climate change and the dhammapada.
put two totally incongruous things together and its often the way to get a laugh or a change in conversation..
in the past couple of days there has been talk about emmissions reductions plans .. 17% or something in the usa. some people say its not going to make much of a difference.. the debate is probably just more hot air.
as for the dhammapada….
the sorry truth is that noone much knows what the dhammapada is.. let alone practices much of what it says. that much at least it has in common with environmentalism. few really put into practice what it is saying.
the dhammapada is the central text of the Buddhist religion.. not the theory .. that is more Mahayana.. the dhammapada is more like the gospel… it is the practice.
its like the difference between actually being a decent person (even when you don’t feel like it) to an argument about how many melting ice caps it takes to make a climate change.
that’s not to say that the dhammapada doesn’t contain keys to philosophy. it does. it just brings it down to earth. earth.. you know..?? that place where people live. if you haven’t had a good look at it recently then its def. time.
which brings us to the environment, a topic of political-economy.
the environment is a public asset. a public good. in strict economic terms.. in more philosophical terms it is a temple for the vital life of the planet. that is .. you, me, everyone.. even the people who work in exxon.
it seems that everyone is so distracted by trivia that we lose sight of the true wealth that is our birthright… the happiness that comes from a breath of fresh air. . a cup of clean water.. delicious (organic) food etc.
it is the age-old problem of glamour. :sigh:
um.. wake up!
if people thought realistically about it they would fight for their right to a clean environment with more zealotry than they would fight for what is in their bank account if you tried to take it away( assuming of course that there is anything in it). That is if people were for real.
lets face it.. it is a measure of human delusion that the planet has become a poisonous shithole that is becoming less habitable every day.
many consider it a virtue to fight to destroy the planet. (i'm serious) .. the day they realize that they have been so diddled out of their true gold will not be happy.
it is sheer luck that the regenerative forces of nature are so potent that mankind still has a chance. if we are to believe some scientists, these chances maybe fading. I think the day is coming.
if anyone needs statistics on climate change there are places to look..
but all you have to do is check any of the major rivers in the world.. (or one near you.) would you drink out of any of them? you would have to have your head read.
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