Resting Place

“ Many little people, in little places, doing little things, can change the world.” - Eduardo Galeano

Yesterday, nine of us got together for an excursion to a Buddhist temple above Chiang Mai.

“Wat Pha Lat was established in 1355 under the reign of King Kuena of Lanna (1355–1385) to honor a sacred white elephant. The elephant is said to have stopped to rest at the temple's future location before continuing up Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, where it eventually passed away. In response, the king had temples built at both sites, with Wat Pha Lat becoming a hidden retreat and rest stop for monks.” - Wiki

Six women, two men and one six month old baby, were shared two facing bench seats of a so-common, open-ended Thai cab. We also shared bits and pieces of our lives. We talked of our families, our jobs and schooling, sports and traveling. Formula 1 racing, futbol, Thai food and culture were all touched on. Half of the morning, from 5 AM through sunrise and until 10, felt to me like a small community of kindness.

Here I must borrow from Anne Lamont’s column in WP this morning: “George Saunders said that what he’s learning as he ages into retirement is that ‘kindness is the only non-delusional response to everything.’ “

I had such lofty goals for this post but talking with others got in the way. I twisted and turned about weaving this outing into current world affairs. Fortunately, sharing kindness interrupted. Here on the side of the 1676 meter, granite mountain, Doi Suthep, this lumbering old Dutch-American guy met with two young German girls, a Japanese lady, a Cuban-American woman, two parents from Seattle (mother by way of Taiwan) and a Swedish student studying in Bangkok. Our host for the jaunt was a young woman, Kungnang, who explained and displayed what Buddhism is for her and her family.

In today’s world I believe that our white elephant is our ghastly and greedy white, male privilege. Remember that “A white elephant is a possession that its owner cannot dispose of without extreme difficulty, and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness.” (Wiki) That is good and bodes well for the future. This elephant will also die. Imagine.

I believe that we are so fearful once again because currently everything is presented as a zero sum game with negotiations and calculations and disinformation. For me I have to leave that to the side. Kindness is an investment where both sides win.