"The Old Mendicant"

It is strange that sometimes you stumble across a poem that makes an unknown, indefinable chord sing inside of you. You read the poem and notice that certain phrases, thoughts or mere words stream from the sheet of paper through your eyes into your mind, where they spark a simple, satisfied smile. That is the magic of well-chosen, deeply felt words by the poet, which transmit his thoughts, his being in the precious moment of writing.

Well, such a poem is that by the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh that I discovered today on a Facebook page dedicated to his wisdom, teachings and art. I just have to share it here and, for German readers also made a translation which can be found here. Enjoy this gem!

The Old Mendicanct

Being rock, being gas, being mist, being mind,
being the mesons travelling among the galaxies
at the speed of light,
you have come here, my beloved.
And your blue eyes shine, so beautiful, so deep.
You have taken the path traced for you
from the non-beginning and the never-ending.
You say that on your way here
you have gone through
many millions of births and deaths.
Innumerable times you have been transformed
into firestorms in outer space.
You have used your own body
to measure the age of the mountains and rivers.
You have manifested yourself
as trees, grass, butterflies, single-celled beings,
and as chrysanthemums.
But the eyes with which you look at me this morning
tell me that you have never died.
Your smile invites me into the game
whose beginning no one knows,
the game of hide-and-seek.

O green caterpillar, you are solemnly using your body
to measure the length of the rose branch that grew last Summer.
Everyone says that you, my beloved, were just born this Spring.
Tell me, how long have you been around?
Why wait until this moment to reveal yourself to me,
carrying with you that smile which is so silent and so deep?
O caterpillar, suns, moons, and stars flow out each time I exhale.
Who knows that the infinitely large must be found
in your tiny body?
Upon each point on your body,
thousands of Buddha fields have been established.
With each stretch of your body, you measure time
from the non-beginning to the never-ending.
The great mendicant of old is still there on Vulture Peak,
contemplating the ever-splendid sunset.

Gautama, how strange!
Who said that the Udumbara flower blooms
only once every 3,000 years?

The sound of the rising tide - you cannot help hearing it
if you have an attentive ear.

(by Thich Nhat Hanh)

1812 / 2013 - Worrying Parallels

Do we lack "training in the rights or duties of citizenship"?


I currently read a lot about the Wars of Independence of South America during the early 19th century and, in consequence, about a man I truly admire for his brilliant mind and actions: Simón Bolívar. Although there is a lot to be quoted from the many writings and speeches by "El Libertador", I would like to offer the following quote today, as it reminds me of some problems that the governments and societies of the so-called Western world are currently experiencing.

The quote is taken from Simón Bolívar's Cartagena Manifesto, titled "Memorial Addressed to the Citizens of New Granada by a Citizen from Caracas". It was written in Cartagena de Indias on December 15th, 1812 and reflects his thoughts on the causes of the fall of the First Republic in Venezuela (read more about the Manifesto here):

The federal system, although it is the most perfect and the most suitable for guaranteeing human happiness in society is, notwithstanding the form most inimical to the interests of our emerging states. Generally speaking, our fellow citizens are not yet ready to take on the full and independent exercise of their rights, because they lack the political virtues marking the true citizen of a republic. Such virtues are impossible to attain in absolutist governments, where there is no training in the rights or duties of citizenship.
On the other hand, is there a country anywhere, no matter how sensible and republican it is, capable of ruling itself during times of internal unrest and external warfare by a system as complicated and weak as a federalist government? It would not be possible to maintain order during the tumult of battle and internal factionalism. The government must necessarily adjust itself, so to speak, to the context of the times, men, and circumstances in which it operates. If these are prosperous and serene, it has to be gentle and protective, but if they are calamitous and turbulent, it has to be severe and armed with a strength equal to the dangers, without regard for laws or constitutions until such time as happiness and peace are restored.

In today's modern societies and seasoned democracies, such thinking might be deemed cold-hearted or brutal - in particular, when considering Bolívar's mentioning of an "exaggerated notion of the rights of man". With the advantage of hind-sight and the enlightenment by so many philosophers and historical mentors, today available to anyone who wishes to acquire it, we know that the Rights of Man are irrevocable, irreplaceable and indispensable. They are universal rights that should never be questioned to easily for the sake of any cause of any nation, group of people or other institution.

However, the age in which Bolívar has lived and the experiences he made during twelve years of war and constant battles for creating a new political system, led by the then-revolutionary ideas of freedom, peace and the sovereignty of the people, may explain and justify his considerations (here in their form a little more than one year after the beginning of the war).

Today, we are facing very similar problems. Although the roots of these problems are entirely different and the circumstances cannot be easily compared, there is a common base to them that lies in the principles of the universal dynamics of societies and humankind itself: While our Western societies have mostly benefited of more than half a century without major wars, rather united than at each other's throats as before, this internal peace has had effects of its own that might be deteriorating the stability of our political system and social cohesion in the long term.

