We’re all dreaming of India. Not that we haven’t enjoyed our
time in Salleri, but I’m sure Su has covered most of the physical challenges and
frustrations. We’ve encountered so much hospitality and met so many wonderful
people. I’ve enjoyed exploring for kilometers around the rarely used dirt roads
and trails, always delighted by the peacefulness, the hardy self-sufficiency of
the rural Nepalese, and by the countless shrines and stupas. Making offerings,
prayer, and honoring Buddha and the gods are an integral part of daily life. We
took Vincent up to the Everest lookout, but there were clouds blowing up from
the next valley and obscuring the view. We waited for a while, and were
rewarded with a few peeks as the clouds occasionally thinned. After a few obligatory
photos, we descended to the little rustic teahouse on the saddle of the ridge.
The clouds were flowing up and over the low point, reducing visibility to 100
meters and imparting the place with an eerie sense of isolation. If it hadn’t
been for the prayer flags, it would have been perfectly spooky. The children always provide my fondest
encounters, with their enthusiastic greetings, bright eyes and filthy clothes,
and the simple joys of childhood tomfoolery. Playing ‘marbles’ with rocks,
chasing hoops and broken wheels down the dusty road, past chickens and goats,
perfectly content with simple, pieced together toys.
Even though Vincent and I never had a chance
to volunteer at the monastery, we’ll still have some great memories. During yet
another visit to inquire about teaching, they assured us how much they
appreciate foreign teachers, but were simply too busy before the winter break.
We were invited back the next morning, for a ceremony that a very senior lama
was flying in by helicopter for. He was to bless the new stupa that has just
been built, and is still being painted. We skipped morning dhal bhaat to arrive
by the 8:00 ‘starting time’. We had tea, took some more pictures of the
monastery, and talked with a few people from the gathered crowd.
Suddenly…around 10:30, a red helicopter approached, coming in lower and lower,
the noise of the blades a stark contrast to the serenity of the setting.
Vincent was low on batteries for his camera, and so we were we waiting and
wondering where it was going to touch down. As we all stared up in
anticipation, a window on the right side
of the chopper opened, and a yellow bag jutted out into the wash of air, then a
hand started reaching in and dropping something, handful by handful. I’m still
not sure what it was, it blew away as soon as it was released, either marigold
blossoms or an orange powder. After one complete loop around the stupa, instead
of landing, the helicopter turned and flew away! Vincent and I looked at each
other with puzzled expressions on our faces, before breaking into hysterical
laughter. That was it?! A fly-by blessing; who would have thought?
I’ve been
researching some ashrams and yoga ‘hotspots’ in India. Since we’ll be leaving
Nepal earlier than we originally thought, we will have four months on the
sub-continent. This makes it possible to travel all the way to the far south,
where we can enjoy elephant parades, beaches, and some interesting ashrams.
There is even an international community of over 3000 people called Auroville,
which is supposed to be a model for sustainable living, devoted to the
continued evolution and unification of the human spirit. Along the way, we’ll
have the chance to take in some of the holiest sites and temples in India and
the world. If the timing works out, we may even help sea turtle hatchlings make
their way back to the sea, instead of being lured to their demise by the
headlights of a nearby highway. Travel in India can be exhausting, but the
rewards are certainly worth the effort. I
know I’m ready for some heat, and the challenges ahead.
I’ve devoured most
of the books that were weighing down my pack. Amy Tan’s ‘Hundred Secret Senses’
is a must read, insightful story of the paths we follow through our connections
with the past. ‘The Three Day Road’, by Joseph Boyden is not exactly uplifting,
but is an incredible tale about a Native hunter returning from the trenches of
WW I, contrasting the familiar and sometimes harsh traditional Cree lifestyle
with the brutal reality of war. Thanks for that one Herb! Also, I finally
brought myself to read ‘High Tide’, by Mark Lycas. A fascinating voyage that
tours the front lines of places being affected by climate change at the turn of
the millennium. Full of real world implications on the lives and the cultures impacted,
and backed up with the current science of the time. It’s a little depressing,
but illustrates the challenges we will all have to face in the near future.
Given the undeniable need to make drastic and sweeping changes to the way of
life we take for granted, I hold little hope of world governments achieving
anything approaching a timely and feasible solution. At this point, the global
economy is mired in debt, unable to even make the interest payments without adding
to the burden future generations will have to pay for. Corporations and the ultra-rich absolutely
refuse to consider the equal distribution of resources, valuing abstract
figures of ‘wealth’ over the health and wellbeing of the majority of humanity.
