Extending These Lessons
In applying the below lesons to my probable life back in the States, and how I can put them to use in my current situation, I think I'm starting to get a sense of what my work in the world can be.
I think it's time to admit to myself that I'm not of the aptitude or persuasion to be a political or social activist. I still think that these jobs are extremely important, extremely heroic, and absolutely need to be done; that's probably why I've tried to be interested and involved in them for so long. But I now realize that these noble endeavours are best left in the hands of other, more capable people. My calling, I think, is a different one.
While these others pave the way for political and social revolution, I feel my responsibility is to work to bring about personal, internal revolution. I truly believe that the best thing I can do for the world (present and future) is to lead a quiet, simple, humble, responsible, normal life, and cultivate the seeds of love, peace, and joy in myself, my loved ones, friends, and family, and to teach others to do the same. It's becoming more and more likely that when I return to the States I'll look into teaching (i think i'd like to do high-school, but i found that i was really enjoying middle-school before i left. So who knows...). I think that as a teacher i will have the opportunity and ability to be a positive force for change in the lives of our children; not through what I teach (unless there are public high schools that offer classes on the Sermon on the Mount or the 14 Precepts of Mindfulness), but through how I teach and relate to people.
Thich Nhat Hanh says that a person is like a garden. In the soil of our hearts and minds, there are many seeds-- seeds of love and seeds of fear. Seeds of anger, violence and hate, and seeds of peace, compassion and joy. Which seeds will grow and thrive depends on which of these seeds we water and cultivate. We live in a culture that is very good at cultivating anger, fear, hate, violence, and alienation. If left untended, these weeds can overrun our gardens and strangle the buds of love, compassion, peace, and joy. If these weeds grow big and strong enough, they can even steal the sunlight and rain that might otherwise nurture the delicate and beautiful flowers. These positive seeds need to be nurtured, especially in our young people, if there is to be any positive change in our world. If and when the political, social, and economic orders change, what will be the good if the generations that inherit the new world are still consumed by fear, anger, hate, and violence?
Many (most?) young people today only have their negative seeds watered, and many feel alienated and eventually despair; they give up on life before they've even had a chance to live it and turn to drugs, alcohol, violence, and damaging sexual relationships- all of which are perfect fertilizer to make the negative seeds even stronger. I believe that by cultivating peace, joy, love, and compasion in ourselves and letting our lives display these beautiful flowers, and by treating young people with respect, love, and compassion, we can show them another way and help to nurture these same seeds in them. This, I think, is how I can help. By nurturing peace, love, joy, and compassion in myself, I can share these things with my friends, family and (hypothetical) students and let that be my contribution to a new and better world, and leave the more visible world-saving to others.
In applying the below lesons to my probable life back in the States, and how I can put them to use in my current situation, I think I'm starting to get a sense of what my work in the world can be.
I think it's time to admit to myself that I'm not of the aptitude or persuasion to be a political or social activist. I still think that these jobs are extremely important, extremely heroic, and absolutely need to be done; that's probably why I've tried to be interested and involved in them for so long. But I now realize that these noble endeavours are best left in the hands of other, more capable people. My calling, I think, is a different one.
While these others pave the way for political and social revolution, I feel my responsibility is to work to bring about personal, internal revolution. I truly believe that the best thing I can do for the world (present and future) is to lead a quiet, simple, humble, responsible, normal life, and cultivate the seeds of love, peace, and joy in myself, my loved ones, friends, and family, and to teach others to do the same. It's becoming more and more likely that when I return to the States I'll look into teaching (i think i'd like to do high-school, but i found that i was really enjoying middle-school before i left. So who knows...). I think that as a teacher i will have the opportunity and ability to be a positive force for change in the lives of our children; not through what I teach (unless there are public high schools that offer classes on the Sermon on the Mount or the 14 Precepts of Mindfulness), but through how I teach and relate to people.
Thich Nhat Hanh says that a person is like a garden. In the soil of our hearts and minds, there are many seeds-- seeds of love and seeds of fear. Seeds of anger, violence and hate, and seeds of peace, compassion and joy. Which seeds will grow and thrive depends on which of these seeds we water and cultivate. We live in a culture that is very good at cultivating anger, fear, hate, violence, and alienation. If left untended, these weeds can overrun our gardens and strangle the buds of love, compassion, peace, and joy. If these weeds grow big and strong enough, they can even steal the sunlight and rain that might otherwise nurture the delicate and beautiful flowers. These positive seeds need to be nurtured, especially in our young people, if there is to be any positive change in our world. If and when the political, social, and economic orders change, what will be the good if the generations that inherit the new world are still consumed by fear, anger, hate, and violence?
Many (most?) young people today only have their negative seeds watered, and many feel alienated and eventually despair; they give up on life before they've even had a chance to live it and turn to drugs, alcohol, violence, and damaging sexual relationships- all of which are perfect fertilizer to make the negative seeds even stronger. I believe that by cultivating peace, joy, love, and compasion in ourselves and letting our lives display these beautiful flowers, and by treating young people with respect, love, and compassion, we can show them another way and help to nurture these same seeds in them. This, I think, is how I can help. By nurturing peace, love, joy, and compassion in myself, I can share these things with my friends, family and (hypothetical) students and let that be my contribution to a new and better world, and leave the more visible world-saving to others.
posted by Andy at 7:55 AM
2 Comments:
sounds like the Parable of the Sower, the seed landing on the rocks, choked by weeds, etc. I suspect that broad, sweeping reform is short-lived. We can only change ourselves and that changes how others respond. One person at a time; like my "great cloud of witnesses" have taken a life-time to affect change in me, and continue to do so.
keep growing!
mom
You may have it onto an area where you can expand the modern Christian view but you need to do it in baby steps and examples. Christianity grew in small steps over time through teaching in small groups to those interested in hearing. You appear to have a group of young India Christian interested in hear. Continuing the conversations and making very minor adjustments to services may be the way to move a traditional social cultural without causing conflicts. Remember in my opinion the greatest message of Christ is Love; Gods love of man and mans love for each other. Doing work with this in mind will make the seeds that are planted grow.
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