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If the Earth were your body, you would be able to feel the many areas where it is suffering. War, political and economic opression, famine, and pollutionw wreak havoc in so many places. Every day, children are becoming blind from malnutrition, their hands searching hopelessly through mounds of trash for a few ounces of food. Adults are dying slowly in prison for trying to oppose violence. Rivers are dying, and the air is becoming more and more difficult to breathe. Although the two great superpowers are becoming more friendly, they still have enough nuclear wapons to destroy the Earth dozens of times.
Many people are aware of the world’s suffering; their hearts are filled with compassion. They know what needs to be done, and they engage in social, political, and environmental work to try and change things. But afeter a period of intense involvement, they may become discouraged if they lack the strength needed to sustain a life of action. Real strength does not come from power, money, or weapons, but in deep, inner peace. Practicing mindfulness in each moment of our daily lives, we can cultivate our own peace.
With clarity, determination, and patience--the fruits of meditation--we can sustain a life of action and be real instruments of peace. I have seen this peace in people from various religious and cultural backgrounds who spend their time and energy protecting the weak, struggling for social justice, lessening the disparity between rich and poor, stopping the arms race, fighting against discriminiation, and watering the trees of love and understanding throughout the world.
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