Thursday, March 20, 2008

No Free Speech Isn't Stopping the Monks

When Tibetan Buddhist monks organize peaceful protests against the Chinese occupation their country and a hundred Tibetans end up shot dead as a result, with the rest of the Tibetan people under imminent threat of severe punishments "according to law" for harboring protesters ("criminals"), I just don't know how to react.

I feel proud and faithful for those who are standing up peacefully for the freedom of their nation; I feel dizzy at the thought of how easily the Chinese army can invade monasteries and open fire on a crowd of peaceful protesters; I feel disdain for the attempt of the Chinese government and the Olympic Committee to wave the clearly rhetorically crap flag of Chinese pride and unity as the Olympic torch is dramatically run through Tibet on its way to the summit of Mt. Everest; I feel panic at not knowing how to "help" (can I even really help?); I feel hope knowing that the Dalai Lama can surely not be defeated by guns; and peace knowing that where there is peace, peace will flourish.

Of course on hearing the news of the crisis in Tibet, I followed links to the website for Students for a Free Tibet

Certainly the Chinese government would take little notice of and registered to send a letter to the Olympic Committee to divert the running of the torch from Tibet to avoid inflammation of the situation, as well as a clear big-handed spittling upon the country by its occupants. But then I felt... dissatisfied. There are other choices listed, like "Send a letter to your Congressional Representative!" and even one to the Chinese government, expressing how much we hate their occupation of Tibet. And I didn't feel compelled to send those letters. Is it because my energy can be better used?
my advice, so I doubt I'll trot over to China to have a chat about Tibet over tea and photographers. I have a decreasing sense of faith that letters to my Congressional Representative achieve much in terms of foreign relations; another can of worms to be opened at a less urgent time. I suppose I can stop purchasing things manufactured in China; I already had problems with this approach as it related to the poor regulation of product safety (if the U.S. did a better job regulating what it imported, or if the U.S. wouldn't insist on importing the cheapest possible items from as far away as possible, we wouldn't have had this problem), and I'm still skeptical that my financial clout will have any impact on China's mega-zega-economy whatsoever. I'm slightly less skeptical that the potential of world governments to impact the mega-zega-economy is indeed large; skeptical again that the entire Western market, virtually peeing itself of excitement over its investments in the Chinese economy, will allow capitalist governments to interfere with China economically.

I used to be skeptical of prayer. And I still wouldn't necessarily call the way I send and receive energy between myself and the Greater (for another post) as "prayer;" but maybe the best I can do here is focus on cultivating peace and sending mine to strengthen the pulse of Grace off of which our collective existence subsists.

If that sounds helpless and/or passive, I also have great confidence in the disservice that China will do to itself when it trots through Tibet with the torch to a world full of rolling eyes, hosting an Olympics already riddled with controversy upon the backdrop of homicidal response to the expression of the human right to free speech. It's hard to let things go and trust that they will turn out the right way on the will of political forces out of my own control, but this time I think there will be more than politics at work here. The world at large can not continue to witness this kind of blatant oppression, violence and lying and pretend like it's no big deal. I have enough faith in people to hope a groan is released around the world while China boasts how much its people love living under its hard-handed rule, and appropriate reaction to follow. There is justice to be gained.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Anna you should continue blogging you have some very interesting ideas! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!