Thursday, December 17, 2015

End of a Surreal Year



Earthquakes, floods, landslides, political messiness... Three very dear women taken from us... two so suddenly that it left most of us gasping... And yet, I now have a permanent visa, we have a permanent home in a lovely city, and as the year ends, our son is about to present us with a grandchild.

I am even more confirmed that all of us are afraid, afraid for our lives, afraid for our fragile and corrupt crumbling environments and infrastructures, and the political and social institutions that seem to be incapable of resolving the problems that threaten to engulf us all. So many are afraid that we are loosing the gains that we worked so hard to achieve. I see that. 

And yet...

And yet, I see so many people rising out of this morass... Most notably, my team in Nepal, they lost hundreds of friends, neighbors, family members and colleagues and yet are thriving... producing research, checking in every day or so... all of this when the political situation there is impossible. I see my students, colleagues and family members here in Brasil that despite the rancor, and hateful dialogue, hug you, reach out, open the door, say hello... I am grateful to my amigos in the States who check in and share their jokes and love. I am deeply grateful and honored to call you all friends, family, amigos!

What these trips and living abroad have shown us is how now more than ever, just how very fragile everything is, and yet at the same time, this fragility gives us the opportunity to see in people we meet, such grace, such talent, such strength, such light!  I am absolutely sure that we are all one people. That we have so much, much, much more in common than what we perceive, as are our curious differences. 

This year, more than ever, has shown us just how fragile things are, yet it is this light, that seems to shine in each one of us, that allows us to give our humanity a chance. It is the hundred little simple things we can all do to fight back, to not give into the darkness, that gives us our humanity... opening a door, picking up some liter, greeting your neighbors, showing up on time, giving a seat to someone else on the bus, saying hello and smiling to everyone... 

This is one of the best forms of protest, and the best way I know that keeps the darkness at bay.  Each small act can and will become a butterfly effect…



Daniel Orey, Ph.D.

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 17/12/2015

“É de grande valia ampliar a percepção para tomar consciência do que te isola do outro. Você perceberá que por trás da separação existe julgamento, comparação e uma série de crenças que fazem com que você se proteja e se mantenha isolado. Vá olhando para tudo isso, mas procure ir mais fundo: encontre o núcleo, a origem dessa crenças, pois isso é o que te impede de se unir – ao outro e ao seu próprio coração. Quando toca esse núcleo, você tem a chance de virar uma chave e de transformar completamente a sua vida.”

“Es de gran valor ampliar la percepción para tomar conciencia de lo que te aísladel otro. Te darás cuentade que por detrás de la separación existe juicio, comparación y una serie de creencias que hacen que te protejas y te mantengas aislado. Anda mirando todo esto, pero trata de ir más profundo: encuentra el núcleo, el origen de estas creencias, ya que esto es lo que te impide unirte, al otro y a tu propio corazón. Cuando tocas este núcleo, tienes la oportunidad de girar una llavey de transformar completamentetu vida.”

"It is of great value to expand our perception and become aware of what isolates us from the other. We may notice that behind the separation exists judgment, comparison and a series of beliefs that make us seek to protect ourselves and remain isolated. Continue to observe this, but try to go deeper: find the core, the origin of these beliefs, as this is what prevents us from uniting with each other and with our own hearts. When we tap into this core, we have a chance to turn the key and completely transform our lives."

Today's Daily Dharma: Teach by Example

Teach by Example
It is not by preaching or expounding the sutras (scriptures) that you fulfill the task of awakening others to self-realization; it is rather by the way you walk, the way you stand, the way you sit and the way you see things.
—Thich Nhat Hanh, "Walking: Meditation on the Move"
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