Bad players are abusing social media. They misinform and harm humanity by manipulating people to gain power. They disrupt our way of life, our democracies, and are not replacing what they have destroyed with a viable and sustainable alternative. This cannot continue in my name.
I will reactivate my social media accounts, when hate speech and fake news have returned to levels that are acceptable to a society that cherishes democratic ideals, human rights and protects user data on social media.
Below you find reliable sources that highlight how dangerous social media has become under the leadership of the social media elite. There are many more studies lilke this that report similar results.
I encourage you to boycott social Facebook and Twitter. Let the social media elite know that you disagree with their goals. Spend more time with your friends and family and less time on social media. Life happens right in front of you – not on your smart phone. Or to put it in the language of the disruptor elite:
Let’s make social media great again – by boycotting social media!
‘Fake news’ poses corrosive existential threat to democracy
(University of Birmingham)
Online ‘fake news’ is an existential threat to democracy – not because most people believe bogus content, but because of the corrosive effect it has on trust among citizens and their faith in democratic institutions representing them, according to a new study.
Russian election interference efforts targeting Harris campaign, Microsoft finds (Politico)
Russian government-linked efforts to interfere in the upcoming U.S. presidential election have increasingly shifted to target the presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris
In my previous life I worked extensively in Film & TV around the world. I loved it, but that 24/7 lifestyle is exhausting – and so, in my mid 40-ties, I became a teacher. I got my life back: now I spend my evenings and weekends with family and friends instead of working. I visit events like IDFA and IFFR to meet friends and colleagues, and earned a PhD.
As a teacher I have the choice to work on my projects or collaborate with others on their work. Doing this allows me to keep my expertise up to date and pass it on to my students. All this makes me a ‘unicorn’ teacher, someone with a robust understanding of the industry and the didactical skills needed to bring this knowledge into the classroom.
Over the last few years I observed the arrival of an ideology in academia that focuses more on processes and study options and less on expertise. I see this development critical. For example, my PhD supervisor was a qualified and reputable filmmaker. Her expertise was invaluable to me. Supervision time with her was a dream come true. This new practice has replaced that expert with someone who understands the process, but who is not necessarily an expert. Experts are still available, but only by appointment. A relationship never really develops.
I also question the wisdom of offering too many study options during the third and fourth year of study. In my view the student never has the opportunity to become a real expert, and to specialise. Instead knowledge remains diffused and broad. As a result, peer feedback from students is very encouraging and positive in tone. But it is not rooted in the robust expertise needed to provide valuable in-depth feedback. There is a reason why students are students – unlike experts they have not worked for many years in the industry.
AI will put this system to the test. For example, I am not an expert in marketing. I can not determine if a marketing research report is creating new value or presents new knowledge. I just don’t know enough about marketing to make that determination, I am not a marketing expert.
AI’s like ChatGPT upend all this. I have seen how ChatGPT can write an entire marketing research report. As a non-expert in marketing I could easily be fooled into accepting this report as the original work of a student. It is near impossible to detect if the report was written by an AI if the student runs the report through a paraphrasing software.
Only an expert in the field can spot that difference. As a Film & TV expert I can identify the vague details of a report in my field. But I have to be on top of my game to remain that expert, or students and an AI will swiftly outwit me.
Academics, examiners in particular, will be challenged by this new technology. They will be required to stay up to date – or be caught out by AI technologies. Eventually the use of AI technologies will be regulated so that examiners can be certain that the work presented is the original idea of the student.
A system that prefers non-experts over experts will be put to the test. The AI will disrupt the status quo, it will cause some pain, but it will improve our education. And that is a good thing.
My father was six years old at the end of WWII. This is how he remembers the moment when he thought he would die: he is watching my grandfather amputate the leg of a twelve year old boy when Moroccan soldiers fighting for France enter the house.
The doctor in the neighbouring village had already shot his wife, children and then himself. My grandfather is prepared to do the same. He reaches for his side arm as the soldiers roamed through the building. He knows that armed civilians are shot on the spot.
But then my grandfather changes his mind and hides the pistol under the boys body who does not survive the operation. My grandfather does not shoot himself, his wife or my dad. And the Moroccan soldiers never find the pistol hidden under the corpse.
