changes regarding the greed, hatred and delusion of human beings - at least not until we are shocked beyond belief. Then, and only then, is there a possibility of change.
E. Raymond Rock of Fort Myers, Florida is cofounder and principal teacher at the Southwest Florida Insight Center, http://www.SouthwestFloridaInsightCenter.com His twenty-nine years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. His book, A Year to Enlightenment (Career Press/New Page Books) is now available at major bookstores and online retailers. Visit http://www.AYearToEnlightenment.com
anagarika eddie is a meditation teacher at the Dhammabucha Rocksprings Meditation Retreat Sanctuary (www.dhammarocksprings.org), and author of A Year to Enlightenment. His 30 years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Thervada Buddhist monk.
Yes, I agree e, life holds a lot of discouraging paths we must encounter on our journey through this sick world of ours. Perhaps some day we will awaken to a new realization
True and yet very sad. I wish that we could all realize how precious life is without trying to put a price on it. We are definitely in a sad state of the nation. I guess if we all could help someone someway, it would be a perfect world. Unfortunately that is not reality. God bless you
Thanks so much Michelle. Until we understand ourselves, we cannot understand others, and until we understand others, there will be what we are witnessing in the world, which is runaway greed, hatred and delusion.
Work on yourself first, working on others only perpetuates the stupidity :)
i often wonder how God feels seeing the beauty He supplied us with being dwindled daily, and the people He created doing the dwindling. i've been for the underdog since i was a little kid. i would rather have an honest person sit at my table, with ripped clothes, and smelling pretty funky, than have a dishonest person in my home. a lot of work needs to be done, one person at a time, and it starts with each of us coming to that realiziation and then doing something about it.
True virtue, not virtue that is displayed to impress someone, is the true wealth. We are so shortsighted when it comes to values. Of course, we must develop that virtue in ourselves first before working on others. Actually, we can never work on others, only ourselves, and the fruition of that work is the only thing that might influence others, but it must be sincere. Concentrate your mind, clear your mind. Reach that emptiness where transformation takes place.
Best.........e (Thanks so much for reading some of my stuff!)
Hi e. My husband has always said that we are little better than Neanderthals, sitting in caves and fighting over who gets the best piece of meat. For all our technology, we haven't come that far spiritually. You are right, it's a sad state of affairs.
Hi Dianne, Actually, the Neanderthals were less dangerous. I'm afraid that our inflated egos in this country, and our stupidity, our aggressiveness and ambition, and our non-willingness to back down, will put some idiot's finger on the nuclear trigger - soon . . and press it . . because we no longer have the good sense and intellegence to work things out. It is our way or the highway. We are like drunks in a bar, that because they have no intellegence, they beat each other's brains out. I can see it happening because of the military deficiency we have created with a stupid, criminal war in Iraq. We will vaporize Russia and Iran, and in turn be obliterated. Whooppee! We win again, and so does our children.
E. and outstanding and well written article full of wisdom. I guess the part that I presum kinda hits you as well, there are many who profess the teachings of Budda, or Jesus or any religious experience that preaches love and meekness yet of all the billions out there that do profess, most of those same billions don't put it into practice. yes many do but not nearly enough. Good job.
Hi Robert, Thanks for the essential comments. Hope you are doing okay. I think of you often.
Sometimes we profess like parrots, just repeating what we have heard. The real teacher talks from experience, and doesn't attempt to draw people toward him or her, or build an organization, but make their students self sufficient in their practice so that they can be free of manipulative things, such as gurus and religion.
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