Looking Out by Looking In

Trey Smith

In my 9:45 am post, I talked about my vision for America. To be frank, it's not so much a particular vision for America, but for the whole world. (Tomorrow morning I will feature a video short produced by actor Matthew Modine, Jesus Was a Commie, that pretty much encapsulates a vision for the world that I agree with.)  There is nothing wrong with having ideals; it gives us something to aim for. There's also nothing wrong with having a vision for humanity.

But as the Taoist sages pointed out -- sages from other belief systems have made this same point too -- before we can work on the macrocosm, we must focus on the microcosm. To put this in the popular vernacular, we must be the change we seek.

For example, if I believe the world needs to be a more just place, I need to endeavor to be fair in ALL my dealings with others. If I believe we must embrace peace, then I must endeavor to be peaceful in all my interactions. If I cannot succeed in these aims, who I am to chastise the world?

This is THE task before each of us -- learning how to be loving, compassionate and humane in all we say, think and do. When it gets right down to it, we shouldn't worry about whether or not anyone else lives this way. I can't make you conform to my vision any more than you can make me conform to yours. In fact, trying to foist love or compassion on anyone is to thwart it at the very outset.

Some will protest that one life that embraces the essence of Tao (or whatever you want to call it) is a like a drop in the bucket and won't make a hill of beans worth of difference in the overall scheme of things. I think that analysis is not correct. In my view, every life and every moment does make a difference. Often, we are not cognizant of the ripples we send out from our center, but they are there, nonetheless.

One humane individual changes the world for the better. The only way I can prove this is by being that individual. It's far easier to hope that someone else will take up the mantle, but that's a surefire formula to insure that no one takes it up. So, it needs to be me.

The question is: Will I?

It Will Happen

A lot is being made of the fact that some Occupy Oakland protesters threw bottles and other objects at the police. Folks on the Right are now comparing all protesters to a bunch of hoodlums, while those on the Left are beseeching protesters not to screw up the movement's peaceful message.

As regular readers know, I am an avowed pacifist. I believe that, regardless of the situation, nonviolence is the way to go. But I also know something else: Most Americans are NOT pacifists. Because of this fact, violence FROM the protesters is bound to occur.

In my mind, there are two factors to consider. First off, we live in a society that glorifies violence. Not only is it prevalent in our various modes of entertainment, but our national policies are predicated on it. We should not forget that 50 cents of every taxpayer dollar goes to prop up our behemoth military-industrial complex.

In recent years, our nation has adopted the policy of "shoot first and ask questions later." We kill thousands of people each year through bombs, missiles, bullets and drones.

So, it should surprise no one that a significant segment of our society views violence as a positive means to exact change. Some of those people are part of the various Occupy groups and, when appropriate situations arise, they will feel justified in meeting the force of the state with a force of their own.

The other factor at play is frustration and desperation. As the economy on Main Street continues to flounder, more people will join the protests in the streets. If the politicians remain unmoved and the police forces become ever more aggressive, some peaceful protesters will begin to strike back in utter exasperation.

Most people I know don't like being hit repeatedly and, at some point, many will feel enough is enough. Aggressive police tactics will push some people over the edge and riots will break out. In those instances, all bets are off.

It should go without saying that many police forces are trying to goad protesters to turn violent. The powers that be want images of violent protesters to flood the airwaves in the hope that this will convince the general public to withdraw their support for the Occupy groups that have sprung up all over the country and across the world.

Protests that turn violent will provide the state with the political cover to become even more violent themselves...to "restore public order."

I'd love to say that I hope that nonviolence wins out. I'd like to believe that most protesters realize that acts of violence on their part would create a no-win situation. But, I also try to be a realist and simply observing human nature tells me that, sooner or later, one group or another is going to respond to state-sanctioned force with force of their own.

From my standpoint, sadly, this occurrence is inevitable.

All Creatures Great and Small

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
~ from The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism by Mohandas Gandhi ~

I have been a vegetarian (though not a vegan) for most of my adult life. My choice not to eat meat started in late high school as my own form of rebellion against a father who had a penchant for serving cooked meat exceedingly rare. As I studied vegetarianism -- one book that had a great impact on my thinking was Diet for a Small Planet -- my revulsion at consuming nearly raw meat morphed into a philosophical position. It came to the point in which I simply didn't feel right killing other creatures to sustain myself.

While I certainly understand that eating plant-based life involves killing as well -- almost all life entities must kill to live -- my thinking often returned to the Gandhi quote cited above. I have less qualms about so-called primitive societies -- like the American Indian -- who had a spiritual connection to the animals they consumed and made every effort to utilize all portions of the animal for utilitarian purposes. However, so-called modern society has lost this sort of spiritual connection and the animal as food industry is marked by exploitative and abusive practices.

As Zoe Well points out in Including Animals in Our Circle of Concern, treating animals more humanely and respectfully is not only good for the animals themselves, but it is in the best interests of humanity.

Our system of meat procurement is not only unimaginably abusive to animals, it has contributed to a host of problems, from environmental catastrophes as soil erosion, water pollution, water depletion, global warming, deforestation, ocean dead zones, and poisoned and depleted populations of sea animals, along with human health problems such as escalating rates of various cancers, heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, mercury poisoning, antibiotic resistance, and more. Choosing to eat fewer, or no animals or animal products would not only go far toward our own health (and save massive amounts of money on healthcare), but also toward slowing global warming and protecting our environment...

What started out for me as an act of teenage rebellion has turned into a long-term life choice. With one exception in the mid 90s -- and this exception made me very ill -- I have not consumed any meat for over 25 years. I can't imagine ever eating meat again.

I would like to take the last step by eliminating dairy from my diet, but alas, I don't think this is very likely. I must admit that I love to drink milk and eat yogurt -- both of which I consume daily. But I still hold out hope for myself in this area! ;-)

Bloodthirsty Killers

If you listen to the rantings of the radical right in the US, Muslims are a bloodthirsty lot. Their religion is built upon the edifice of violence. Each and every Muslim has the potential to become a terrorist or suicide bomber. They want to take over the world and stomp Christianity into the ground.

Yet, for all their blather, what has been happening in Egypt these past two weeks has been the opposite. The Egyptian citizenry have demanded their independence from dictatorship through PEACEFUL and NONVIOLENT protest. These so-called bloodthirsty killers have, by and large, shunned violence, even in the face of violence being used against them.

What I find most remarkable is that if we had a similar sort of uprising here and it was led by the Tea Party, I can almost guarantee there would be violence and bloodshed. Second Amendment advocates would show up at the big DC rallies toting all sorts of firearms and itchy trigger fingers. Far too many of the protesters would be looking for a fight and, if one didn't materialize, they would create one themselves.

The Egyptians stuck to the principle of nonviolence and today they claimed their first substantive victory as Dictator Mubarak resigned.