the Olympics come to china in under two weeks (the above graphic is old, but from right up the street from my flat). its kinda a big deal. i dont know what the atmosphere has been like in the states of late, but i can tell you that it is a hot topic in the Tibetan section of dharamsala, india, home to the dali lama. i have met quite a few monks, Tibetans, Indians, fellow travelers and others who gravitate towards sharing their view on the issue. things have ranged from utter hatred for china, all the way to feelings of insult from the world community for what the Olympics stand for: peace and global participation.
every corner in dharamsala is covered in posters condemning the Chinese and encouraging a boycott of the upcoming games. and why not? china has killed thousands, ruined the culture of one of our most preserved spiritual nations, displaced thousands, turned Lhasa into Disneyland China, and spread misinformation about the dali lama and culture in general. Tibetans in exile have been away from home longer than they were there. the traditions are dying, the youth have no sense of roots and the Maoist communist machine is preaching its "religion is poison" rhetoric till the water Buffalo come home. its sad.
on the other hand, china is so poised to look good on the global stage that the games have made them reconsider some of their environmental policies and attempt to try to 'green' Beijing. this may be mostly a farce in attempt to con the world into thinking that they have altruistic intentions about environmental code, but none the less it has produced results including the removal of millions of cars from the streets of the capital city. it wont last most likely, but its a step.
these games come at a crucial time in the history of our modern world. there are real forces in conflict right now and many of the old ways seem to be dying. there is a revitalization in knowledge and understating, there is a grassroots effort on many fronts pushing for a better tomorrow, there are policies in the mix that could change our world. but as unenlightened creatures die, they always struggle the hardest to hold on. we are witnessing that with oil companies, the record industry, the bush administration and forces of evil everywhere. they are losing ground and are fighting back with a vengeance as often as they can.
when i look to china, i see them on the offensive so hard that there is no system to check them. the world at large fears china, and they own so much of the US's economic interests that we would never say anything directly to them. they are in danger of leaping ahead and yet learning nothing from the mistakes of the industrialized nations that came before. they are beginning to consume culture, even destroy other's cultures, on a rapid and uncontrolled pace like never before.
then the Olympics come. the spotlights turn on china and people begin talking. people protest the torch. leaders say that will skip opening ceremonies. Tibetans envision a return home after china breaks under the pressure.
and yet, i see nothing changing. all the countries of the world attempt to hide from their own mistakes by pointing the country that has made more than them. China have become the scapegoat for climate change and seemingly absolve us from our responsibility. they pretend to have talks with the dali lama's envoy, but nothing seems to be changing.
so what do we do? (besides not shopping at wal-mart)
i was talking to a tibetan buddhist monk about this very situation. he became quite heated as the discussion began and i played devils advocate to extract his entire view. he was borderline angry when we discussed him fleeing the country 40 years ago through the mountains, or his family being killed, or friends being jailed, or the fact that he cant travel to any other country because of his refugee status, or his sentiments for monks that get beaten in the streets, or that young Tibetans will not know their heritage, or that.... and yet when i asked him how he FELT about it, he said: "well actually, i am HAPPY!!" smiling and laughing as if to shake away the contempt that was ALMOST present in his voice during our previous dialogue. he giggled i understood that no matter what anyone does, this monk can always retreat to the place where we are all one, nothing is undone and bliss penetrates every pore. it was a powerful moment.
we cant change the past. we cant control the present. we cant predict the future. but we can always change the way we relate to everything and we can always find shelter somewhere.
as we move forward trying create and manifest a culture and world that plays by rules that are fair, loving, creative and just, always remember there is a place to go when the going gets tough. i will see you there. love to you all from india.
