[Engaged] Engaged Practice: I agree....Whats Next?

[Sekishi]

I am going to place these links here to a recent trilogy by a respected podcast from the US public radio show, "Radiolab." It is stunning, it is heartbreaking. Most importantly, it expresses how complicated these issues are, without simple right or wrong answers sometimes.

Yes, I feel that separating family, parents and small children, is so clearly wrong that it needed to be protested and stopped. However, the question of illegal immigration itself, and how to deal with it, is the bigger question with no easy answers.

Great recommendation Jundo (I never miss a Radiolab - it is one of my favorite podcasts!).

As you allude, the causes of conditions around illegal immigration are boundless - a dense thicket of individual choices and biases, national policies, economics, and politics. Well intentioned people have been trying for reform for years. I have opinions about this grey area, but am also very open to a multitude of views.

Separating children from their parents with no clear plan to re-unite them, and then putting them in kennels or tents: this is a bright line for me. Such a policy is deeply inhumane. I can see no grey area.

At least that is my view.

Deep bows to all,
Sekishi
#sat #lah

[Anka]

Sekishi,

Reading your post made me want to clarify something about an earlier post of mine in this thread. Although the issue of illegal immigration is a massive gray area the option of breaking up families is not in my mind. Separating kids from there parents is cruel and something we has a country should not allow.

Back on the issue of immigration I am afraid our current political environment is not well suited to tackle these complex issues. This is a result of our essentially two party system. We have extremes on either side of the spectrum who take hard stances on almost every topic. How can we work in the gray area when extremes are the only options. Throw in big business meddling and you have our current political environment. Until big business money is taken out of the equation I don't know of there is a fix for it.

James F
Sat

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[Ryushi]

Reading your post made me want to clarify something about an earlier post of mine in this thread. Although the issue of illegal immigration is a massive gray area the option of breaking up families is not in my mind. Separating kids from there parents is cruel and something we has a country should not allow.

I'm glad you clarified, because your previous posts felt dangerously close to advocating moral equivalency. I think Buddhism suffers from a particular danger of this, as well as a bias to inaction. It's something I struggle with a lot, particularly when I read something like the poem Faith In Mind. (I also struggle with "turn the other cheek" from my prior religious tradition.) But I simply cannot accept that inaction is an acceptable response.

[Anka]

I'm glad you clarified, because your previous posts felt dangerously close to advocating moral equivalency. I think Buddhism suffers from a particular danger of this, as well as a bias to inaction. It's something I struggle with a lot, particularly when I read something like the poem Faith In Mind. (I also struggle with "turn the other cheek" from my prior religious tradition.) But I simply cannot accept that inaction is an acceptable response.

Hi Todd,

Most of this is just me playing devils advocate on the topic of immigration. I think a big issue now a days is that with most of our communication being online it is easy to find groups of like minded people. However, doing this creates an echo chamber where different views and ideas are buried. This is where a lot of the political extremism we see today was born and where the issue continues to grow.

Part of my practice that I am working on now is that in the past I have seen things as black and white...right and wrong. I am working to see both sides of issues without preconceptions.

All that being said there are lines that should not be crossed and one of them is purposly separating families with no plans to reunite them.

James F
Sat

[Sekishi]

Reading your post made me want to clarify something about an earlier post of mine in this thread. Although the issue of illegal immigration is a massive gray area the option of breaking up families is not in my mind. Separating kids from there parents is cruel and something we has a country should not allow.

Hi Anka,

My apologies, I was simply trying to make my position clear (and explain why I felt strongly enough to go out and protest). I was not arguing your point at all.

Deep bows,
Sekishi
#sat #lah



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[Anka]

Hi Sekishi,

All your post did was remind me I had not made a stance on the topic clear yet. No need to apologise, in fact I thank you for stating your stance and reasoning so clearly.

James F
Sat

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[Jakuden]

Thank you so much Sekishi, Todd and kids! What an uplifting thing to see.
Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH


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