EITHER/OR versus BOTH/AND September DharmaByte
One of our senior Practice Leaders requested that I discuss this duality in relation to Zen. Some of the specifics cited herein are his, as unattributed quotes. Thanks to him, and he knows who he is. In a follow-up email he noted the connection to politics in my last:
I would like to see increased public pressure towards democrats and republicans working together to get something accomplished. Too much competition, not enough cooperation. The thundering silence of both sides, when it comes to publicly acknowledging valid points made by the opposing party, is likely/sadly a better prediction of the future than the actual policies being presented in the platforms. Too much focus on winning and not enough on what will actually be delivered by the "winner." Too much focus on getting the majority in the house and senate rather than merging policies to come up with a vital fusion. Everybody knows a mongrel dog is healthier than a pure bred. I think the same applies to government policies.
Well said and agreed. The "mongrel dog" comment is a dead giveaway for those of us who know him.
It is truly an unfortunate and inconvenient truth that getting elected to office no longer bears the romantic and altruistic connotations that it did when "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" appeared on the big screen. Human nature will out, especially when lavished with 24/7 attention and near-worshipful levels of reverence. Which turns to unrelenting scorn and derision when expectations are not met, like milk curdling. Thus the low esteem in which "the world's greatest deliberative body" is held. And why we in Zen aspire to buddha-nature, not human nature. This unenlightened self-serving is not an exclusive trait of Western politicians, but it does seem to derive from an overemphasis on differences hard-wired into egocentric tribalism, nativism.
I would like to see increased public pressure towards democrats and republicans working together to get something accomplished. Too much competition, not enough cooperation. The thundering silence of both sides, when it comes to publicly acknowledging valid points made by the opposing party, is likely/sadly a better prediction of the future than the actual policies being presented in the platforms. Too much focus on winning and not enough on what will actually be delivered by the "winner." Too much focus on getting the majority in the house and senate rather than merging policies to come up with a vital fusion. Everybody knows a mongrel dog is healthier than a pure bred. I think the same applies to government policies.
Well said and agreed. The "mongrel dog" comment is a dead giveaway for those of us who know him.
It is truly an unfortunate and inconvenient truth that getting elected to office no longer bears the romantic and altruistic connotations that it did when "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" appeared on the big screen. Human nature will out, especially when lavished with 24/7 attention and near-worshipful levels of reverence. Which turns to unrelenting scorn and derision when expectations are not met, like milk curdling. Thus the low esteem in which "the world's greatest deliberative body" is held. And why we in Zen aspire to buddha-nature, not human nature. This unenlightened self-serving is not an exclusive trait of Western politicians, but it does seem to derive from an overemphasis on differences hard-wired into egocentric tribalism, nativism.
I would like to offer a different perspective on the passing pageantry of politics than you might expect, however; one that may seem naïve on its surface, or even counterintuitive. From the perspective of Zen, it seems to me that the prescribed attitude in the face of the onslaught of the campaign—or a Zen definition of sanity—would be defined as apolitical. That is, instead of getting caught up in the hysteria that is our political system today, and taking sides, we might instead take a backward step, and see it for what it truly is. Which, ironically, our current candidate(s)—take your pick—is/are making excruciatingly clear.