Thanksgiving

With palms together,

Good Morning Everyone,

 

As Thanksgiving is approaching, I have been turning my attention to considering what I am thankful for.  Appreciation and thankfulness should be a part of our daily practice.  In difficult economic times we sometimes feel scared, our eyes are on our loses, and our hearts may feel the sting of the three poisons: greed, anger and delusion.

 

I know I have been experiencing these three for sometime now. Mostly anger over other's greed and then my delusion that I am somehow different from my greedy fellow human beings. Those individuals in Wall Street or in the banking industry or the housing industry or the auto industry are me: we are all human beings. We each hope to make a profit from our work, we all blur lines on occasion. Our minds assist us in rationalizing our choices against moral authority.

 

What I know is this: anger is not healthy, neither is greed, and delusion?  Well, delusion is a whole other matter.

 

The counter-agents or "antidotes" to these three poisons are compassion, generosity, and wisdom.

 

So, in our daily practice we must begin to notice our anger and turn it to compassion; realize we are self-absorbed and turn it toward care for others; and deal with our lives in a way that shows our wisdom, our clear headedness. 

 

This coming US holiday is a good time to begin this practice in earnest.

 

Be well.