The era of plentiful and easily accessible energy, and the civilization built
around exploiting it, is increasingly short lived. Just as the unprecedented Roman Empire became
mired in excess and lack of decisive leadership, our system of global and
systematic overuse and outright destruction of the ecosystems necessary to
support the burgeoning populations, will fail the test of time. Humans are
already causing the sixth largest extinction in history of the planet. Nearly
all species are in decline, except for humans, and the few creatures adapted to
the urban environment. Some scientists estimate that at current rates, up to
half of all species will be extinct by 2100. We now live in the Anthropocene
Period…an era marked by catastrophic human impact on the global ecosystem.
I know…blah, blah, blah. Accepting the reality
of an unsustainable way of life is overwhelming. The irony of my own hypocrisy
is not lost on me. I’m as unprepared to give up the ability to travel as
anyone. I enjoy the freedom to visit friends and family, and to explore the
very places that are threatened, but still intact. The implications of making
significant change in our day to day lives are much more than most people are
willing to accept. For every person that decides to make an educated choice to
reduce their impact to a reasonable level, there are 5 billion more waiting in
line for a chance to enjoy a piece of ‘The American Dream’. The continuation of rapidly melting glaciers,
deforestation and pollution, is understandably, yet regrettably, unavoidable.
Developing countries are producing rapid growth of industry, vehicles and
population with every passing year, unchecked by any effective regulation or
foresight. Carbon emissions reach new highs every year as the ice melts, the
sea rises, floating islands of plastic collect in the oceans, and damaging
weather becomes commonplace. Even though
technologies are available that are cleaner, in rural Nepal, if your propane
stove breaks down, or fuel is unavailable or too expensive, wood always burns,
and it’s free. Most of the trees around here are stripped of all but the
highest branches, and wood smoke hangs acridly over the village. As oil stocks
become more expensive and difficult to extract, will dirty, yet plentiful coal
meet the increasing demands for energy? Any remotely feasible replacement for
our energy needs is decades from actual production and distribution, even
without considering the need to upgrade the aging infrastructure, and the
increasing damage\repair cycles caused by ‘extreme weather events’. How will we
run a fleet of electric cars, when high use of air-conditioners causes
blackouts now? The market driven economies depend on ‘consumers’ more than
‘communities’. How can oil and gas companies be making all time record profits,
while local governments go bankrupt? Why are hospitals, schools, and social
security programs struggling to provide the services we see as integral to an
advanced civilization? We have thrown the planet out of a long-standing
balance. Our efforts at mitigating the damage, and the hard won victories, are
miniscule compared to the actions and policies perpetuated by ‘economic
growth’. Constant growth, as required by capitalism, is simply impossible with
finite resources. A complete departure from our status quo values is necessary.
Ancient ‘tribal’ cultures had a vast knowledge of the energy systems linking
all life, and thrived by honoring their role as a part of that system. I have
absolute faith in the adaptability and determination of the human spirit. The
Mayans had acquired immense knowledge and power that we still can’t decipher,
but had predicted the end of an age and the beginning of another, as have many
esteemed sources over the ages. Matthew 5:5 - The meek shall inherit the Earth.
Our attachments to a dysfunctional culture will be the greatest challenge to
the evolution of the current generation. Will we flee from the proverbial Sodom
and Gomorrah, or gaze back longingly at the fleeting source of hedonistic over-indulgence?
I know that I sound cynical, but I’m actually
very optimistic. I envision an evolution, a return to a more symbiotic
relationship with our only real source of prosperity: respectful and
accountable community. Conflict usually stems from ignorance and fear. I hope
we can integrate the knowledge we’ve accumulated, proving that we are indeed
all brothers and sisters, sharing common needs, common ancestors, the same fresh
air and drinkable water. I know that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one…David
Choquehuanca, the Minister of External Affairs in Bolivia , explained that
Coca-Cola will be expelled from Bolivia on the same day that the Mayan calendar
enters a new cycle–December 21. According to Choquehuanca, “the date marks the
end of capitalism and the start of a culture of life in community-based
societies, an era marked by the end of hatred and the beginning of love. The
twenty-first of December 2012 is the end of selfishness, of division.”
I’ve definitely been
struggling with some yogic challenges, but I know that joy and contentment, and
the ability to make better choices on a daily basis, are always available if we
dedicate the time to knowing and honoring ourselves. Every single choice we
make has consequences, and requires a simple decision: Will this benefit the
greater good, or simply satisfy a selfish, short-sighted desire? What could be
more important for each of us, and those we love, than to make the effort to
become more aware of our true needs, our true self, and our place among all
life on Earth? That’s my two cents…
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