Never Forget, Never Give Up

I was in London a few weeks ago and was taken aback by all the people who were wearing poppies on their lapels. It’s been a fading tradition in the States to wear them on Veteran’s Day in November which is why I was so surprised by their prevalence. But then I realized that in the UK, and I imagine in Belgium, France and perhaps elsewhere, there was an acknowledgement of the centenary of the end of World War I. Veteran’s Day is also Armistice Day. WWI was originally called the ‘War to End All Wars’, but we know how that turned out. I walked by a photo exhibit in St. James’ Park across from the Houses of Parliament which showed modern images from old battle scenes. It was quite powerful and I found myself in tears. I was struck by the greed, hatred and ignorance that fueled that destruction of 100 years ago. It’s estimated that almost 17 million died as a result of that war and this doesn’t include the indirect deaths. The loss is staggering. And for what?  This kicked off a century of unimaginable horror. World War II more than quadruples the number of dead. Then we have Vietnam, Rwanda, Bosnia, the invasion of Manchuria, the wars in the Middle East, the Cold War, revolutions in Central and South America, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and countless other civil wars, invasions and genocides. These continue to this day along with all the repercussions.

What this offers is a reflection on how important and powerful the Buddha’s teachings are. So often we get caught up in our own personal suffering, but we have to recognize that we practice for the benefit of all beings. If we are committed to a life of non-harming and compassion then we are committed to seeing how greed, hatred and ignorance manifest all around us, and we work to end it. Just recently labeling refugees from Latin America as a threat to our way of life is a prime example of all three in action. We paint the other in two-dimensional, very negative terms so it’s easy for us to discount them as humans. When we discount them as somehow not worthy of being treated with dignity and respect, we can separate children from parents and bring an army of 6,000 armed soldiers to face a few hundreds of people seeking asylum. We act from a place of fear and ignorance which leads to cruelty. And, if we follow the money, we’ll find that it’s most often driven by greed. Systemic forms of oppression stay in place because we’re not paying attention.

However, this work to wake up is not easy. It’s so much easier to become distracted especially when dealing with our own stories. However this commitment to paying attention is necessary for any change to happen. How we show up is our own decision, but can we bring the teachings of sila, or an ethical life into our lives? Can we remember that we practice for the benefit of all and maybe do something or say something out of our comfort zone? During this month traditionally dedicated to gratitude, but also on the 100^th anniversary of an atrocious war, can we reflect on how we can make a difference? It’s not our job to change the world or expect that it will be fixed in our lifetime, but we make the effort nonetheless. I’m grateful that these teachings have become a foundation for me to stand on which helps me say the difficult things. I’m grateful to you for showing up ‘on the cushion’ and being willing to open your eyes to what is.

Here’s to us, and here’s to an end to greed, hatred and ignorance.