Sunday Gleanings: the Olympic Handshake

From Times Online

August 10, 2008:

At least five people were killed and several more were critically injured in a series of bomb explosions in China's far west region of Xinjiang, in what looks increasingly like a concerted bombing campaign by Muslim separatists to coincide with the Beijing Olympics.

I just joined a global handshake, beginning with the Dalai Lama in London and going all around the world to the Beijing Olympics.

In a way, this is a follow-up to my last post: It is for the People. My thoughts that the Olympics are for the people and not the governments of the world have not changed. It is most appropriate that we activists put aside our political agenda for the time of the Olympics and allow the people of the world to celebrate these Olympics with joy and in peace. Too often activists’ messages in regard to the Chinese government and its policies on Tibet, Burma and Darfur are couched in ways that are too easily interpreted as being attacks on the people of China.

Then, this morning, I received a email from Avaaz.org, a global web movement with a straightforward mission: to close the gap between the world we have, and the world most people everywhere want:

We've decided to take the moment back with a powerful, unambiguous message of peace, friendship and dialogue—the Olympic Handshake. The handshake began with the Dalai Lama, passing through the streets of London, now it's gone online where all of us can join in—help the handshake travel toward Beijing, where our message will be delivered through a big Olympic media campaign before the closing ceremonies. Join the handshake, and see yourself and others as it goes around the globe!

The original handshake in London created a human chain handshake connecting the Dalai Lama at the Royal Albert Hall to the Chinese Embassy on Portland Place. I wonder why I did not think of following the way of peace of the Dalai Lama? I wonder why the activists who choice to use demonstrations, words of hate, boycotts, and bombs in attempts to intimidate then government of China not think of following the way of peace of the Dalai Lama?

Now, the way is clear to me: the way of the Dalai Lama, the way of the Olympic Handshake:

I Do Not Do HNTs

Having recently completed the 1,000^th Blog Post celebration, the next in line for Nick’s Bytes is the 100,000^th Visitor. As of this writing, the visitor thingie (on my sidebar) reads 99,876. If visitors come by as usual, that means that visitor Number 100,000 will be by within the day or so.

Please take a glance at the visitor thing and, if you turn out to be the 100,000^th visitor, please tell me about it in a comment to Nick’s Bytes or in an email. Thanks.

It’s 6:15 a.m. I’m sitting at my desk, having just responded to the comments on yesterday’s Coffeehouse post. I am wearing my neat, thick, hooded bathrobe. Beneath the bathrobe, I am wearing nothing.

Alex is sitting under the desk, bathing. I’m a bit on edge: Alex’s claws are a short swipe away from my testicles. I feel apprehensive; I never know when the furball is going to decide he wants my full attention.

OK, I’m back! My apprehension turned into weariness, so Alex and I napped the morning away. Now the furball is out on the deck—napping again—so I feel secure in sitting here—fully clothed—and writing.

I am not publishing pics of me in my bathrobe ‘cause I’m not Half Naked on Thursdays! However, as I usually do, I shall open for you the (sometimes) weird thoughts that go through my mind. Today these include:

The Beijing Olympics

Just a few minutes ago the BBC reported that:

the head of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, has praised Beijing's "extraordinary" efforts to cut pollution ahead of the Games.

I have mixed feelings about these Olympic Games, regardless of how much pollution the Chinese have reduced. (After all, the Olympics were held in Los Angeles and the participants and spectators survived that pollution).

I really believe that the IOC made a huge mistake in selecting China to host the 2008 games. Perhaps they should have chosen a spot with less conflict, like maybe Afghanistan? Or, perhaps, the title of this year's Olympics could be changed to The Protest Games.

Well, in just a few hours, through the eyes of the world’s media, we shall see the beginning.

The USS New York: Out if the Ashes of 9-11

A friend emailed me these photos and the story the USS New York:

Do you know the story of this ship? If not, go here. (I only wish that the USS New York wasn’t a ship of war).

Thich Nhat Hanh, Engaged Buddhism, & Burma

With all that is happening in the world today, it is easy to overlook spots that drew our attention just a few weeks or even days ago. After the protest led by Buddhist monks in Burma (Myanmar) in the fall of 2007, the issues there seemed to slip away from new coverage until the devastating cyclones recently drew the world’s attention back to that Southeast Asian land.

The issues related to pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, her party, and the valiant protests of the Buddhist monks still exist, even as the media centers on the cost of oil, disaster in China, the U. S. Presidential race, etc. This was brought back to me this morning as I followed a link from the Digital Dharma blog to the site Tricycle magazine’s wonderful Change Your Mind Day 2008. There I found numerous videos including a couple featuring the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk with whom I hope you are familiar.

I was so impressed with these words of Thich Nhat Hanh that I want to share them with you:

Every day we do things, we are things that have to do with peace. If we are aware of our life..., our way of looking at things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment, we are alive. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh