Some Thoughts on the Earthquake in Sichuan

I hope you will all continue to try and find ways to help out the Earthquake victims in Sichuan, the numbers still continue to climb and the rebuilding in the province will require a tremendous amount of help and money.  Jet Li is taking his money and manpower right to the site of the earthquake.....good job, and best of luck!!   While everyone is trying to help out and raise money you find that too often the news and especially Americans have such a self righteous view of things.........Sharon Stone, I'm sure you heard of her,.....said in an interview that China is just paying for it's karma because of it's human rights record..........thanks for nothing........so we should surmise perhaps that New York City deserved 9/11........because of US role in the Middle East..................no one deserves these tragedies..............this is not a case of right or wrong......just death and suffering.......a most unfortunate event that requires those with humanity step foward and help.   It's the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Sharon....stick to making movies......too many Hollywood actors think they are activist and know what's going on!  You haven't even been to any of the places you are talking about and have no idea what's going on in the world!!  It's also interesting to note how many reporters have said that natural disasters in China have always signaled a fall of a dynasty............boy is that wishful thinking!!  This is a time to come together as a world community, the world is not that big.  But Americans being the way they are, often only see things in two ways....you are wrong and I am right.   During, our fund raising event.......one of the performing groups raised the Free Tibet Chant........again, very inappropriate.....but again only seeing things in black and white.

The Taoist point out that this is reductive dualist thinking........dividing things into only two alternatives..................it can never unite anyone, or bring peace in the world.  Nothing is so simplistic.........the friends of Tibet and Darfur....forget that that China was a friend of Africa long before the United States....when the US was supporting Apartheid in South Africa, China was building hospitals, schools, and railroads in Africa......these projects were free...China collected no funds but did it to help the people of Africa........China's policy though has always been not to meddle in the internal politics of the countries it helps.....unlike the American US policy.......who is big brother always telling everyone how they should run their country.   Most of those who are jumping on the Tibet bandwagon have never been there to look at the conditions or even realize that most of the population of Tibet is now Chinese...........so it's not an easy task to figure out what to do. Yes, the government has been repressive...but this problem the two parties will have to figure out...........Even the Dalai Lama has already said he is not for an independent Tibet, but does want religious freedom....and that  in this time of tragedy the task is to  help  and pray for those who are suffering..............Nothing is, either or, my country vs. your country, my religion vs. yours, straight vs gay, rich vs poor.......if we continue into the future thinking this way we will never learn to listen and cooperate...and fail to see what is important.  Politics have no meaning or use when people are suffering..........it has nothing to offer only hot air.............it is a facade to hide behind.........if you must criticize just give this some thought.........the US  is spending a billion a day to fight a war,  we are fighting  wars to bring democracy to the Muslim World who would rather we left......... and at home 1 out of every 100 persons in the US is in prison, we spend more money for prisons than we do for schools,  we are the richest country in the world yet we have a very large homeless population......we are one of the biggest polluters in the world, each person in the US uses more energy than anyone else in the world.......seems to me US has lots to take care of and should point it's big fat finger at itself!  Everyone has problems, we cannot change them if we don't work together.....as we can see from recent indications that the way we live is radically changing the world we live in.....global warming is not the dream of some leftist scientist.........even Bush has had to acknowledge that it may be real!!  To the Taoist there is only one moment that is important.....that is now!   Criticizing and laying blame will not bring unity or harmony.  The past is gone and the future has not arrived...we can change the world we live in if we all work together!! 

Live long and prosper!