Shade

Light and shade are ancient human concepts. The sun gives us the light and heat which sustain us. That same light and heat can cause us great pain and catastrophe. Man's appreciation of shade predates man himself. It is an animal instinct to get out of the midday sun. And, it is an animal instinct which draws us out into the sunlight.

Light is a metaphor for truth. Shade is a metaphor for dishonesty. Learning to live in full light and also shade our immediate passions and reactions is a way of looking at practice. Those who live entirely in the light with all their human and animal behaviors are the celebrities in the pop media. Those who live in the shade all the time, like former Vice-President Dick Cheney, become inhuman creatures with no sign of human dignity or human failing.

Those who learn the Middle Path know when to stay in the light and when to rest in the shade.

Thaw

This winter in New England has been long and cold. The earth recently thawed somewhat. The piles of snow have melted for the most part. I saw the large planter in my yard for the first time since December this week. I realized that the revelation of all the hidden constants on my small piece of property stimulated me to feel excitement and a great sense of comfort. Winter will pass. Spring will come.

The practice of forgiveness in relationships elicits much the same response in me. When I can get to that forgiveness or feel that forgiveness coming to me from someone else, I am refreshed and liberated from the darkness that comes with stored anger and resentment. This is an ongoing mutual process in some of my relationships. And, those relationships which never move from anger to forgiveness are frozen beneath a glacier of indifference.

Learning to expand practice to mindfully dealing with inevitable unpleasantness in daily life is key to personal development. Forgiveness is one way to deal with one's own anger. Forgiveness in you may well inspire forgiveness in those whom you may offend.

Change

Change is inevitable. Our bodies change constantly. The weather changes. The planet itself is always changing.

Human beings can execute behaviors, based on thought, which can change our environment. Yet, how do we use this exceptional ability? We use it to accumulate things at the expense of our health and well being.

The change which some politicians are promoting in their speeches is not really change for the betterment of the species or the planet. Their focus is to preserve the bad habits of materialism and selfishness which are rapidly degrading the planet. They are obsessed with human creations, wealth and power.

True change for the better would be focused on education, the alleviation of poverty by taxing the materialistic, directly dealing with overpopulation and holding responsible those who have plundered human wealth for irresponsible and destructive purposes. However, the domination of world governments by the very greedy corporate entities who have been destroying the planet for decades has perhaps already doomed the human species to a bleak future for some time to come.

Individual practice always allows for positive change in one human life. If the current destructive course of the human experience is to be reversed, individual practice will be at the core of that change. Living in the light of truth with compassion and responsibility is one way to create daily changes in the world, one life at a time.