Is the majority of European citizens truly "ready to take on the full and independent exercise of their rights"? Is their moral and intellectual education - be it through upbringing, schools or life experience - sufficient to acknowledge the importance of their own rights and to make the necessary and responsible decisions, being their unquestioned right as members of a democracy? Have we become "to stupid to see the value of [our] rights", as Bolívar described those who did not want to follow the ideals of the revolution in his Manifesto? Were I a more optimistic and idealistic person, without knowing the strong egoistical tendencies in each human being (without any judgement), I would spring to my feet, in the same knee-jerk manner as seen by most politicians wishing to be reelected, and vehemently contradict this diagnosis.

Yet, I do not wish to lie to myself and I truly see unhealthy developments in our societies, having various internal, as well as external, causes and influences. Most persons that were born in Western Europe after World War II have not known absolutist governments. They have not known the struggle to overcome suppression, terror and the unrighteousness of a few against many. But our societies are slowly drifting back towards such experiences, as if we were to be put to a test ... as if everything our ancestors have accomplished throughout the centuries was put to the test. The liberties and rights, that have been acquired by so much blood, strain and suffering, today are being questioned or challenged on so many occasions that we may soon find ourselves fighting the same battles all over again. It would be a sad and unworthy fate for an intelligent race!

Terrorism, possibly being the largest challenge that our generation is facing, has caused many Western governments to intensify security measures as far as constricting certain rights, which only twelve years ago seemed unquestionable. How much should and must the government "adjust" itself to the circumstances and what will be the price of this adjustment? Will our governments be able to restore those curtailed rights "in times of happiness and peace"? Will they be prepared to reduce the degree of control, which they have established in times where it might have been necessary, and, thereby, relinquish a certain amount of power? It is questionable that our political elite is so altruistic and humble to give back power when the circumstances no longer require them to have it. Are the people, as an electoral mass, far-sighted enough to recognise, when this power should no longer be in the hands of a few to be possibly used against the many? Or will the gruesome system of terror and fear win? History has proven that people will only to willingly give up their rights when they hope for deliverance from imminent fears.

Internal factionalism is also a problem that may become an increasing threat to the future of our modern societies. Individuality and personal freedom are high values, but they may also weaken a society when it is required to show solidarity and when suddenly being confronted with the need to fight for a common cause. Factionalism in politics are boon and bane of the prosperity of a country, most prominently to be observed in the United States, which since the Civil War has probably not been as politically divided as it is today. While the United States are still a super power and can (hopefully) afford such factionalism without seriously endangering its geopolitical position, other countries might not have the intrinsic strength and could succumb to its social, political or moral disunity under internal or external pressure.

The superficial consumer societies that we have established during the last decades have made the majority of the people weary of daily political issues and of assuming their responsibilities for maintaining and enforcing a healthy political system. In many cases, they are not even fit to do so. But will the people, and the inert governments that have grown from these circumstances, be able to tackle the truly great internal and external challenges that may await us in the near future?
In addition, money has become the new absolute power, the new aristocratic system of the 20th and 21st century. It is the most driving and defining factor in modern societies. The significance of money for our everyday lives plays a unnaturally important role. The economic system has reached a dimension that can no longer be controlled by individual governments or even unions of many countries. It has developed a momentum which goes beyond the scope of conventional political control. Thus, consumer societies are subject to a global economic system and entirely dependent of it, without being able to have any noteworthy impact on it by means of democratic participation. Do we really realise and comprehend the consequences this could have on the our social, political and moral world?

Simón Bolívar had to fight his way through the endless plains of Venezuela and across the cold and barren passes of the Andes to liberate half of a continent from the yoke of a colonial power, driven only by an idea. By achieving the almost unachievable the armies of Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín established the basis for the modern South America with its various forms of political systems and national identities. They introduced democracy to an entire continent under the most demanding social, economic and political conditions. It is under these aspects that one should read the above quoted excerpt of Bolívar's Cartagena Manifesto. And it is in this light that one should look at today's developments. For to often do we forget what people have sacrificed to create what citizens and politicians of today's modern societies are sometimes neglecting or even compromising. Much is at stake and the price we would have to pay to regain what was already achieved would be enormous.

Bolívar said that the citizen of Venezuela in the year 1811 were not yet ready for democracy and federalism. Could it be that our society will return to such a condition, simply because we have become used to the luxury of peace and freedom? Simply because most of us do not remember the price that has been paid for our fortune? Simply because we equally have a lack of "training in the rights or duties of citizenship", as those who lived during the turbulent Age of Revolution?

The shallow satisfaction of a life in prosperity and serenity should not let us forget that the realities of life can change in the twinkling of an eye. Therefore, we must reassume responsibility for the future of our society. A new Age of Enlightenment is necessary today (regardless of the means offered by the Internet, which is not an enlightenment in itself but, rather, only a supporting instrument). And if we are very lucky we will not have to fight bloody battles to secure and preserve such achievements, as our ancestors were forced to do!