Almost Dzogchen is designed to provide a Western Vajrayana Buddhist practicitioner view on what is happening out in my world. In no way should my views be considered those of someone who knows what I am talking about or should you consider me to know much about Dzogchen, Vajrayana Buddhism, or Buddhism at all. I am just slowly plodding along the path to Enlightenment.

Friday, December 23, 2005

The Object of My Attention

Wow!

So I finally got it today. I was listening to Diane Rhems program on the recap of the news for the last week. As I was listening to the recap and comments by the news correspondences, I think I finally asked the right question:

Why are we so focused on what is going on in Iraq?

Okay so the US wiped out their government. The US wiped out their infrastructure. The US opened up the country to civil conflict. This is a problem. But why are we here in the United States so focused on this ongoing conflict.

The world population is at about 6.58 billion. Iraq represents some 0.395% (about 26 million) of the world population. It’s a significant population but not worth some 80% of the news media and US government’s attention. What’s going on with the balance of the 99.605% of the world population. Are they doing okay?

So here it where it comes down. We focus on the “issue of the week.” Sometimes it is issue of the day. In this case, maybe it should be called issue of the year or maybe issue of this presidency. It the long run this is just a blip in the world history as well as the history of the US.

I realize that there are US troops in Iraq. I realize that it is going to be very difficult to figure out how our government is going to get out of there….especially because I am sure that the planners cannot figure out what we are doing there now. Afterall, the US government took out their government. Now the country is going through the process to work through internal issues between various groups who want to protect there own interests.

I do not think that the United States can solve their problems. Maybe we can keep the hostility down. Maybe not.

So I think that I will stop listening to reports of this matter. It is a waste of my time to think any further on this matter. There are far greater issues for me to be focus. That will include all 6.58 billion human beings and countless numbers of animals and other beings in this Universe.

Bottom line for me is choose what I pay attention to and not permit the story of the day to control my thinking and focus.

Many Dharma Blessings,

Geoff

posted by Dorje Geoff at 9:42 PM