I respect the Dalai Lama as much as anyone I can think of. Exiled from his own country, he is still the object of adoration and respect for Tibetans and Buddhists world-wide. George W. Bush should be exiled from his own country which he has led into a position of hatred and disrespect around the world. Look at some of what the Dalai Lama says in a Washington Post op-ed published October 21, 2007, titled “Brute force can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom”
He speaks of the benefit of non-violent opposition as compared to the benefit of violent opposition. “One may sometimes feel that one can solve a problem quickly with force, but such success is often achieved at the expense of the rights and welfare of others.” Can you say Iraqi intervention?
“We need to embrace a more realistic approach to dealing with human conflicts, an approach that is in tune with a new reality of heavy interdependence in which the old concepts of “we” and “they” are no longer relevant. The very idea of total victory for one’s own side and the total defeat of one’s enemy is untenable. In violent conflicts, the innocent are often the first casualties, as the war in Iraq and Sudan’s Darfur crisis painfully remind us.” Can you say antithesis of George W. Bush? Add Somalia to that list of crises…
The Dalai Lama goes on to speak about religion, the role of women, care for the environment, and education, things that touch all of us. Please read the article and, please, care.