I'm hooked...

I have provided a link to a great article by Pema Chodron. It deals with a buddhist concept called "shenpa" which is a Tibetan word that describes that urge within us that hooks us (attaches us) and causes us to react in ways that we don't want to react. It is worth the time to read it.

How We Get Hooked and How We Get Unhooked

My initial reaction to this concept is that it resembles the Christian idea of recognizing sin or "sinful attitude" and confessing it. She even mentions another term called shenlok which means to turn that shenpa upside down. That sounds like the Christian concept of repentance which means to turn around and go the other way. The one thing that excited me about the Buddhist understanding of shenpa is that it focuses our attention on the part of us that gets hooked NOT so much on the actual result of being hooked. In Christianity we often focus on the results (sin or bad behavior) rather than focusing on the internal drive that hooked us in the first place. We often end up trying to solve the symptom rather than the root cause. Somehow it feels like this teaching about shenpa and shenlok is a better long term solution that doesn't leave us hooked in a cycle of sin, guilt, confession, sin, guilt, confession, etc. Also, as a modern person living in a post-enlightenment culture, it makes more sense to address the psychological issues that are underneath my own problems rather than using the excuse “the devil made me do it” and focusing on a supernatural solution or placing our hope in a solution in a supernatural after-life.

The Audacity of Hope...

Given the political atmosphere after the recent elections it made sense that I should read this book. The book is not at all what I was expecting. It is 2 parts the beginning of a promising political campaign, 1 part inspiration and affirmation of faith, and 3 parts political education for the masses. I think the educational material is the most helpful aspect of the book. In addition to a glimpse at life as a senator, it also contains important information about constitutional law and a good synopsis of political history and foreign policy in America over the last 100 years. I suspect that for many this may be "new" information and it should help educate many people about those topics. but it did become verbose at times. Since most of the political information in modern America is delivered by people like Rush Limbaugh and John Stewart whose aim is to con people into a state of despair and fury, it is a much needed breath of fresh air for someone to write such an informative book. It should help counter the culture of sound bytes, catch phrases, and partisan brain-washing.

My favorite story from the book is when Obama describes a conversation with Warren Buffet, the 2nd richest man in America. In the conversation Buffet comments that he can't understand why the Bush administration and republican led congress decided they would cut HIS taxes. He said that he didn't need a tax cut and that thanks to the Bush tax cuts now his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does. That should be an eye opener to everyone. Even the richest people on the planet realize they are reaping such great benefits of our government run economic system that they should chip in more than (or atleast as much as) the people that are not afforded access to the most lucrative areas of prosperity.

In review, the book could have been much shorter and still been just as effective, but it is an important book worth reading. I'm not sure about the political future of Barack Obama. I tend to agree with him on a vast majority of issues but I still don't get the feeling that I know him much better after reading this book. I wonder if he is someone that will have trouble letting the public understand him his complex personality and cultural history. I think this book was his attempt to flex his intellectual muscles in a public setting and prove his vast knowledge of America politics, the law, foreign policy, and his passion for the constitution. If that was his objective then he succeeded. If he wanted to sell himself as a viable candidate for president despite his lack of experience, then he stills has some work to do. Of course he still has 2 years to get that job done. Personally, I hope he can do it but he will need to prove that he can beat whoever the Republicans run against him before he will get my vote.

In our current state of divided and over-hyped partisanship, the most important thing that we all can do is READ BOOKS BY PEOPLE YOU DON'T AGREE WITH! If we all just sit around talking and listenting to people that have the same background and views then we will never progress and reach greater hieghts as a democracy. We need to reach out to other cultures and political philosophies so that we can learn and grow. You may be surprised to learn that Rush Limbaugh doesn't have a good grasp on the goals and motivations of liberals so he isn't the best person to explain their values. You may also learn that John Stewart and Bill Maher completely underestimate and trivialize what drives the heartland toward conservatism. Everyone needs to ask themselves if they really understand the motivations and objectives of political interests across the board. If we all just assume everyone that is not exactly like us has it all wrong then we will create deeply divided pockets of religious and political fundamentalism that will result in hate, bigotry, and chaos. You might say we are already there.

Home alone....

My wife is in Japan for another 2 weeks. So far I haven't been too lonely. I've had more time to lounge around the house, watch football, and read. She seems to be having fun. I was able to speak with her via instant messenger for a bit this morning (it was 11pm in japan).

She has been blogging and you can follow her adventures here...

http://leaptrott.edublogs.org

Votes are still being counted…

I've been getting jaded about politics, but today I feel a little better. The election results seem to offer a great sign of hope for anyone in America following the message of Jesus. The votes are still being counted but it seems like the values of Jesus may have a chance again in America. I don’t have much more faith in our government, but I at least now I have more faith in our people to use their brains and make a stand against corruption. Time will tell if changing the balance of power in congress will really make a big difference, but it was refreshing to know that our country still has hope for the future.

What has me excited is that it became clear in the election analysis that progressive views are beginning to spread within the Christian community as their views shift away from political oppression toward freedom and compassion. It seems possible now that people can believe in God and still actually listen to Jesus. All over the nation (except for where I live in the redneck saturated, KKK inflicted, uneducated south) Christians are reading their Bibles again and realizing that Jesus actually loves the poor and desires peace more than the economic prosperity of America. As a matter of fact, they are probably figuring out that the more we work for peace then the more prosperous we will become as a result. We no longer have to believe the lie that our prosperity depends on our domination and oppression of everyone else in the world. Egyptians believed the lie, Romans believed the lie, Germans believed the lie, and many people in America still believe the lie. At least now a small signal was sent that Americans will not stand by and be fed lies.

The message of Jesus states that the way of peace and non-violence is the way to the kingdom of God and the way of Empire is the way to destruction. For this brief moment, if feels like Americans are starting to listen to Jesus.

One caution I have to mention is that I still think people are voting for whatever political group or candidate helps themselves the most. I spent too much of my life with that attitude and I’ve had to repent of that selfishness. It seems possible that the anti-war shift is a result of the fact that people feel the war hurts them so they are against it now. Wouldn’t it be more Christ-like to offer dissent against war even if the war benefited you? I get the feeling that most Christians would still support killing if they felt it was benefiting them and the war was “winnable”. I guess that level of sacrifice is asking for too much so I’ll just be glad we have a shift in the tide for now and keep hope alive for a real shift in spirit down the road.