The Dalai Lama
Todays’ Boston Globe brought us the information, buried in the inside pages between the Macy’s ads, that the Dalai Lama had offered to resign if the civil unrest about Tibet continued. It was abundantly clear that the Globe had no idea what this information might mean.
Think about this for a second or two. Here is a man who says that anything that hurts and kills human beings is inherently wrong, and he will have no part of being an excuse for it. Peace, he says, comes from not fighting, no matter how great the provocations may seem to be. His own worldly position is nothing, he says by his offer, compared to that.
Since the Globe, like most newspapers, thrives on conflict and dissent, and will manufacture it when necessary, it’s not surprising the reporters didn’t get the point.
Now, imagine if George Bush had responded to 9-11 in the same way as the Dalai Lama. Some response was called for, surely, and ours was a rush to war. Personally I’d have preferred it if Bush had resigned.
Now, imagine if the woman whose picture appeared in today’s Globe, as she waved a sign that said all people have a God-given right to have guns for self defense - - imagine what she thinks about Tibet. Since her picture was much larger than the one of the Dalai Lama, and she appeared directly opposite the column in which he was discussed, one can only chuckle at the irony.
Interestingly that dear lady, bless her heart, claimed that ‘All Rights’ come directly from ‘the Creator’ and that self-defense is a ‘basic human right’. You can see the thinking: All Rights —are from God — the Constitition is about rights—therefore the Constitution is straight from God—the Constitution may (or may not) uphold the right of the citizens to have arms —therefore God wants us to have guns.
The last I checked the Constitution was written by a bunch of career politicians, so this lady might want to check her history books.
Don’t these people have any sense of logic?
It made the Dalai Lama look even more impressive, I have to say.
on March 20th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Dear Allan,
I too was dismayed that the Dalai Lama might resign,and that his statement was not considered worthy.of front page coverage. If only we all could stand in our integrity the way he has chosen to. Our political leaders could learn more than a bit about integrity in leadership from his example. He is risking a great deal to “walk his talk”
Peace and Blessings,
Jean
on March 21st, 2008 at 1:12 am
Dear Jean,
I’m so glad to get a reply to this posting - and especially such a thoughtful one. Thank you. I don’t think many people get the idea of peace, let alone integrity. Oh, the governor of New York resigns and it’s big news, but he resigned because of a scandal he’d created, not because of his integrity.
But to return to the Dalai Lama: most people seem to cling to those old banners of ‘patriotism’ and so on, as if they could do anything. John Lennon may have had a point when he wrote: ‘Imagine there’re no countries/ I wonder if you can/ Nothing to live or die for/ A fellowship of man…’ His Holiness is telling us quite straightforwardly that no delusions can be allowed to get in the way of peace.
As always, Allan