|
The Quest Sometimes you just have to do something, don't you? Sometimes an injustice comes along and you think, 'No, this cannot be," and - rather than just sigh, switch off the TV, or throw away the newspaper one more time - you know it's time to act. If you or I decide to take an action for a cause beyond ourselves, one in which we have no historical reason to become involved, will we be greeted with cynicism and become a laughing stock? Perhaps. But I enjoy making people laugh. So that's the first problem solved. It doesn't matter what the injustice is that's got you hopping about. It could be the war in the Middle East, or drug addiction in your neighborhood - it's all the same. It's making a difference I'm playing with here. And I know these are serious topics, but I say "playing with" on purpose because I believe joy has to be a part of it. I want to be persistently joyful and joyfully persistent, even with the most difficult of tasks, because we have a limited number of heartbeats left. I believe that it's OK to want to make a difference and have fun... as you'll see. I look around the world and what I see is so bad that I'm not the only one who wants to do something. What can you and I do about the 'war on terror'? I'll tell you: We can observe that terror is not the way we want to go. So we ask, 'Who is the world's most leading proponent of nonviolence?" Most people when asked this question say, "The Dalai Lama." He asks for what he wants for Tibetans but insists on active non-violence. He's the man for me. Why are we ignoring the sanest voice on the planet? And can one crazy, misguided woman who lives on Battersea Park Road in London do anything about it? For many years I have carried with me the famous serenity prayer: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can't change This will be my guide. So here is my quest. To understand the prayer - to learn to have just a small amount of serenity courage, and wisdom. And perhaps to change the world. |