These memories are now coming back to haunt my dad because of the war in the Ukraine. He remembers the terror, the smell and pain of war. Today my dad and talked about this, and we also discussed whats different. Before WWII people did not demonstrate around the globe against the war in the way this happens today.
Even though enemy broadcasts have been banned we can still find out on the internet and via social media what the other side is thinking. People in Russia can discover that like them we do not want war. Like them we want peace. Like them many of us are demonstrating against war and against Putin. The Guardian has a great article about this here.
I don’t know if that will be enough to end this war. But it gives me and my dad hope.
There is nothing we can do to convince these anti-vaxxers that neither science nor the government is involved in a conspiracy against them. Any attempt at dialogue is doomed to failure. The conflict with this group is programmed to escalate. Even after COVID has come to an end. Again and again we hear calls that we must ‘listen’ to these people. The truth is that any attempt at dialogue with them is doomed to failure.
The media, politicians, friends, family – all try to understand why these people behave so stupidly and try to undo this division in our society, in our families and at work.
But to undo this rupture requires everyone to come together – and it is obvious that these anti-social fanatics don’t give a flying fuck about friends, families, colleagues or the people who suffer in nursing homes and in intensive care units. They do not want dialogue. I hope all of them will be issued fines and are taken to court whenever possible.
Humans have changed the climate of the Earth. A few of us continue to deny this scientific fact, which is a big challenge:
But it is not the only challenge. Dwindling resources, mass migration, food security are going to be major challenges in the coming decade. In 1972 the Club of Rome published the bestseller ‘Limits of Growth’ (LTG) which explains the worlds economic and massive population decline within this century.
Or in other words: the Earth will not be able to support the billions of people living on it if we continue to fuck this planet up. Research lingo is distanced and impersonal – but that is what ‘population decline’ means:
more poverty, starvation, inequality and suffering.
A recent peer-reviewed Yale study revisited LTG and findings confirm that we are on track for massive population decline according to the ‘business as usual’ model or BAU.
The study reviewed available data and identified additional outcomes to the original BAU model. BAU2 is a likely outcome, which, if you follow the population graph is also not a cake walk for mankind. The anticipated population decline is still dramatic.
The CT option stabilises population but requires massive technological intervention. The SW option is least likely as the authors do not think the needed changes in societal values and priorities can be achieved.
What is blindingly obvious is that climate change is only one aspect of each scenario. Don’t get me wrong – I am glad that climate change is finally on our daily agenda. For too long it was not. But climate is only one factor in the coming disaster. Yes, pollution will turn planet Earth into a stinking pile of faeces, but this is accompanied by a steady decline in resources, i.e. fossil fuels, metals, minerals to name just a few.
Millions of people are at risk of being displaced over the coming decades due to climate change and dwindling resources.
Politicians, worried about popularity and votes, do not talk about this. Fossil fuel lobbyists do not want to talk about this at all – none of it is new news. We know about all of this since LTG was published in 1972.
What did we do during the last 50 years to avoid the coming disaster? Pretty much next to nothing, other than ignore the problem. But the Covid pandemic gave us another wake-up call, it has shown all of us how fragile in-time delivery supply chains already are. Our governments know this. Experts and politicians are very much aware of this study – but they are not informing us, the public, with the needed urgency.
Capital, lobbyists, our entire way of life needs much more drastic change than any of our governments want to admit. Future survivors of the cataclysm to come will look back on the 2020’s as the decade of missed opportunities which will result in tragic suffering and the loss of life around the globe – unless we act now.
Our media are saturated with fake news, lies and denial about the catastrophe we are heading for. Humanity is speeding at 200 km/h towards a massive concrete wall and we have not even began to slow down. Even if we hit the brakes now – there will be a crash. But we can limit the suffering if we come to our senses now, listen to science and vote for politicians that are not afraid to speak the truth.
The Creative Producer can help make that change.
