Tag Archives: Buddhists

What Now?

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Striving

November 7, 2020-

The increased likelihood of a Democratic President, come January 20, happened on the day which, for Buddhists, commemorates Siddhartha Gautama’s return to Earth, after three months of teaching in the celestial realm. This, to the Buddhist faithful, is a day of great change and seeping portent.

To the rest of us, it has also been a day of great change and portent, whether one approves of the changes that will be taking place, or not. As with four years ago, I say “Give the next president a chance, and be ready to hold him to account, if large segments of the populace are ignored or left in limbo.”

Here are a few suggestions:

  1. Capitalize on the reported friendship you have with Mitch McConnell. Maintain the law enforcement activity that is so close to former Judge McConnell’s heart: Fighting the trafficking of women and children. He was one of the forces behind the foundation of the very effective organization, Shared Hope International, one of the better programs advanced by conservative Republicans over the past several decades.
  2. Also, neither one of you wants to be seen as a deficit dove, so, given your self-comparison to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, dive into the summoning all Americans to help rebuild our infrastructure- get more done, with less Federal expenditure. Help counteract the sentiment that we ought stop asking what we can do for our country. Encourage market-led innovation and climate-enhancing changes. Continue to build on your predecessor’s one HUGE contribution: Looking after our military and veterans.
  3. Get out of Dodge- Washington or Wilmington more, at least for the first year or two. I recommend, starting in February-pick a city in each of the four regions: Northeast, South, Midwest and West, and hold a Town Hall in each one. Do this, monthly, until you have held such a gathering in each of the 50 states.
  4. Like your predecessors, be the Comforter-in-Chief. Aside from the Town Halls, be present for those communities which suffer natural or human-caused disasters.
  5. Be inclusive- Let’s return to the days when the President acknowledged not only Christian Holy Days, but those of other Faiths, as well. This was something at which Barack Obama excelled, but in which Donald Trump was less than interested. Be a cheerleader for the major sporting events, and yes, that includes NASCAR.
  6. Show that you trust Science- especially in facing down COVID-19. Be bold enough to also face down those who don’t see the COVID threat as real. The sooner more of us follow disease-fighting protocols willingly, the sooner the disease will no longer hold us in its vise-like grip.
  7. Finally, let the world know you see all of its parts as worthy of respect. Return us to partnerships which both help American prosperity and advance global co-operation. Attend crucial international gatherings, and encourage a two-way travel street- visiting some other countries each year and hosting their leaders here. There is plenty of anticipation, as there always is, when leadership looks set to change. Use the wealth of talent at your disposal, to build a dynamic, forward-looking, yet grounded, team. Godspeed, Mr.President-elect.

The Summer of the Rising Tides, Day 71: Each One’s Path

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Posted by on in Community, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Spiritual

August 10, 2020-

The sojourner faced east, and saw the Sun rising, Venus setting, a group of deer grazing and a Muslim, on a prayer rug, greeting the new day with his first devotions of the day.

The sojourner next faced south, saw the white Moon, with a barely discernable Jupiter to its left, a group of javelina headed uphill and on a quiet street, a small group of Christians walking to their morning devotions at the neighbourhood church.

The sojourner turned to the west, witnessing a still sky of cerullian blue, a chevron of geese rising in the sky, off to a day on a nearby lake, the stewards of downtown heading to their places of work and a trio of Buddhists taking their places on mats, crosslegged, in earnest meditation.

The sojourner finally turned northward, seeing the distant clouds, which would tease the mountaintops with a fog of verigo, a vaguely discernable black bear trudging along towards the forest, a line of cars coming into town, for their day of earnings and sacrifice and a lone Wiccan, eyes closed and hands gently tapping on a hand drum.

The sojourner saw truth in all, but dared not let them know, lest their minds become clouded with fear, and their hearts turn from the blessed focus with which they had each begun their day. He returned to his center and gave thanks unto the Source of all being.