Mirror, Mirror

There has been a lot of discussion since the election about what the Democratic Party had to do about losing the election. I've posted several things myself including some ill thought out ranting and four letter words. A few days ago I came across an article by Daniel Goldberg in the New York Times talking about how all the leading candidates for the Democratic Presidential nominee were signed on as "National Security Democrats", are insisting that we have to get more in tune with war mongering and pre-emptive war. Wrong!

What must change are the perceptions of those that voted Republican in the last two elections. They are the ones who are misguided and have fallen for the lies either because they don't want to believe the truth or they are just uninformed. The left shouldn’t back down on its fundamental beliefs in equal opportunity, human rights, fairness, protecting our environment, compassion and peace. These are necessary if the world is to survive. So, what has to happen? How do we change the perceptions of the misguided? Not through confrontation and not through force or lies. We, instead let them change themselves.

An important concept in Zen training is meikyo which may be translated as "clear boundary" or "spotless mirror". Through Zen we seek to become perfect mirrors, clear reflections of nature and its processes. What we on the left need to do is hold the mirror up to the right and show them the results of their choices. Hold up the mirror to DeLay and demonstrate that he and his actions are what they voted to continue. Hold up the mirror to the Bush hypocrisy and lies and the lies of his minions. Hold up the mirror to the lawlessness and the disregard for the rule of law. Hold up the mirror to torture. Hold up the mirror to the war deaths and even more so the casualties and lifetimes of misery and disability. Hold up the mirror and show the uninsured children, American children going hungry, America's working poor and the quiet desperation of millions of unemployed Americans. Hold up the mirror to death and misery in Africa. Hold up the mirror to the destruction of our environment and quality of our lives. Hold up the mirror to it all. Not all will look and some that do won’t see but what they want to see. There are, I believe, enough decent people that are just not seeing through the smoke and dazzle and who just need some help seeing the truth.

Shen-hsui a Zen monk says,

The mind is like a bright mirror standing;
Take heed to always keep it clean,
And allow no dust to ever cling.