Interesting Times Zen

We felt that we had something left to say before this election wraps up; clearly with a bang rather than a whimper. At the Zendo, we are in the midst of our Fall Practice Period and Mary is preparing to go poll watch in Nevada. So we carved some time and had at it. I apologize for the rough sound quality, but in the interest of getting this out in time for interested folks to hear it before Election Day, I decided to go with it and put it out, sonic warts and all. Don't worry, it's not your player. We discuss the wound that seems at the heart of America. The wound that this election has, not gently, illuminated. We look for a way to not be angry. Mary discusses methods towards not hating when that is a hard thing to reason.

Per Mary's request we open with a poem by Marge Piercy, "To Be of Use". How do we deal with a tragedy like Orlando? What actions do we take that can possibly mean anything? Perhaps we just talk with each other, grieve together and try and understand how we all can be more useful. A quiet discussion.

This week is a little less practice and a little more politics as the primaries decided to crescendo and a major anti-war icon passed away since our last recording. We try to take it all in, understand it and I beg the Abbess to make me feel better about it all. (Spoiler alert,,, It's not that easy.)

The Abbess sent me this quote, "History is not just facts and events. History is also a pain in the heart and we repeat history until we are able to make another's pain in the heart our own." - Professor Julius Lester. What is history? We think we understand it's lessons, but do we? From Jefferson to Trump, what do we think we know and what if we're just wrong?