Maia, I love the title of the post which puts responsibility for change into our own hands. Thank you for this "medicine" and encouragement. It's just what we need right now.
Just put “A Force More Powerful” in my queue! Thank you. This is an affirming essay Maia, helping us to keep our focus on non-violent resistance—THE only way out of this chaos we’re in. The nonviolent aspect has to be all-inclusive—meaning nonviolent not only in our physical responses, but also in the language we use, the corporations we support (or don’t), how we show up and protest, and even what is in our heart. I’m not fully there yet, but friends like you are helping me. Thank you!
It's really a fantastic documentary, Kert. So is Pray the Devil Back to Hell... in some ways I like that one even more, and it's more contemporary.
I don't know if you noticed, but one of the revolutions on that list actually wasn't technically 'non violent" -- the Pueblo Revolt. I used to be pretty dogmatic about resistance absolutely needing to be non-violent. Learning about the Pueblo Revolt, though, I have come to understand that there may be causes and conditions that make other modes of resistance the appropriate response. And also, we don't walk in other peoples' shoes, so it's not up to us to hold judgement on the kind of resistance they are expressing.
I so agree, AND I also struggle with this! It’s also what makes the human predicaments we find ourselves in so complex (duh, sorry for being Captain Obvious there). Given human frailty, I do not see where humans will ever be able to eliminate violence against fellow humans. But I can still act like we can. Like one of the Elders says in the trailer to A Force More Powerful: “Violence has one very simple dynamic, ‘I make you suffer more than I suffer.’ THAT’s what a war is. The difference with nonviolence is, we don’t want to beat the opponent up; we don’t think that does any good.” MLK Jr. said something like: “Any ability you have to inflict pain will be far surpassed by our ability to endure it.” Humans, in general, cannot let go of lingering violence that has or is being perpetrated against. Hence, generational trauma and never-ending war. And yet we have examples like Gandhi, Mandela, and Bishop Tutu (I love studying the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s efforts). If violence stays in the equation, when does it end? And it’s not lost on me that I live on the unceded land of the indigenous Salish Peoples.
UPDATE: Finished the article. It’s extraordinary, and yet still paradoxical. “The Buddhist world is racked with violence and it has never been more important to understand Buddhist ethics. These include never acting in anger; exhausting alternatives such as negotiation; striving to capture the enemy alive; avoiding destruction of infrastructure and the environment; and taking responsibility for how one's actions and exploitation cause enemies to arise. They also emphasise the great psychic danger to those who act violently, something we see in the large number of suicides among youth sent to these wars. Above all, rather than "national self-interest", the guiding motivation should be compassion.” Can you imagine our world if we had more leaders aspire to these ethics? And DAMMIT if it shouldn’t be so hard.
The paradox is the slippery slope of “compassionate killing.” Wow! Justified killing that comes from a compassionate heart, without anger, that serves to benefit a greater good, is considered non-violent. Under this administration, that slope is slicker than warm snot on an ice-covered slanted rooftop, while wearing bowling shoes. (Sorry for the visual.) I’d believe His Holiness if he were to have killed compassionately; I wouldn’t believe DJT if he started to say that’s exactly what he’s gonna do, down there on Fifth Avenue (or Pennsylvania Ave for that matter). Did Luigi Mangioni kill compassionately? 🤔
Human 101–tough course. Must be Advanced Placement.
Well right, set and setting are everything. HHDL and kalpas of practice to understand what it might mean to compassionately take a life vs DJT's stew of greed, delusion and hatred. Hmmmm. I'll take the first.
Yeah, me too. Too bad HHDL can’t be President. This country initially had a tough time nominating a Catholic JFK; can you imagine a Buddhist candidate?
Such a lovely response, and unexpected. You have honored me by keeping this on your heart. Thank you Maia. This being human is hard. I guess if it were easy, other animals would want to be human too. And I don’t think many want that. So like Ram Dass was taught: “You are a human sent here to earth to go to school. Why don’t you take the curriculum?”, all these difficulties are a part of the Human 101 curriculum. (I tried to audit the course many times, turns out no one lets you do that).
I will read the article you linked later tonight. Thank you for that as well. One thing I am so grateful for, in this space where I’ve met so many kindred spirits, is when THEY offer additional words, teachings (videos or articles), I know, through trust, they know what would interest me—cause me to think, learn, and grow. 🙏🏼 Namaste, my friend. And as always, hugs to Lucy. I’m looking forward to your post tomorrow—I’m so tuned in to anything authentically indigenous and Native to place.
Those are all really good questions, Kert. I didn't respond to your comment right away because I've been sitting with it. It's not at all like this is an argument and there's either 'this way' or 'that way.' I keep returning to that old Zen question -- what is the appropriate response? This is an interesting article:
In the case of the Pueblo people here, several have observed that the vibrant Pueblo culture that exists in NM now wouldn't be here if not for the Pueblo Revolt. With so much in the balance, and all other alternatives exhausted, I can begin to understand how their militant response in 1680 was perhaps necessary. And I wonder if there are ways of clearing that karma... ways that have perhaps already been put in motion, given how mindfully they have cared for this land and for the people who live here.
Maia, I love the title of the post which puts responsibility for change into our own hands. Thank you for this "medicine" and encouragement. It's just what we need right now.
Inspiring films, song.
Collective power turns tides.
May the people rule.
yes, may the people rule, with compassion.