For too long the truth is the victim in the media, especially fast-paced TV out to entertain more than inform in the chase for easy audience ratings. The Creative Producer can expose fake news for what they really are: media conglomerates owned by billionaireswho want to push their agenda with a taste for power and financial profit. They are not afraid to distribute fake news widely if it serves their purpose. Media producers need to shape up and recognise the responsibility they have to change societal values, to inform, to inspire audiences and turn them into activists before it is too late. But how can this be accomplished? Maybe Producers can begin distributing more videos like this one:
Producing videos like ‘How to eat for a mroe sustainable future’ is one example. 25 years ago John Elkington coined the term ‘triple bottom line’. The triple bottom line ‘was supposed to offer a radical new way forward, as businesses learned to stop focusing solely on profits and expand their focus to include improving the lives people and the health of the planet.’ But it clearly did not happen – otherwise we would not be where we are now.
Instead society continues down the road of a capitalist system designed to exploit and generate as much economic growth as possible – no matter the cost, for example by cutting in half duty on domestic flights in the UK.
What does halving air passenger duty on domestic flights say about the UK’s climate commitments?
At the same time as BBC Politics posted this interview with Greta Thunberg, Boris Johnson (I prefer to call him BoJo) had the nerve to lecture the G20 members in Edinburgh on the urgency of climate change, while his government is reducing duty on domestic flights.
It is this hypocrisy that turns the younger generation away from politics.
Well, older people like myself are also turned off like this. But perhaps we are more conditioned to accept the bullshit coming from populists like BoJo. I hope that the new generation will call politicians out for nonsense like this and start the needed revolution in politics to rid ourselves from this kind behaviour.
Generation Z does not care about ideology, left or right politics. The younger has an acute understanding of what matters: saving the planet. And our politicians and governments are not offering them the future they need. Especially populist-led administrations are not taking the action they promised.
The triple bottom line offers an approach where the economic costs for the people and the planet are included in the calculation.
Of course, Producers must generate financial profit to stay afloat. But financial profit alone will not save the economy. This kind of thinking will lead us directly into the BAU catastrophe. As a society we can change our values to protect people and the planet by means of taxation and regulation. And that is a huge a challenge considering that our world is dominated by capitalists who despise regulation at any costs. Their big claim is that the ‘market regulates itself’ and that ‘greed’ is good.Nothing could be further from the truth – greed and selfishness are destroying our planet.
If anything the covid pandemic showed us that nations regulating health services and safety protocols have fewer casualties compared to countries that refuse to accept the reality of the pandemic. Regulation works – if they are well thought through and implemented with competence and consequence.
The Creative Producer can transform the way people see the world,
by telling them the truth about what is coming, and by turning people into activists for a much needed and overdue social revolution.
The old party system is crumbling, politicians are wondering why the younger generation is not joining their ranks, not exercising their democratic privileges. TV talkshows are bursting with experts scratching their heads why Generation X, Y & Z are not engaging in politics. They question if the new generation is smart enough to grasp their ideology which is all about preserving the status quo.
And that is why the new generation is not voting for them: all of the old mainstream parties are full of ideology, more of the same bullshit, propaganda and slogans – none of it is fit to face the challenges we face as a people: the possible extinction of mankind within this century, caused by ourselves.
Generation Z knows this. Our children are not stupid. They see the mess my and my parents generation have created. I hope that this generation will wake up sooner than expected and really shake things up a little before it is too late. The Creative Producer must be part of that change. He, she or they can not afford to be passive bystanders any longer as we head towards BAU or BAU2.
I know all of this sounds alarming. And it should alarm you. Just look at BAU and BAU2. We have no one else to blame but us if these scenarios come true. But there is hope. All the studies say that we can still avoid the worst – if we act now. And as a media professional and teacher in the field I work with Generation Z every day. There are some very smart kids around – with a little guidance and encouragement they can develop, produce and distribute a narrative that will inspire, inform and activate audiences to make the CT or even SW scenario possible. I wish them the best of luck – they deserve all of it.
I love my freedom. To write like this. Uncensored. Free. It feels good knowing that no one will come knocking on my door and then take me away for a little ‘chat’.
