Noise

There is a recent idiotic mania in the USA. It entails watching/listening to stupid dribble on television/radio. When a celebrity makes a remark that crosses some vague line of good taste or hypersensitivity, usually concerning a minority population, a cat fight ensues in the media, which the masses watch and feed with great enthusiasm. All of this is simply noise. It changes nothing. It feeds the very prejudices and resentments which are at the root of the behavior itself. This noise is a symptom of a society which has forfeited education and civic responsibility in the name of permission and libertarianism. One true cause is greed, which has depleted funds from the community chest for schools and child-support services. Another true cause is the lack of investment by parents in actually instilling ethics and manners in their own children. This is a society of childish, self-gratifying parents, whose children reflect their lack of discipline and respect for society. The cumulative self-loathing of the society has led to this mania for throwing stones from the windows of glass houses. My practice entails the conscious use of silence to quiet the mind. My practice entails looking at my own demons before pointing at those of others. My practice entails showing respect to others in the community, while reserving my right to my own thoughts and opinions. My practice entails confronting or ignoring disrespect calmly and non-violently on an individual basis as I walk through the world.