Beginners Mind
From Townsend Times columnist Chris Mills
This took me by such complete surprise. There's no way I can describe it better than Chris does, so I'll leave it to him:
The hell...?! It makes me sad t think that minds this young can be so closed. Before anyone gets pissy with me, let me honestly say, that I would be just as dismayed, if this was the Young Democrats (who I will be writing about here soon)
In Buddhism there is a concept called "Beginners Mind" That is the wide-open, non-judgemental state our mind is in, right before we clog it up with silly things like certainity and closed mindedness. We can be so certain of our opinions and beliefs sometimes that there is little, or no room for discussion.
Our country is so polarized right now. Especially when it comes to politics. One only needs to spend a few minutes watching the various cable news stations to see how ridiculous things have become. There are no discussions anymore of policy and issues, just shouting matches. Each Talking Head clings so tightly to their opinions as if they were clutching a bag of gold.
It's is sad to see that type of polarization trickle down to the point where it's difficult to talk about politics in any situation. For the Groton Dunstable Young Republicans to rebuff Chris Mills only because he has a different view is a shame. Here is an opportunity to have a dialogue, and share views on both sides, and that opportunity is lost because some people are so threatened by the views of others, that they cannot bear to hear them.
Is that where our country is headed? Are we so partisan now that we won't even talk to people who belong to the "opposing party?" I certainly hope not. We have a lot of work to do here in our state, and in our country. That work needs to be done with the cooperation of both parties and to be able to do that, both sides should try as much as possible to have a "beginners mind" and work together for the benefit of us all.
This took me by such complete surprise. There's no way I can describe it better than Chris does, so I'll leave it to him:
I approached the Young Republicans Club at Groton Dunstable High School, to ask if they would consent to an interview. I had in mind writing a piece celebrating the commitment of our youth to politics and government. The answer came back that some students in the club were so offended by what they have read in this column that they were declining the interview.
The hell...?! It makes me sad t think that minds this young can be so closed. Before anyone gets pissy with me, let me honestly say, that I would be just as dismayed, if this was the Young Democrats (who I will be writing about here soon)
In Buddhism there is a concept called "Beginners Mind" That is the wide-open, non-judgemental state our mind is in, right before we clog it up with silly things like certainity and closed mindedness. We can be so certain of our opinions and beliefs sometimes that there is little, or no room for discussion.
Our country is so polarized right now. Especially when it comes to politics. One only needs to spend a few minutes watching the various cable news stations to see how ridiculous things have become. There are no discussions anymore of policy and issues, just shouting matches. Each Talking Head clings so tightly to their opinions as if they were clutching a bag of gold.
It's is sad to see that type of polarization trickle down to the point where it's difficult to talk about politics in any situation. For the Groton Dunstable Young Republicans to rebuff Chris Mills only because he has a different view is a shame. Here is an opportunity to have a dialogue, and share views on both sides, and that opportunity is lost because some people are so threatened by the views of others, that they cannot bear to hear them.
Is that where our country is headed? Are we so partisan now that we won't even talk to people who belong to the "opposing party?" I certainly hope not. We have a lot of work to do here in our state, and in our country. That work needs to be done with the cooperation of both parties and to be able to do that, both sides should try as much as possible to have a "beginners mind" and work together for the benefit of us all.
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." - Shunryo Suzuki-Roshi
posted by susan at 11:48 AM
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