Fear, Escapism and the Nature of the Times

I’m writing this the day after yet-another US school shooting. Yet, I believe Steven Pinker is right in what he assesses in his book “The Better Angels of Our Nature”, that the world is becoming less violent and better overall. Which he wrote based on his study of an incredible amount of data (those familiar with Pinker will know he’s as hard-nosed as they come and no slouch on research and carefully backing the things he says with well-researched data).

It’s not that those negative things aren’t real or aren’t happening, it’s just that the overall trend and trajectory is positive (without being blindly optimistic).

1 Like

Are there more of all the above mentionedin these times, or is most of these acts the case of numerous small and not so small “reporters” shouting in unison?

I believe that to much hanging around places like this might be fruitful. or it can be a complete waste, and as the rest of practice it is all up to you, no one to blame but … :wink:

Maybe the sheer force of this empty and hollow activity will blast some stuffed ears and eyes!?

boys will be boys:slightly_smiling_face:

Why have people suddenly decided to produce a surge of comments on a post I wrote in October?

Possibly recent occurrences local to them resonate with thoughts expressed in it, by various people.

I suggest you participate or not, if doing so is supportive to you of your own practice.

With metta

1 Like

As a newbie on this site, i can’t comment on “what once was.” However, it would have been surprising to me if i had found full blown discussions about what is happening in Syria, or the opioid epidemic or the tent cities in LA or whatever. There are plenty of sites out there where one can discuss these items, vent one’s spleen etc,… I’m not sure this should be one of them.

Do you think there would be divergent opinions on this site geared, as it is, to the “Buddha’s way?” Do you think that someone would take a position that would go counter to the Buddha’s teachings? Do you think it would mobilize anyone to take action? Open a soup kitchen for the homeless? Volunteer as a drug rehab counselor? I wonder. A year ago, as you alluded to in a previous post, a “renowned” group of Buddhist teachers all signed a letter. Have we seen any results from that manifesto?

As for the world being poised for a cycle of accelerating violence, you are right-on :smirk_cat:

At the time, it was not my desire that people here should talk more about those political issues, but to suggest that the Buddhist topics they were talking about were among the least important matters in the canon. I can’t recall what precisely prompted the remarks.

Here is a sample of four from many more websites that had articles on various Buddhist issues/perspectives etc. that others have decided are important to Buddhism in this end-of-the-Dharma age.

Going on the premise that being able to recite a Sutra is good but being able to live the Sutra is better (as the Buddha told Ananda), maybe discusiions of various points in these and other articles would “spur” the SuttaCentral Sangha into… whatever.

If there is not enough grist for the gristmill in the various googled sites (googled: what are the most pressing issues in Buddhism today?) one could browse:

for more ideas.

Is this a bit of what you had in mind? :smiley_cat:

“So here’s the critical question: what role will twenty-first-century Buddhism play in addressing this new worldview, which deceptively promises a happiness that it can never provide? Will Buddhism help us to harmonize with the kind of consumerist lifestyle that our economic system emphasizes, or will Buddhist insights enable us to challenge that lifestyle?”

https://rk-world.org/dharmaworld/dw_2015janmar_buddhisms-modern-challenge.aspx


“What does Buddhism teach about issues such as homosexuality and sex outside of marriage? Most religions have rigid, elaborate rules about sexual conduct. Buddhists have the Third Precept – in Pali, Kamesu micchacara veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami – which is most commonly translated “Do not indulge in sexual misconduct.” However, for laypeople, the early scriptures are hazy about what constitutes “sexual misconduct.””


“Thank you very much for your kind introduction. I am really very pleased, and very honored to be here with you today at this very famous university. I have been asked to speak about Buddhism in the 21st century, which is of course an enormous topic. So, I asked for a little bit of guidance as to what I should direct my comments to within this area, and it was suggested that I speak about the global aspects of Buddhism and the prospects of Buddhism.”


“Listed here are 20 possible reasons contributing to the challenges of Buddhism in the modern world. The list is not exhaustive. Some of these are obvious whiles others are subtle yet significant once identified. Some are more predominant in the Eastern world whiles other are more prevalent in the Western world and there are some points which are common to both cultures. The items with their descriptions are based on generalised behaviours through observation and is not a reference to any specific individual.”

1 Like