I wrote a friend of mine a few days ago a heartfelt message summed up in one line to him–“I am so gravely concerned that our government is being duped into a war with Syria.” This blog post is not a political statement but rather a deeply spiritual message to our President and leaders of all governments.
First, years ago our government was certain there were WMD (weapons of mass destruction). They were convinced. They were positive. Sure. It was only after the fact that they and we discovered this wasn’t the case. There was a knee-jerk reaction and left-over hard feelings for an attack on our country’s citizens that most likely instigated a most costly war. I am so hopeful that we learned from this and will not repeat it. The same rhetoric heard those many years ago is what I’m hearing again.
Dear Mr. President and all world leaders, this is a time to step back and take a breath. It is not a time for knee-jerk reactions. If we engage in war against another Middle Eastern country the ramifications are sure to shake the world. I say this with no military intelligence but from a simple, heart-felt love for humanity and all life on the planet.
Unreasonable actions will never be made right by unreasonable actions. This is a time we must learn from past mistakes, not repeat them. We no longer have the luxury of repeating past boggles thinking the outcome will be different. At some point we must approach such atrocities with something other than violence. Haven’t we seen that more violence is NEVER the way to make long-lasting, positive change?
My soul weeps for the cruelty we bestow upon each other, upon animals, plants…the planet. I so long for leaders that will take us beyond the eye-for-an-eye mentality into a new and better way. I beg our leaders to stop and consider that they might be biting the proverbial hook, baited with the use of chemical weapons. It screams of ‘set-up’ but then I know nothing of politics.
Dr. President Obama, members of Congress, leaders in all countries, I beg you to ignore this ‘hook’ and put your most excellent problem-solvers to the task to find a better way. Rise above the violence to a creative solution that will change the world for the better. You have the potential to use this pivotal point to catapult the world into a new way of relating and being. Thank you.
Two days of passively observing brown pelicans at very close proximity helped me get through Basic Orientation: Animal Life 101.
The conclusions I’ve drawn thus far? Silent observation and attention to detail give the best learning experiences. Staying in beginner’s mind is the clue.
Shoshin is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning “beginner’s mind”. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even if studying at an advanced level. Learning from animals necessitates using the quality of curious mind. Be quiet and observe.
Teacher number five
Two experiences during my first ‘classes’ left me completely baffled. One happened at the end of each day’s observations and with each one, I was confronted with very aggressive energy from males. One was middle school age and the other an adult.
Class One: The pelicans had just settled down to nap and had been sunning after a particularly cold night. I was tucked in a corner of the pier with them, sunning on a bench. A group of four kids walked up and one drew his fishing rod like a sword and started trying to hit the dozing birds. It was calm and peaceful one moment and the next erupted into chaotic, mean-spirited energy.
Class Two: I was sitting with the pelicans in the same place–a corner tucked around from a fish-cleaning station. The birds were active in preening, perching, communicating with each other and yes, some were very interested in what the guy was doing with his dead fish. Suddenly a blast of cold water shot out and around the corner, splashing me and soaking the pelicans. But it didn’t stop. It kept coming and blasting the birds in their faces in their corner. They had little opportunity to leave.
I was just trying to catch a nap and then some human started spraying me with cold water
It stopped so I just let it go. Then it started again and this time after it quit I peeked around the corner and asked the guy to please stop spraying so far around the corner as I was getting wet…but more importantly, my camera was getting wet.
He kept spraying and finally blasted a bird perched on the rail for probably 30 seconds in the face and the bird could do nothing but sit there and take it. I yelled at this point: STOP IT!
He finished cleaning his fish and then came around the corner and cursed me for being on the pier. Told me I had no business taking photographs of the birds. That I had no right to stand up for myself or the birds because they shit all over the deck.
I attempted to explain I paid the fee to walk on the pier like he did…it didn’t matter. I also reminded him that I wasn’t feeding the birds and I had seen him toss fish remnants overboard where pelicans promptly flew for their meal. He blasted me with hate and words as he had done the pelicans with yelling and blasts of water.
Teacher number three
ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! I wanted to scream. But finally I just looked at him like he had lost his mind and didn’t say anything. And I continued to breathe and stay as focused as possible.
Advanced teacher
Today while SUP boarding I thought back to the encounters and pondered the entire lesson the pelicans were teaching me. What I resonated to so perfectly was the simple beauty of every movement, the peaceful quiet of the pelican world. I smiled at their squabbles over gifted fish and enjoyed the soft passes of their wings on my legs or hands as they opened them to fly off or argue over a fish. I haven’t felt that much peace in weeks and it was from letting go of thinking and just being and observing with an open mind.
If I look at the encounters with the two aggressive males from the point of view of a pelican, I notice two things. First, pelicans really don’t take it personally when humans are sometimes mean, abusive, and hateful. Second, they pop their bills a couple times at the offending party and forget about it.
Perhaps I just need to observe behavior that is abusive and angry and mean-spirited and not form judgments. Just notice it and carry on. But it is challenging when it is directed at innocent beings who are doing nothing but showing up for free food. It’s difficult to know how to balance observing passively and taking action.
Spread your wings, let it go
How does anger, aggressive behavior and meanness affect me…from the perspective of beginners mind? Really it doesn’t if I don’t take it personally. If I can simply observe and not take that aggression or anger inside of me, it has no affect at all. I can advocate for those who need protection but I don’t have to take the insanity of the offender personally. That would be rather silly.
Perhaps I passed the exam from my first official class. The bonus question? How does a pelican deal with humans who adore them and cherish them? Observe, breathe, go back to preening in the sun.
