The Mahayana Path
In Buddhism, there are three paths to BE’ing and Becoming. At one extreme, there is the Hinayana path, which is the thinking stage, where mind exists independent of body and others (i.e., other people).
At the other extreme, there is the Vajrayana path, which is all about physicality and cutting one’s way to clear the brush and carve the road, so to speak.
In the middle, there is the Mahayana path, which is all about negotiating, and engaging with others.
I would argue that now is a time for focusing on forging a richer Mahayana path, neither retreating into the recesses of the mind nor grasping selfishly and plowing others down.
If we learn nothing else from this time of financial/societal strain, it should be about creating accommodating space and committing to engaging others harmoniously.
The Wages of our Sins
Thomas Friedman of The New York Times does a wonderful job of capturing and framing narrative in a way that anchors the story behind the story; what I call ‘The Moral of the Story.’
In ‘All Fall Down,’ Friedman sermonizes on the financial crisis, shining a light on every link in the financial chain, concluding, “That’s how we got here — a near total breakdown of responsibility at every link in our financial chain, and now we either bail out the people who brought us here or risk a total systemic crash. These are the wages of our sins.”
Here is an excerpt from the article that provides a particularly grotesque example of fiscal virulence, excess and indiscretion at work:
“Long Beach Financial,” wrote Lewis, “was moving money out the door as fast as it could, few questions asked, in loans built to self-destruct. It specialized in asking homeowners with bad credit and no proof of income to put no money down and defer interest payments for as long as possible. In Bakersfield, Calif., a Mexican strawberry picker with an income of $14,000 and no English was lent every penny he needed to buy a house for $720,000.”
Fortune Befriends the Bold
I read this quote by John Dryden the other day, and it really struck me. In times of peril, fear and unknown there is a tendency to curl up into the fetal position and withdraw. But don't (withdraw). Be bold. Engage the world, and get back on offense because fortune befriends the bold.
Good Times to Be a Laker Fan
Time heals all wounds. Just a few months back, Laker-loving brethren (yours truly included) were consoling themselves from a thumping at the hands of the Boston Celtics (see ‘Sweet and Sour Endings: Boston Crushes the Lakers’).
After yet another blowout victory, this time beating the New Jersey Nets, the Lakers are now a league-leading 12-1, which is sweet.
What’s changed? As LA Times writer, Mark Heisler, notes in ‘Lakers are good, but we still don't know how good,’ a year ago, with Andrew Bynum hurt and Pau Gasol arriving to take his place, the Lakers had the No. 4 offense and the No. 19 defense. Now with Bynum back, they have the No. 1 offense and the No. 5 defense. Their point differential is 13 a game. The No. 2 team is Cleveland at 8.2.
But, as Heisler goes on to caution, "Even in Chicago, a Bulls theocracy in the '90s, they didn't start talking about 70 wins until the team got to 50 or so."
In other words, the NBA Championship victory parade is premature. There is still 85% of the season (plus playoffs) yet to be played, including a Christmas Day rematch with the NBA champion, Boston Celtics.
Still, great times to be a Laker fan (see 'Laker-Celts, and the Sporting Metaphor').
Have a great Turkey day!