But some of us feel governments are restricting their freedoms in the most extreme form. Their freedom not to be vaccinated is diminished because they cannot travel easily or eat out anymore unless they get tested. They think it is unfair that governments are asking them to pay for testing rather than having testing paid for by the taxpayer. They sometimes feel so strongly about this that they use terms like Corona Apartheid, Covid Gestapo, or Corona Dictatorship. Are strong terms like this really justified?
My Dutch grandfather was forced to work as a forced laborer in Hamburg during the dictatorship of the National Socialists in Germany. He died in Hamburg during an allied bombing raid. He had no choice, he had to go to Hamburg or face imprisonment.
He was discriminated against. Only Germans were allowed to seek protection in a bombing raid shelter. He was Dutch and had to stay outside. It cost him his life.
That is what dictatorship means to me. You have no choice. You are a 2nd class person. You might be imprisoned, tortured or murdered if you belong to the wrong group of people or disagree with the dominating ideology.
Some bloggers and social media authors saturate the web with catchy terms like ‘Cyber Dictatorship’. But just the fact that they can do this in Europe and the Western world in general, is proof that we are not living in a dictatorship. The fact that no one is being forced to be vaccinated is proof that there is no such thing as a Covid Gestapo. Try posting some anti-government slogans in China and see what happens.
Sure, wearing a mask is inconvenient. Having to pay for testing if I choose not to be vaccinated is another inconvenience. But why should the mostly vaccinated majority continue to fund that choice when the science is clear that vaccines protect us from Covid?
Masks, testing – these are minor issues compared to the tragedy that occurs in a real dictatorship. It is a far cry from the suppression of freedom of speech in a totalitarian state. It holds no comparison to the torture, suffering, and pain people endure in a totalitarian state.
I recognize that the definition of the word ‘dictatorship’ is fluid. Each one of us will have a different understanding of the word. Maybe we are lucky if this current generation thinks that masks and covid-tests are the worst that can happen to a person if these are the actions and consequences of a Corona Dictatorship and their Covid Gestapo.
But the memory of world war two, the Bosnian war, and recent events in Afghanistan show a reality that is different. Real dictatorships still exist. But here in the EU we are not living in one of them. We can speak freely. Though Hungary and Poland are exceptions. Freedom of the press and an independent judiciary are under threat in these two EU-member states. Perhaps those of us who are really so worried about our freedoms should focus more on what is going on in Hungary and Poland and be less concerned with the perceived restriction of liberties due to Covid. We can choose not to get vaccinated and instead get tested. We are not anywhere near the Corona Cyber-dictatorship some would have us believe.
Having said all that, I accept that some people prefer to think of Corona prevention measures as actions imposed on them by a Corona Dictorship. In our democracy, they are free to write and say this. But I do not agree with them. Their comparison lacks respect for all the victims that suffered in a real dictatorship. For example, my personal data would not be safe in a dictatorship. Nor could I write this freely about a topic like this in a totalitarian state. And while the EU and its member states made mistakes during the pandemic, most of us are safer now with the vaccine and the EU Covid QR-code than we were at the beginning of the pandemic. And that’s a good thing. Full-stop.
Now we know that is just one of the many lies Boris spread widely as prime minister. It is clear that Brexiteers have exposed the UK economy to serious competitive disadvantages.
Here are some very simple and frightening facts about the UK economy
The vast majority of SMEs are often family-owned businesses with just a handful of employees. SMEs are the driving factor of the UK economy. It is not the big corporate industries but SMEs that generate the needed taxes for the UK government.
In 2016 82% of UK SME’s were exporting to Europe and before Brexit exports to the EU grew substantially. Brexit has put a stop to this. Why would European customers continue to buy British lamb or any other UK goods after purchasing UK products became:
1) more complicated because of customs procedures, 2) increased logistical and customs costs and 3) longer delivery times?
Think about this from an EU perspective: you have twenty-seven other countries where you can do your shopping, easy, unbureaucratic and fast. UK SMEs are now left without access to the largest market in the world and without substantial revenues that kept them afloat.
How delusional the UK government has become is evident in the discrepancy on export figures published by Gove and the UK road haulage association. Gove claims level of trade is almost back to normal pre-Brexit levels at 95%, yet the RHA states that exports to the EU have dramatically “reduced by as much as 68%” since January 2021.
