Kundun

After yesterdays upswing of bipolar mania I landed safely than spent the rest of the day feeling the call of gravity slowly bring me further down into myself. My female cycle was taking over. I just gave in, got some Ben and Jerry's, and rented a movie. Since I've been enjoying the Tibetan chants so much I chose an old Scorsese film, "Kundun", the story of the Dalai Lama's childhood in Tibet. It's been over ten years since I originally saw the film. 10 years, and nothing has changed for the Tibetans in that time except it's worse. And now despite the Olympics in China underscoring the Tibetan plight, our entire world continues to stand by impassively. In the film the Dalai Lama says "non violence takes a long time". He is purported to be the world leader currently with the most years experience (over 50 years on the world stage), but it seems as if his work has been ineffective. Yet he continues and despite a constant knowledge that the people he is responsible for are slowly being wiped out, he maintains his equilibrium. He even wrote a book titled "The Art Of Happiness". It makes you wonder-is war any more effective really, in the long run..in the short run? What good is war. What good is any violence? What more can he do? Isn't it really up to us?

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This Image "untitled woman lost in the desert" Illustration 7. Elena Ray Copyright 2008

Comments

[Thomas]

Kundun.
Yes. Heartbreaking.
Love the way your mind works, Elena. "10 years, and nothing has changed for the Tibetans in that time except it's worse." Damn. Tibet and the Tibetan people fell off the radar during the Olympics. Thank you for reminding me.