As It Is and Suffering: Oilspill of 2010

5000 barrels of oil every 24 hours, probably an underestimate but who cares, is gushing into the Gulf of Mexico right now. This massive tangle of gloppy fingers of black mess is heading to massacre, not just many animals, but many species of animals. Entire populations of beings may be completely annihilated by this man-made disaster. Innocent creatures are fishing for dinner on a placid day unwittingly living a final peaceful evening before unprecedented and extremely painful death oozes over their habitat.

My heart is breaking; I feel the tremendous suffering of my fellow beings. And I grope around the catelogue of ideas and wonder how to employ them in the midst of, literally, impending doom?

Perfection is not another word for ideal. And this holocaust is nowhere near being “through its doing.” (This is in reference to the previous post.) So, how to apply the concepts I wrote just this morning? How does perfection invite my awareness in this situation?

I am reminded of the teaching from the Vedas about the three sources of suffering: adhyatma(subjective misery), adhibhuta(misery produced by other beings like bugs and thieves) and adhidaiva(trouble or misery by global and untouchable agencies, like earthquakes and floods. And I am not clear which type of suffering this is, for surely it has been caused by human beings, not nature. We, I, have taken part in this tragic event against countless fellow beings. To them, it will be like the hurricane to a city on the coast. To them, it will be the hand of an unseen force pressing the life out of their lungs. And they will not have the luxury of a mind that can find a different view through which they can transcend the suffering. They will simply be busy dying. Suffocating and death by poison will be as it is for them. Simple. They will be present to that process of dying without taking last rites or repeating mantras. But can we humans sit by and be casual observers to this? In what ways are we to participate that are authentic? Because we are all in this together, no matter how anesthetized many people on this planet are to our inherent interconnectedness.

While we are in the throes of a horrible happening, compassion is required. A compassion that directly acknowledges the suffering. Assigning blame will not halt the inch by inch, wind and current driven onslaught, nor will clever excuses. The wildlife will be living that death without a bunch of story or explanation of it. Still, life and balance depends on my having a clear sense of autonomy from this thing even while relating to my being Oneness with it. Histrionics or jumping into a codependent role with it will not contribute to a peaceful, timely resolution.

And I wonder, how can I, too, die totally in this moment? Die and be completely, absolutely present to what is unfolding? When I do, I implode into deep sadness. And that experience is not an idea, but it does pass. How can we begin to live as who we truly are and not be forever a millimeter away from the suffering of the world? I don’t think this is just negative thinking. When I feel the tentacles of my being reach into the soul matter of that pain, it is beyond an idea, although writing about it now has reduced it to a concept.

Side-by-side sit the acknowledgment of seeing it as it is and the experience of deep suffering. Ironically, there is liberation in honestly being present to and holding both simultaneously and viewing them without trying to solve anything. For, in this moment, with what may be over 5 million barrels of oil before it is done, there is no solution to what is. And there is great suffering. Story changes neither. Philosophy changes neither. Acceptance of this might be the only avenue to a peace around it. Acceptance and a prayer for hasty perfection, for many of us will lose life before this thing is completely done.