Some businesses may be able to adapt, but it is highly unlikely that Rees-Mogg’s “happy British fish” will still be palatable to any buyer in any market after Raab’s plan of a “10-year long wait“. Those comments are an insult to the many UK SME business owners and their families that face losses, perhaps closure and unemployment.
Brexiteers are not just totally fucked-up liars. They are clearly incompetent and ignorant of basic and fundamental economic facts.
What can we expect now? UK businesses are amazing in their ability to adapt and innovate. I was part of the UK creative industries for more than a decade and have nothing but admiration for my colleagues working in Film, TV & media in the UK. I am still a proud member of BECTU, the British Entertainment, Cinematography, and Theatre Union.
82% of SMEs losing easy access to their largest export market is a huge blow. It is difficult to see how this kind of massive competitive disadvantage can simply be innovated away. The finance sector has lost its EU passporting rights, UK musicians and their tour organizers can no longer tour easily across Europe, UK based airlines will have restricted airspace access, the fishing industry is being devastated leaving behind angry unemployed fishermen misled by Brexit lies, and SMEs will have to reduce manufacturing and purchasing costs when exporting to the EU. Or stop trading with the EU altogether. The list goes on and on.
Cutting costs means lower wages, less profit for businesses, and fewer taxes for the government. And that means less government spending in the future or more government borrowing. This Brexiteer government is without a doubt on the road to a humongous economic cluster-fuck. Brexiteers can be expected to lie again and blame the EU for their self-inflicted misfortune.
In 10-year’s time, UK fish will be happier – they will have escaped being caught by UK fishermen who are either unemployed or found work elsewhere. In the meantime, EU buyers of UK goods will have switched to suppliers in any of the other twenty-seven EU countries. British lamb is good, but so is Spanish, French, and Dutch lamb. But according to Brexiteer logic that’s ok. It means more British lamb, happy British fish, and US chlorinated chicken for British people. After COVID the NHS will have to deal with a population of meat-eaters suffering from gout. The British public can look forward to having their gout treated in a privatized NHS supplied by US companies.
Brexiteers are not just lying through their teeth to their electorate. They actually believe their incredible drivel and bullshit. They got away with it, are supported by the toxic UK gutter press, and as a result have created such a terrible mess that they have to pretend that all of these problems are “teething issues“. It is fucking obvious that these are not just teething issues. After COVID that will become crystal clear. Brexit means 82% of SMEs now face serious competitive disadvantages and there is no doubt that many SME’s will not survive Brexit.
Somewhat of an anglophile I was shocked to see the racist and xenophobic monster invoked by populists like Farage raise its ugly head during Brexit. But I have hope that in a few year’s time the British voter will realize the mess Brexiteers have created for them, their businesses, families, and friends. No one in the UK will escape the consequences of this idiotic quest for “more control“. The reality is that many more people in the UK will feel even less in control in the years to come.
But then, when the UK economy will have hit rock-bottom, when British politicians and the electorate will have overcome their incredibly arrogant cakist approach, when they have no one else to blame but themselves, perhaps then the people in Britain will look back at Brexit with deep regret. If the UK still exists.
I think it is now very likely that Northern Ireland and Scotland will leave the sinking ship and join the EU as soon as they can. Even hard-core DUP nationalists will consider joining the Republic of Ireland when facing economic decline and losing their livelihood. Being British matters to them. Being Irish and have an income is better.
The EU Lisbon treaty also guarantees equality and human rights – so NI protestants have more of a chance of a good life, a job, and an income after joining the Irish republic. Irish SMEs can thrive trading within Europe while UK businesses will have to cut costs or close down.
The UK may be able to act a little faster on some issues. The EU consists of twenty-seven members and the democratic process means it takes a little longer to make decisions. But that’s a good thing in the long run.
Johnson claims that his vaccine programme is a Brexit dividend, the new and ‘nimble’ UK. It is not, it’s just another lie. The UK would have been free to design its covid vaccine programme any way it would have wished for as an EU member. So the lies continue.
