There are times... there are times when I find it difficult to have faith in humanity. Faith that compassion and reason will prevail over hatred and ignorance. All things are impermanent, so you'd think that hate and ignorance would be too? Perhaps that is naivete rooted in the incidental duality of victory and defeat.
There are times when I want to run away from humanity, succumbing to the pull of quiet solitude in the wilderness writing poetry and meditating as Ryokan did. To do as Theravada Buddhists do and care not for Bodhisattva vows and a race that seems doomed to collapse under its own pride, greed and insanity. In a world where genocide is a valid political action, and murder is downplayed by calling it, "collateral damage," or, "wasting them," what is a Dharma student to do?

Tend, in those moments, to focus less on the "big picture," and more so on what is before me now. I see no violence, no hatred, no greed. To feed the hungry, clothe the cold, give rest to the weary and counsel to the lost. Each one is all, and all is each (and even that's not quite accurate). Each kind act or word travels like ripples in a pond. There are so many ripples, that to look at it all at once is dizzying. Or to look at the even bigger big picture that we are but specks on a pale dot.

I'd be lying though, if I said I wasn't tempted at times to succumb to apathy and forsake the plights of humanity. To give in to my own greedy ideal of no-greed, hate of hatred and an ignorant view on ignorance. This particular rant was inspired by a news article (usually avoid them) about an Israeli lawmaker urging her nation to perpetrate genocide on Palestinian people. "All of them. Men, women and children," she said. Tears filled my eyes and I became nauseous while reading the article. Much metta to those who live in war-torn lands. Offer metta to leaders as well. Leaders who think that murder leads to peace; I hope that they can see for the sake of all that war never leads to peace, that violence creates only more violence.

Gassho,
John