Trey Smith
...if you understand that the law of the earth consists of being there for others, then you know that we all need help, no matter whether we are rich or poor, old or young, beautiful or ugly, strong or weak. If we get no help we aren't able to live. We can only live properly if we help others.It's funny. This is a simple truth that we each know intuitively AND experientially. We know that without parents, relatives, friends, teachers, coworkers and a vast number of strangers we would be completely lost in this world and unable to survive. Yet, despite KNOWING all this, what does western civilization promote beyond all else?
~ from The Master: Teachings for Enlightenment by Chao-Hsiu Chen ~
Rugged individualism.
We see ourselves as islands. We treat others with estrangement. We talk about my this and my that. We keep everyone else at arm's length and our lives are built on the edifice of exclusivity, not inclusivity.
If you look at our politics, the vast majority of it is built around the ideation of looking out for #1. How can we reap what WE want, while denying the same to others. The notion of raising all boats at once is a foreign and sinister concept that must be stamped out at all costs.
All the while, our lives gain meaning through our interactions with others. Without the ability to help and be helped, we lose our humanity...as well as our ability to live the life we have been blessed with.
I agree with you, we do not live our life as part of it, we run trough, we "defend" it, we figth for it and doing that we act against. Buddism teach something true, as a true reasonable religion need.
ReplyDeletechao hsiu chen book was a great lecture for me too, and i found nice words in her web too. I like to read this kind of books.
i suggest you to visit www.chaohsiuchen.com
Mark