A very close friend of mine called me this week because I told her how overwhelmingly depressed I've been. I'm too ashamed to share the details of how bad here, but it was bad. She consoled and encouraged me and we laughed and cried. Then the subject of the world today came up and she said, "Sure, Katrina, the war in Iraq, starving children in every corner of the world. That's your fault, isn't it?" I laughed with her and then said, "Atlas, I'm not." Since that conversation I've begun to realize that I've been trying to actually be the mythical son of Clymene and Iapetus, in my own way. My world became a heavy, oppressive thing and I was setting it squarely on my shoulders and mourning my fate. I used be able to physically lift more than I can now but mere exercise won't help me with this burden.
It's a glass half full, half empty perception. It's truly up to each of us to get the most from what we've been given. I can either look outside at the trees just outside my apartment and see them as selfishly growing leaves to soak up as much sun as possible or as beautiful boughs of green that provide me shelter from the hot sun. Even water can be a fearful and overwhelming element in which to drown or a sweet, cool resource that I can use to fill my glass, and my body, with what I need.
Life brings with it the fears all of us experience from moment to moment, from the cradle to the grave. However, change one tiny perception and it's possible to see life as something to provide us with the very reasons to make the journey, put one foot in front of the other and celebrate the joy of squeezing every last drop from every day simply because it's worth the risk, worth the effort.
Atlas himself saw his sentence of supporting the heavens as a prison that he would forever wish to escape from. Instead, he could have realized that what he was actually doing was holding onto the biggest box of blessings that anyone had ever been given. By placing him in that position Zeus had actually shown Atlas that he was up to the task of keeping the Earth safely on his shoulders. Zeus, instead of killing Atlas for his crimes, mercifully gave him the chance to learn from his mistake and become better.
I'm not suggesting delusion, by any means. Like the movie "Life Is Beautiful" that shows how people can sometimes be put in the worst possible situations imaginable and simply pretend that the world is perfect. On the contrary, every wound is a chance to experience healing. Every obstacle is an opportunity to know ourselves a little better and see just how much good we're capable of. Is it, as Voltaire said, "the best of all possible worlds?" No, hell no. Do I honestly believe that it can be? Yes, I do. All it takes is a miniscule amount of faith, hope and the will to make a difference. Then even the biggest disaster of all time becomes yet another chance to grow, learn, and raise the vibrations of the entire world.
Yes, Katrina was a terrible storm and the citizens of New Orleans have suffered in the devastating aftermath. But, it makes my heart so glad to see the ways that so many people have responded. I read a terrific story about nurses who petitioned the home health organization they worked for and, in large groups, brought donated medical supplies to the gulf coast region. Another WONDERFUL story about three little girls from DC, ages 14, 11 and 8, who started Project Backpack to send things like coloring books, games and reading materials to children from New Orleans who had lost everything. Even local talk-radio stations, that normally focus on bashing government officials and highlighting the negative aspects of society, have turned to fund raising and made me realize that the milk of human kindness still flows. Katrina may be an open wound that has brought into focus just how flawed the country we live in really is but it's also been the impetus to show that what the Dalai Lama said when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 is still true today.
"No matter what part of the world we come from, we are all basically the same human beings. We all seek happiness and try to avoid suffering. We have the same basic human needs and concerns. All of us human beings want freedom and the right to determine our own destiny as individuals and as peoples. That is human nature."
Your brothers and sisters are suffering, just like you, and they want to be happy. Look closely at what the Dalai Lama said. "We all SEEK happiness and TRY to avoid suffering." By that simple statement His Holiness shares that finding happiness and avoiding suffering are acts of effort following simple motions of will. Happiness doesn't arrive one day and decide to move in with you. Suffering is all around you and you have to work at making sure that it doesn't run into you. Keep moving, put one foot in front of the other, take the risk and keep your eyes open. More importantly, keep your heart open. Before I end this blog with my signature top ten I'm going to share the secret to happiness. That's right, there's a secret and it's beautifully simple and eloquently stated, again, by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.
"If you want to make others happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy... practice compassion."
Each of us has to learn compassion for one another while we try to find something that I've been lacking lately but am beginning to understand... compassion for ourselves.
Okay, this week the extremely irreverent top ten is going to be a tribute to government in action. All of us know that when presented with a crisis or need our government responds by creating another charity committee or governing board to oversee the resolution of that problem. Here are some lesser known organizations that you may not have heard of. The truth is, I feel like I need a shower just thinking about them.
The Top Ten Obscure Government Aid Organizations:
10) The Oliver Twist Foundation: They're always willing to help the down and out when they're in need. Just don't ask for seconds.
9) The Cat Ate My Homework Committee: Things like education are vitally important issues but there's always a really good excuse for avoiding them, too.
8) Laughter Is The Best Medicine Association: It's a testament to how far the medical profession as whole has come when you can find ways to treat the sick by exposing them to other people who really are FAR sicker.
7) I Gave At The Office: This organization exists solely to salve every American's conscience by pointing out that every time you pay your taxes you're donating your hard earned pay to keep your government from going broke. Now, don't you feel better?
6) Revenge Of The Nerds, Incorporated: This started out as a private corporation but is now a global charity dedicated to keeping homely introverts from finding out that they really do run the entire world.
5) World Hate Organization: This helpful band of volunteers is a little known sub-group of the World Health Organization committed to lowering the planet's blood pressure by focusing biases on insignificant and almost harmless annoyances... like mimes.
4) Paparazzi Relief Fund: Like the Farmer's Aid groups that provide needed funds to farmers in order to prevent over-production of foodstuffs this benevolent institution provides the money needed to pay magazines NOT to hire photographers who think they're Mario Andretti with a camera. We can all feel safer, trust me.
3) Watch Your Step Association: There are animals everywhere who consider the world their private lavatory. Isn't it time the government starting picking some of the stuff up that they've been helping to dish out?
2) The Little Rascals: This is an attempt to deal with gang violence by showing them it's better to form zany cliques filled with other young scamps and channel all that energy into excluding from their groups the real source of their problems... girls.
and the number one obscure government aid organization:
1) Queer Eye For The Poor Guy: Due to the recent success of television decorating shows state and local governments are now convinced that there's no social or financial difficulty that can't be overcome with flamboyant flair and a cat fight broadcast on cable.
I hope that all of you discover that you're a big part of my true happiness. Have a great week.
Here's my quote for the week:
"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967
