Portent of the Eagle

The truth is that none of our hands are clean. We all are guilty. We are a part of the culture that breeds corporate oligarchs and the consumers who relish their products. I think that if we lose sight of our complicity then we will become self-righteous. But if we realize that we all play a part in this culture then we can have compassion for those who might be more formidably held in its grip.

For me, Buddhism strikes a nice balance between indulgence and withdrawal. Just as in our practice, we are aware of moments that rise and pass on, acknowledging them and then letting them work themselves away.

So too in the public sphere, it is important to acknowledge wrongs and questionable activities in the public eye. In this way the public is made aware of where their actions are leading, and as a whole our society can debate the issues and realize the consequences as the learning experiences that they are. In this way we know what we are doing, can evaluate the activities against the supposed merits and try new options if necessary.

However if that public scrutiny link is broken, as it seems to be in this culture, then the process I outlined above does not act. If instead we are more informed about entertainments, sports, and celebrities by our media information outlets, then the whole of society loses the real picture of here and now.

In my opinion, the situation has become so lopsided that an honest expose of all our current indebtedness to the wrongs that we ignorantly inflict upon our fellow citizens of the world (and the planet itself) would be too much for our society to bear at once. So perhaps a catharsis will be generated in another way.