The UK Japan FTA does not go beyond the trade deal the EU already made with Japan. Many of the promised global FTAs are not forthcoming. The US has put the brakes on an FTA under Biden. UK ministers are scrambling to make new FTAs with countries like Colombia amazing, yet their scope is mostly limited and the EU already has a better and more comprehensive FTA in place with those same countries. The UK government has reduced itself to discharging giant lumps of extra-ordinary bullshit, excrements rubbed into our faces during regular clown-shows disguised as press-conferences featuring Johnson, Frost, Raab, Rees-Mogg and the likes.
And let’s not forget that Boris is partially responsible for the staggering rise of COVID deaths in the UK when he “shook hands with people” in a hospital that had COVID patients. He was happy to brag that he “will continue to shake hands”. Shortly after he ended up in intensive care.
How can anyone still take this man seriously? There is nothing Churchill-like about him. Churchill is BoJo’s big historical hero. Instead, I will forever remember him as BoJo the clown – and even that is an insult to all the clowns out there who are actually funny.
History will not remember BoJo as the hero that took the UK out of a mythical EU dictatorship. He will be remembered as the UK prime minister who is responsible for the economic decline that followed when the UK left its biggest export market. He will be remembered for all his lies.
These people are seriously fucked-up. There is no doubt about that. And they are in charge. Let’s hope, they come to their senses sooner rather than later. And if they don’t then you should vote them out of government as soon as you can. I would.
There was a time in my life when I felt that no one really understood what I was going through. A lonely time. Every morning I woke up with this shitty feeling in my stomach that just would not go away and get worse and worse. Until it got to a point where I was seriously considering ending it all.
Or find help. That was the first step. All I had to do is ask for help. Help can come in so many ways. For me, it was just as simple as talking to my doctor who referred me to a good therapist.
I was diagnosed with PTSD and counseling took almost two years. It was a long and rocky road of looking back on traumatic events in my life. Reliving them again was painful and ugly. But then, as I experienced these events again, I learned how to live with what happened. Without ugliness, there is no beauty. I began to feel better and my view of the world gradually changed. I no longer felt alone and was able to let go of feelings of guilt. Now I know that it does not matter what others think of me. What matters is what I make of myself, that I can forgive myself and move on.
Counselling also had a strong physiological effect. Before counselling began my blood pressure was at 210/140. There was a real risk of suffering a stroke or heart attack. I had to take three different kinds of blood pressure medicines. But even with all these pills, the blood pressure did not return to a healthy level. Eventually and after the two years of counselling my blood pressure slowly came down. Now it is a normal 130/90 and I no longer need two of three medicines.
My body was in a constant state of alarm, always ready to deal with something terrible again. Therapy helped me resolve this kind of conditioning. The constant state of alert raised my blood pressure to the maximum. Reliving traumatic experiences using rapid-eye-movement therapy helped release stressful body memories – or negative karma if you will.
I am making this comparison with Karma on purpose. After counseling ended I wanted to find a new way to explore the world. I needed to adjust to a new reality that I never really experienced before: what it is like not to be in a permanent state of alarm. Raised as a Catholic I knew that church dogma was not appealing to me. I was looking for meditation practices to help me maintain my newfound freedom. I needed something beyond marketing slogans promoting mindfulness and breathing techniques for yoga and meditation.
I searched for meditation centers in the Netherlands and found the Maitreya Institute in Amsterdam. I attended regular meditation sessions and learned that Tibetan Buddhists have a good sense of humor. What amazes me is the analytical approach to meditation in Mahayana Buddhism. Our teacher always made us laugh, and I left every session with positive energy and a better understanding of the world around me.
I am very grateful to my Guru Ven. Losang Gendun who prepared me for my journey as a Bodhisatva. Every time I begin to meditate I visualize his big friendly smile and remember his teachings. My Guru is with me where ever I am and that is a good feeling. I am never alone.
But I also admit that I am not well-read in Buddhist literature. Nor am I an expert in Buddhist history and traditions. But I feel a strong connection to Buddhist practices during meditation. I don’t like to advertise my beliefs, except in this blog. I only write this post in the hope that it helps someone who went through similar trauma. Someone who feels the need to explore the world in a new way after a long and difficult journey. Perhaps this is you?
