Originally published on the CGS blog on October 22, 2007.
Sometimes stepping away from politics and looking at the big picture is a wonderful thing. I was grateful to be able attend the presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama in the Rotunda last week. It was a moving experience to watch this humble man being honored in our nation’s capitol. The theme of the day, probably expressed best in his speech, was that China should talk directly with him about Tibetan autonomy.
But as moved as I was by the award presentation, I was even more encouraged by the Dalai Lama’s piece in Sunday’s Washington Post, “My Vision of a Compassionate Future“. Let me share a few choice quotes that speak directly to my own personal philosophy:
“We need to embrace a more realistic approach to dealing with human conflicts, an approach that is in tune with a new reality of heavy interdependence in which the old concepts of “we” and “they” are no longer relevant. The very idea of total victory for one’s own side and the total defeat of one’s enemy is untenable.”
“When I first saw a photograph of Earth taken from outer space, it powerfully brought home to me how small and fragile the planet is and how petty our squabbles are. Amid our perceived differences, we tend to forget how the world’s different religions, ideologies and political systems were meant to serve humans, not destroy them. Today, more than ever, we need to make this fundamental recognition of the basic oneness of humanity the foundation of our perspective on the world and its challenges. From the dangerous rate of global warming to the widening gap between rich and poor, from the rise of global terrorism to regional conflicts, we need a fundamental shift in our attitudes and our consciousness — a wider, more holistic outlook.”
So how does this link to my own beliefs? In a recent essay written for NPR’s “This I Believe” I wrote that human evolution consistently rewards “greater cooperation between larger numbers of people.” That “cooperation, not domination, is the key to our success and survival.” The continual question for me is how to translate this belief into sane political decisions?
