pre-birthday introspection

i turn 32 tomorrow. i present to us my pre-birthday introspection, brought to you in part by Dalai Lama Renaissance, a documentary i saw last night and several other books to be discussed... settle in. ;)

i did not know that on the annual March 10th anniversary of his escape from the Chinese occupation of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama (HHDL for short) issues a "March 10 Statement." yesterday marked the 50th anniversary... here i was unknowingly on the anniversary watching his visage on the screen... and on a full moon to boot. no coincidences, remember?

a pause for March 10th consideration. HHDL fled his Tibetan compound at the age of 24 (?) under cover of night, dressed like a soldier. he trekked for 3 weeks through the mountains to India, hoping they would grant he & his entourage amnesty. he found refuge in dharamsala, india here:


















wow.

i recall reading something last week about meditating in such landscape... along the lines of such vastness in the physical landscape, mountains & endless sky, makes it easy to find the vastness of the Divine that resides within. double wow.

an excerpt from this year's HHDL March 10th statement - emphasis mine:

"I always say that we should hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. Whether we look at it from the global perspective or in the context of events in China, there are reasons for us to hope for a quick resolution of the issue of Tibet. However, we must also prepare ourselves well in case the Tibetan struggle goes on for a long time. " - HHDL, March 9, 2009

the man has lived the past 50 years in exile and he is preparing for it to last 'for a long time.' amazing.

i remember being younger and ignoring the Free Tibet stickers i saw, because what could i, as an American, hope to influence? i think the Chinese brutality has gotten more extensive global coverage lately and i personally have a greater understanding of what's happening, but still, what can i hope to influence?

3 words

Made In China

oh.

conscious consumerism - there is something i can do.

so back to the movie - premise is HHDL convenes 40 of the world's greatest thinkers to 'solve the problems facing the world.' when assembled, he explains that the biggest problem facing humanity today is lack of value for human life. coming from the man who when asked if the Chinese make him angry answers "sometime, little angry" and who i've witnessed greet every single human being w/ the same level of interest, respect, and pleasure, i was floored to hear him speak directly to Americans regarding "why do you think that every year you must make more money?," reminding that our rampant consumerism & increasing wealth continues to deplete resources & money for other people around the globe. his pointing out that we MUST have a responsibility to future generations for our present actions soothed my conscience. (meaning defined: i think about this. i feel crazy for thinking about this. kindred soul. *big sigh*)

interestingly enough, when a participant suggests HHDL request a global trade sanction with China, he refuses the idea, citing that he does not wish to impose economic hardship on the citizens of China. triple wow.

he definitely has an continued impact on me & at least for a short-time, reinstates my ability to look at everyone equally & cease the automatic judgements.

i was drawn to a book written by one of the participants called Your Money or Your Life so i went & found it on my lunch hour - along w/ travel books for Italy & Bali. Eat, Pray, Love Tour '09? i think its just the information i need to balance the financial opinions im currently re-evaluating about the work i want to do, how i want to make a "living," how much money and how many things i truly need, etc.

when i encountered a psychic at age 18, she told me that i would never have a lot of money, but i would always have just enough. that was fine by me then. did my opinion change? when? why?

thoughts bred from all this: perhaps this economic recession is a symptom of a disease - and we wont get better by treating the symptom. we have known for some time that our economic model is not sustainable & gov't injections will only prolong the natural course of things. my children will likely not grow up with the same economic status quo i did, w/ the same expectations for a degree, career, house, 2-car garage, 2.5 kids, get a new one at walmart-mentality, that i did. and i think that's good & nec'y - but it's going to be uncomfortable change. and one that we need to stay flexible to survive - on all levels.

my desire to travel is a need to expand my understanding beyond America... how do other cultures deal with this, plan for their future careers & retirement accounts? i dont think US stock market trends are helpful anymore. we've never seen this before. and short of another dot com invention (in which the US would likely be surpassed by China & India talents anyways), we've got to look for another solution.

what is the answer? a global economic model? is that too utopian? or too marxist?

i also stopped at a book store to see about getting my Floridian friend Dan an autographed book for his collection. i was handed "Your Erroneous Zones" autographed by the author Wayne Dyer. (sorry Dan, i'm keeping this one...) dated 4/1/76, my spiritual birthday a year before i was born, and inscribed telling the previous owner to "Be Here Now!, - Wayne W. Dyer" the title of another book that i can honestly say "changed my life," the synchronicity was apparent. im now thinking i have plenty of literary help on hand to aid in my transition. interestingly enough, paging thru Dyer's book, published in 1976, i chuckled to notice his concern over the national economy & hope that the President would make it all better.

as i think of reading for the answers, im again reminded that if i would just let myself sit silently for awhile, i have all the answers i need within.

this year, i wish for wellness, stillness, love, and "enough money."
"god bless me." - paramahamsa prajnananda
c.