anadiomene

http://www.linktv.org/globalspirit/wisdom 

I watched through tears, how can we not in the west feel responsible for where we are right now – the mess that we have gotten ourselves into – and the looming question is can we with the same amount of force wake up and make the changes needed. Can we change our mindset, our hearts, can we learn to listen – re-connect to the planet and let go of our ego. I would like to think so, but I fear there are so many people out there that will not wake up until the moment of true catastrophe – right now we live in a time of warnings. I love this film, I have always thought and believed in the wisdom of indigenous people – for what might sound simple is actually the most profound.  Thank you all for sharing your wisdom, I hope you can get this into schools – where the adults of tomorrow can start seeing the world with new eyes. Anyway, and everyone out there I highly recommend you also take half an hour of your time to enjoy some other cultures perspectives to life and the world in which we live.

  23rd Sept. 2007 (first published) 

The film was although painful somewhat of a reflection of what can still happen today. We as a society tell ourselves what happened in Germany could never happen now, but what about Serbia, Congo, Rwanda, even in Tibet or other locations throughout Africa that I don’t even know about. We only really know what the media tells us, why didn’t they tell us the real extent of what was going on in Rwanda? Why aren’t any journalists on the ground in Africa interviewing people to get the real perspective, why the hell is everyone so focused on Iraq. From here they bombard us daily with the Westernized version of the story – what they would like us to believe. What kind of news do we have if they can’t even tell us what is really going on in the world, where is journalism heading, where is our own need to know?

And what really got me other than the current media’s biased view towards real world events, was the confusion of the people in Rwanda. They were convinced as any of us human beings would be; that when the rest of the world found out what was going on there would be rescue attempts of a UN intervention. But the UN only went in to retrieve their own people, anyone white could leave. Where does that leave anyone else but dead…. If they had oil would it have been different, if it was a European country or a wealthier country or a whiter country… What are our worldly values today? Really tell me…. Does being a human being or a living creature not count for anything anymore – especially when compared to thin slices of green paper… Anyway through conscious awareness of what is going on, and more compassionate value system we could very easily turn things around. All we need is the will and desire to do so. It starts with each of us.

 This movie is the biography of the Dali Lama. While I know the story well I had not as yet experienced it and saw it from this point of view. The responsibility he has and must live with – and what Tibet as a country went through. What I still find so hard to believe is that it continues under plain view today. What really leaves me gob smacked is I remember learning that Tibet was part of China – while I see and know today that it wasn’t/ isn’t shouldn’t be so – maybe once under some ancient rule – but then do we give Australia back to the Aborigines, America to her natives and make Holland once again be part of France… It pains me to see now that it is open to foreigners – but what do see other there now than the theater that China puts on. I can’t begin to understand the pain of the Dali Lama who would like nothing other to go back, but knows that he can’t. What it would mean to have his country back, while all the while knowing that in the Chinese culture – to lose face – is bigger than any bigheartedness might be possible. I did think though in flutter of optimism would it not be the grandest gesture of the Olympic games in the name international generosity and peace to give Tibet back to the Tibetans. This could be the biggest statement of a possible tomorrow a moving on and above the past to embrace a new state of being - I dream… But just imagine a tomorrow a world where such gestures happened and were made possible by acceptance through an open-mind and heart, this is the kind of world that all of us would want to live and be a part of. It would be much preferred than a place from where we are able override a peaceful nation of Buddhists to claim the most shallow of victories. I think it touches me more than anything is the humbleness of the Tibetans and their peaceful protesting. After watching the film though a haze of tears I wondered why this might have happened, I believe some things happen for a reason – no matter how hard it might be to understand. I think one thing of worth, is that it brought the peace and spirituality of Buddhism to the world. It gave the rest of the world a Dali Lama, his holiness, his warmth and depth of spirit that otherwise we would have never have the chance to experience. But we have this now forever and we need to let the selfishness of what we the west wants go, isn’t it time to let him go or to help him build the road home to Lhasa??

http://www.freetibet.org/