Mother Nature Did Not Discriminate

Mother Nature Did Not Discriminate

One of the things about living in multi – cultural and

free societies such as the United States is that we

have the opportunity to see people from different

countries, ethnic groups, races and religions

together.

Sometimes older immigrants who originally settled in

America resent or fear this. And sometimes newer

immigrants tend to stay together as they come to live

in America and build communities there.

When one lives in another country, especially one in

Asia, one is more likely to be exposed to one ethnic

group.

One is also very likely to be exposed to the phenomena

where people see their country, religion, and ethnic

group as somehow being superior or better then the

people in a neighboring country.

This can be somewhat disturbing to notice and seems to

be especially odd when most of the people in these

countries consider themselves to be Buddhists.

It has often been said that Buddhism, just as it is

said about Islam, has been able to go into a number of countries and become part of the cultural landscape

there, though a closer examination of both how Buddhism is understood and practiced and how the people act,

makes one wonder if Buddhism has in reality been grossly weakened and become more a form of idol

worship with some social status attached to it, instead of being a system of mental, verbal and physical actions

deigned to uplift oneself, others and the community and world as a whole.

We as human beings in any country are most likely to

see only our own feelings and desires and many times

disregard or belittle the lives, feelings and desires

of others.

Living in Thailand one sees a peculiar kind of ethnic

identity as Thailand has never been colonized which

makes the Thais think that they are somehow special,

unique or better then the ethnic groups of the

neighboring countries which were colonized.

In Thailand, we seldom will hear Thais talk about with interest, respect or admiration the events and peoples of

neighboring countries.

In addition, if one does mention such feelings about

the people of Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar

(Burma), the Thais are likely to feel awkward or

uncomfortable with it.

Of course, even in multi – cultural societies such as

the United States, people may think that their race or

ethnic group is somehow superior or better then

another’s.

In fact, the history of the U.S. shows us that it has

a history of conflict between races and ethnic groups,

on both a small and large scale.

If we can see beyond our own life and the box that we

live in, we can see and understand that the sun rises

and sets on all people and that the air is equally

able to be breathed in all places.

The things that we can do with our mind, words and

body are also the same throughout the world.

Here in Asia, we have seen recently in the saddest and

most devastating way how mother nature does not

discriminate.

Thousands are dead as a result of the same force of

nature, that being an earthquake and the resulting

tidal wave that was generated by it.

Poor Indians, Sri Lankans, Indonesians, and Burmese

have been killed just as have wealthy tourists and

travelers from a number of countries, such a America,

Austria, Finland, Canada, and Australia, among others.

When mother nature unleashes one of her forces that is

so horrible to think about and experience, such as an earthquake and tidal wave or one of her daily awe

inspiring and healthy gifts which we are so used to that we sometimes forget about or do not fully appreciate,

such as the sun and air, there is absolutely no discrimination about how it is bestowed and experienced by

mankind.

Maybe when we are living comfortable and secure lives,

we are less likely to see the suffering and pain of

others, but when we see how mother nature can treat us

all equally in such a deadly fashion, we put aside our prejudices, see things differently and do what is right.

Yoga and Buddhism teach us to be more in tune with

mother nature and each other.

They teach us this by making us mindful about how the defilements and hindrances are part of all people, just

as the Sattvic energy of purity and harmony and the factors of enlightenment are also a part of all people.

They also teach us that all can practice these

disciplines and gain benefits from them.

We all seem to benefit from the feeling of reflection

and humility when we are humbled by mother nature.

We start to see that there are forces and energies

much greater then our own.

In such an experience, we should be better able to see

the common humanity, with its joys and confusion, and

suffering and desire, of all mankind.

(John lives and teaches in Bangkok, Thailand. He can

be reached at johnckimbrough@yahoo.com)