I’ve been deeply sad and worried about the war being waged against Iran by our government and the government of Israel, and sad and worried about Iran fighting back and doing great harm to others as they defend themselves. I am sad and worried about the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people by the Israelis. And I am sad and angry that our government is a war machine and an enemy of the environment, an enemy of the survival of our species.
As a result of my sadness and worry, I haven’t been sleeping very well. As many of you know, sleep deprivation is no fun, unhealthy, and makes us prone to accidents, not to mention extreme crankiness. Lack of sleep amplifies my sorrow and worry, and life ceases to be enjoyable.
All Buddhist teachers echo the Buddha and suggest the cause of my suffering is my attachment to the situations I’m sad about. The way to lessen my suffering is to realize I don’t need to be attached to situations I am not directly involved in. I can feel compassion for those who are suffering without joining them in the depths of their suffering. Indeed, I can help, in a metaphysical way, by doing things that bring me joy and joy to others.
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When I was twenty-one I traveled to Mexico and Central America with a marine biologist and his family. I was fluent in Spanish at the time and was the main spokesperson and translator for our little traveling troupe. This was in 1970 when gringos were a rarity in most of Mexico and Central America.
One day in a remote part of southern Mexico, we found ourselves in a small village where the crops had failed and many of the villagers were starving. We didn’t know this when we drove into the village in our converted milk delivery truck. The men of the village came to greet us thinking we might be bringing them food in response to their calls to the government for help.
When I understood the situation after speaking to one of the men, and I sensed these people were so desperate they were likely to attack our truck and take what food we had and possibly do us harm, I made the decision to leave immediately, which turned out to be a good decision as we were pursued out of the village by an angry mob intent on detaining us.
Two hours later we were in a large town where no one was starving and we had a nice meal in a café. When I mentioned to our charming cook and waitress what we’d encountered in the village just two hours away, they both grew solemn and said, “Yes. It is bad there. Many of those people have already gone elsewhere to find work and food.”
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In some of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s short stories, a person living in a village where disease and hunger are rampant leaves the village and walks to a neighboring valley where the farmers are flourishing and have so much food they are happy to share.
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Sorrow and joy are inextricably bound and inform each other. My goal in the days ahead is to curtail my worry while informing the sorrow of the world with as much joy as I can. I believe if I pursue this goal with an open heart I will sleep better.
fin
Incongroovity piano solo from Todd’s album Incongroovity.