Seattle Public Schools is conducting an experiment of unprecedented scale, needlessly subjecting our children to WiFi (a practical and safe alternative is and has always been available in the form of wired networks), ignoring the growing body of evidence which urges caution.
Now that we are in the Christmas season – question the cultural message which tells us that we need to buy more stuff in order to be happy. Instead, consider spending more quiet inner time celebrating the simple things in life, like breathing, friendship, communion with nature. Once we start to unplug a little bit from our cultural conditioning, the truth naturally reveals itself, and this is the greatest gift of all.
Given the uncertainty over the long term effects of wi-fi, especially on children (this has never been studied), wouldn’t it make more sense if our the FCC and government regulatory agencies adopted a precautionary approach and required wired networks (instead of wireless) in schools, libraries and public places, until long term epidemiological research has determined it is safe?
Our world is in uncharted territory. But of course, that is where it has always been – the forces of destruction and creation constantly engaged in dynamic tension – yin and yang, heaven and hell. In closing, while a part of me wants to give you a list of things that You Need To Do to save the world as we know it, my contemplative side recognizes that each person will respond based upon their individual mental-emotional-spiritual outlook.
Take a few deep breaths. Hold out both hands in front of you at the level of the navel, facing each other but not touching. Imagine that you are holding a ball of light in your hands. Make sure that your shoulders are relaxed, not hunched up around your neck. Let your breathing be relaxed and natural, as you breathe in, expanding the lungs, allow your arms to open, imagine your energy ball growing in size. As you breathe out, bring the hands slowly back together. Observe closely, the sensation as your hands move back to the original pose of holding the ball. Do you feel the energy in your hands grow stronger as you bring them Theologue-3together, like a slight tingling sensation? That’s your bio-electric field or in Chinese, the chi (pronounced chee).
If I sound alarmist, I am alarmed! I’m a father of an 11 year old who with every cheerful smile, is trusting me that I will exercise responsible stewardship and safeguard a future which in her mind, is still brimming with health and hope.
Was I naive in believing that a dreamer still in touch with his inner child, seemingly lacking power and fame, could somehow have an impact on the United Nations and the arc of global history? I place my trust always in a belief in the inherent goodness and wisdom of all humanity, and in the power of children and gentle creatures!
Movements for truth and planetary justice do no not hinge on the narrowly defined success or failure of individual acts, but are carried in the determined hearts and courageous minds of countless people who never give up believing that their efforts can and do make a difference.
In Eastern Medicine, and Buddhism, there is a very wide understanding of the universe and reality which balances light with dark, death with life. In Autumn Light, I discussed these perspectives a bit and I hope to add to that in the coming days and weeks as time permits. Meanwhile, please consider this information with care. The implications are profoundly disturbing and you may be confronted with deep level fears and grief – our inner dragons that we need to train.
Life is a mixed bag. As soon as we’re born, the process of dying begins. It’s really no different for nations, planets, stars, and all things produced by causes. So there’s nothing really gloomy and doomy here. It’s the dharma of our present global situation and if we wish to be free, we need to find that middle way between sticking our heads in the sands of denial on the one hand, and freaking out merely because we cannot predict the exact timing and circumstances of the demise of our body, our planet, on the other.