Just put “A Force More Powerful” in my queue! Thank you. This is an affirming essay Maia, helping us to keep our focus on non-violent resistance—THE only way out of this chaos we’re in. The nonviolent aspect has to be all-inclusive—meaning nonviolent not only in our physical responses, but also in the language we use, the corporations we support (or don’t), how we show up and protest, and even what is in our heart. I’m not fully there yet, but friends like you are helping me. Thank you!
It's really a fantastic documentary, Kert. So is Pray the Devil Back to Hell... in some ways I like that one even more, and it's more contemporary.
I don't know if you noticed, but one of the revolutions on that list actually wasn't technically 'non violent" -- the Pueblo Revolt. I used to be pretty dogmatic about resistance absolutely needing to be non-violent. Learning about the Pueblo Revolt, though, I have come to understand that there may be causes and conditions that make other modes of resistance the appropriate response. And also, we don't walk in other peoples' shoes, so it's not up to us to hold judgement on the kind of resistance they are expressing.
I so agree, AND I also struggle with this! It’s also what makes the human predicaments we find ourselves in so complex (duh, sorry for being Captain Obvious there). Given human frailty, I do not see where humans will ever be able to eliminate violence against fellow humans. But I can still act like we can. Like one of the Elders says in the trailer to A Force More Powerful: “Violence has one very simple dynamic, ‘I make you suffer more than I suffer.’ THAT’s what a war is. The difference with nonviolence is, we don’t want to beat the opponent up; we don’t think that does any good.” MLK Jr. said something like: “Any ability you have to inflict pain will be far surpassed by our ability to endure it.” Humans, in general, cannot let go of lingering violence that has or is being perpetrated against. Hence, generational trauma and never-ending war. And yet we have examples like Gandhi, Mandela, and Bishop Tutu (I love studying the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s efforts). If violence stays in the equation, when does it end? And it’s not lost on me that I live on the unceded land of the indigenous Salish Peoples.
UPDATE: Finished the article. It’s extraordinary, and yet still paradoxical. “The Buddhist world is racked with violence and it has never been more important to understand Buddhist ethics. These include never acting in anger; exhausting alternatives such as negotiation; striving to capture the enemy alive; avoiding destruction of infrastructure and the environment; and taking responsibility for how one's actions and exploitation cause enemies to arise. They also emphasise the great psychic danger to those who act violently, something we see in the large number of suicides among youth sent to these wars. Above all, rather than "national self-interest", the guiding motivation should be compassion.” Can you imagine our world if we had more leaders aspire to these ethics? And DAMMIT if it shouldn’t be so hard.
The paradox is the slippery slope of “compassionate killing.” Wow! Justified killing that comes from a compassionate heart, without anger, that serves to benefit a greater good, is considered non-violent. Under this administration, that slope is slicker than warm snot on an ice-covered slanted rooftop, while wearing bowling shoes. (Sorry for the visual.) I’d believe His Holiness if he were to have killed compassionately; I wouldn’t believe DJT if he started to say that’s exactly what he’s gonna do, down there on Fifth Avenue (or Pennsylvania Ave for that matter). Did Luigi Mangioni kill compassionately? 🤔
Human 101–tough course. Must be Advanced Placement.
Well right, set and setting are everything. HHDL and kalpas of practice to understand what it might mean to compassionately take a life vs DJT's stew of greed, delusion and hatred. Hmmmm. I'll take the first.
Yeah, me too. Too bad HHDL can’t be President. This country initially had a tough time nominating a Catholic JFK; can you imagine a Buddhist candidate?
Such a lovely response, and unexpected. You have honored me by keeping this on your heart. Thank you Maia. This being human is hard. I guess if it were easy, other animals would want to be human too. And I don’t think many want that. So like Ram Dass was taught: “You are a human sent here to earth to go to school. Why don’t you take the curriculum?”, all these difficulties are a part of the Human 101 curriculum. (I tried to audit the course many times, turns out no one lets you do that).
I will read the article you linked later tonight. Thank you for that as well. One thing I am so grateful for, in this space where I’ve met so many kindred spirits, is when THEY offer additional words, teachings (videos or articles), I know, through trust, they know what would interest me—cause me to think, learn, and grow. 🙏🏼 Namaste, my friend. And as always, hugs to Lucy. I’m looking forward to your post tomorrow—I’m so tuned in to anything authentically indigenous and Native to place.
Those are all really good questions, Kert. I didn't respond to your comment right away because I've been sitting with it. It's not at all like this is an argument and there's either 'this way' or 'that way.' I keep returning to that old Zen question -- what is the appropriate response? This is an interesting article:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/may/11/buddhism-bin-laden-death-dalai-lama
In the case of the Pueblo people here, several have observed that the vibrant Pueblo culture that exists in NM now wouldn't be here if not for the Pueblo Revolt. With so much in the balance, and all other alternatives exhausted, I can begin to understand how their militant response in 1680 was perhaps necessary. And I wonder if there are ways of clearing that karma... ways that have perhaps already been put in motion, given how mindfully they have cared for this land and for the people who live here.
Love this Maia - thank you.
- Tracy
Thanks, Tracy!
So wonderful to have a treasure trove of powerful voices like this - and huge thanks in particular for that amazing video with Patti Smith!
Thanks, Janie! Feel free to share it. I'm guessing most of us can use something like this right now.
Thank you, Maia, for these resources, none of which I had ever heard of.
Oh that's great, Sharyn! I hope you find these resources useful in your own journey of resistance, or whatever you may call it. May you be well.