Question
How can we restore hope and give love to these young people setting fire to
French suburbs?
How can we open the “policeman’s” heart of a Nicolas Sarkozy who pours
oil on that fire?
How can supposedly intelligent, mature men fail to see
suffering and offer only repressive solutions?
Why don’t they listen to their voices?
How can we believe a country can be well governed by people
like that?
How can we still believe in politics?
Anonymous
Master Kosen’s answer
There are two opposing attitudes: giving and taking. Opposing because we cannot give and take at the same time, just as we cannot inhale and exhale at the same time. The problem with politicians is that in the vast majority of cases they are there primarily for themselves, to gain power, success, and money. The population’s well-being will never be their priority unless it becomes a condition of their personal success: election or reelection.
In Zen, we focus primarily on exhaling, and inhalation then happens automatically, radically transforming our state of mind. We give first, and merit then appears automatically.
Kosen