Once I learned how to live with PTSD I became free from its negative effects on me. I could have stopped there. But suddenly I had the opportunity to explore the true nature of reality. Analytical meditation re-awakened my natural curiosity. Nothing is permanent, everything is constantly changing, even though we don’t want this to be true. It is scary to learn that nothing lasts.
I look at matter and reality differently now. Material things can bring satisfaction to my life – for a limited period of time. And I appreciate the satisfaction I get out of things like my mobile phone – or campervan. They serve a purpose. But in the end, we need to let go. Clinging to things only brings dissatisfaction through the illusion of permanence. And our mind is working hard to maintain that illusion. We want to hang on to things and people that bring us happiness – and end up being unhappy if we can’t let go.
Why am I writing about this? Once I faced trauma and managed to free myself from its unbearable weight, I was able to see the world more the way it really is through analytical meditation. Now I see a reality less tainted by fear which makes it possible to see the impermanent nature of it – and all the suffering in the world that is caused by attachment.
Buddhism does not feature a God above us. Instead, we all have the potential to become Buddha. We all have the ability to cultivate the positive aspects of our minds and resolve the negative sides of our minds.
The path towards Buddhahood begins with generosity. Being generous is not easy on a good day and even harder on a difficult one. But regular meditation practice helps maintain a routine. How do I practice generosity? Do I donate to charities? But what if I don’t have money? My Guru Ven. Losang Gendun helped me understand this.
You do not need material things or money to make the world a better place. A smile for the frustrated and underpaid cashier in the supermarket can make a difference in her daily routine. A friendly hello to the homeless person in the street can make him feel less excluded – even if you can’t offer any money. A positive (but not patronizing) attitude combined with generosity is always welcome. Compassion and generosity can take many forms.
Of course, I still donate to charities because I can afford it. You should too if you have the money. But you can make a huge difference to the people around you with small things like kind thoughts and actions.
I live in Europe and even during this corona crisis, I have had plenty to eat and drink. I could feel bad about all those people in the world that are hungry. World hunger is one of the greatest injustices on this planet. But what purpose would be served if I am angry about it? What else can I do to reduce suffering in the world? Well, instead of being angry, I wish that all the sentient beings in this world will have the same opportunity as I do to enjoy healthy food and clean water. Even if I cannot donate money and end world hunger immediately – I can make that wish.
Of course, that wish alone does not end the world’s problems. But it makes me appreciate what I have at home and it reminds me of the billions of people in the world that might not have enough. It makes me think twice about buying products that are not fair trade or manufactured by exploiting others. In this way, I can make a small difference. And together we can make big difference. Without feeling guilt and without anger.
This is where my journey took me after I faced my own fears. And I still have a long way to go. Meditation practices help me stay on that path. Mahayana Buddhism is friendly and open allowing me to draw from my own cultural and religious experiences. I am a cultural catholic of Dutch-German extraction. It does not make sense to deny my heritage and upbringing. Instead, I added Mahayana Buddhism to the mix. For example, now I believe that Jesus was actually a Buddhist. (I can hear you laughing! And that’s a good thing!)
To me, Buddhism makes sense of Jesus’ virgin birth. I see the virgin birth not as Jesus being conceived without sexual intercourse, but as a Buddha coming into the world free of negative Karma and equipped with the strong desire to return to this world until all sentient beings are free from suffering.
I hope that reading this blog gives you hope. Perhaps it even inspires you. You might not be interested in Buddhism and there are many other ways to explore generosity and compassion. All religions have positive aspects and all have the aim to make the world a better place. It is the interpretation of religion with a view to gain power over people that is problematic.
What matters is that you make that first important step: ask for help if you need it, especially if that shitty feeling in your stomach just isn’t leaving you alone. Listen to that feeling and don’t ignore it. That is how your journey will begin. I wish you the best of luck. And if you want to get in touch for a chat – here is how to find me:
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition The Maitreya Institute is affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. Ther FPM is an organization devoted to preserving and spreading Mahayana Buddhism worldwide, centres are located around the world. Start your search here if you want to find an FPMT centre near you.
Website of the Dalai Lama Really want to get into Buddhism? See what the Dalai Lama is up to including his teachings.
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