World events reveal truth of interdependence
Kenji Stoll

It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to talk about in my message. I think it’s hard for me to see the direct effects that the teachings of the Buddha have had on my life and how they shaped who I am today. it wasn’t until I really took a step back and looked over the last few years of my life that I saw how much those teachings had shaped the way I see and think about things.

It’s hard when you get caught up in everyday life and all the commotion that you have to deal with and to be able to honestly apply the Golden Chain and uphold our promise of walking in our teacher’s noble path. I know I myself think very impure and unbeautiful thoughts sometimes.

Some of the things we learn in Temple may not carry out fully into my life, though I may try. But looking over some of the situations I see myself in, I can find those Buddhist teachings that have stuck with me. I suppose the most significant issue that seems to be affecting everyone nowadays is the economy and the financial crisis our country finds itself in. It seems as though people can’t find one specific cause and one definite solution. I think part of the reason is because there is so much confusion about the subject and why things happen and work the way they do that it makes it difficult to grasp the issue and how we as individuals can interpret the situation. Personally, as a 17-year-old from Tacoma, I have my own understanding of the situation is. Things like retirement and social security are hard for me to conceptualize compared to issues like financing college and being able to start a career. My point is that even though there is a diverse range of effects on our community, there is something that we can all learn as Buddhists, Americans, and as Human Beings from this situation. This is where the Buddhist stuff comes in.

An example is the Black Friday Wal-Mart incident that occurred. It bothers me that people value a small savings over the respect for human life. The Buddha teaches that desire and greed lead to suffering. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind a new iPhone or some brand new clothes, but material possessions won’t give me fulfillment in my life or create true happiness. In this case materialistic ideals and desires undermined someone’s life.

The other main issue that I see as a Buddhist is the fact that nationwide and worldwide we are interdependent and interconnected. Our economic crisis in America has had drastic effects on the economies of Europe, Asia and the rest of the world. Lack of retail sales at Amazon have lowered demand for cardboard packaging, which affects the lumber industry that creates the cardboard and devastates small lumber communities.

We as a human race need to embrace and understand each other to work together to promote a stronger and more stable world for us all to live in. I feel these values of not being materialistic, interdependence and impermanence are not just Buddhist teachings and values, but something for our world and human race. I don’t have a specific message through this but I’m sure that everybody can take something away from this . . . hopefully.