Our Dozers of Love

mighty dozer of love ~d nelson

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don’t blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and argument. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

dozer vs mountain ~d nelson

If it was left up to me, and you,
everyone would have an equal opportunity
to live a simple, joyful life with equal access
to clean air to breathe, clean water to drink,
food, shelter, education, healthcare,
to go along with life, freedom & pursuing happiness.
If I had my way, nobody would die working,
e.g., reach the end of life while still
needing to work until the very end.

dozer moving earth from under our feet

The common good, which benefits all of us
including above mentioned opportunity, access & assistance
is being bulldozed by those with power, privilege & wrong views.
Funding for our common good will further be eroded by tax cuts
that will likely generate enormous deficits for our children, decimate the currenly impovershed,
leave crumbs for the middle class and gift a huge benefit for the already wealthy.

many new dozers just over the fence

Let us embrace compassionate in & out breaths
to fire up our own heart/mind’s dozer of love
that we better understand the true nature
of greed, hatred & delusion, within & without,
to better care for ourselves & those in need,
to help build a better society & preserve
& protect our precious planet.

dozer awaiting our heart’s desire

In the coming year, we’ll need to continue offering our caring presence,
together supporting needs & aspirations of love & understanding.
Not sitting idly by while decent society gets dismantled one law at time.
Those of us who are actually paying attention can see the direction this is headed.
The forces of ignorance, of greed, of anti-science, of anti-reason, seem to have won.
But, with patience, we have the eternal law of impermanence on our side.

really big wheels keep rolling

Yes, I experience conditions of happiness any time, still
what is rapidly happening outside of me makes me sad, also.
As depression is contagious, let us not be trapped in passing despair.
We can take baby steps of action. We can use our mindful bulldozers
to move mountains of love & hope. There are hopeful signs, such as…
Women & others with ethics are running for office at unprecedented rates. We must vote for them.
Donations to social causes are up. Voices long dormant are being raised.
Many are waking up to what is happening. There’s worldwide support for special prosecutor’s criminal investigation.

dozer clearing obstacles of love

When we begin to emerge from this national nightmare,
we should remember the complacency that brought us all here
and never again take for granted that from those
to whom much is given, much must be expected.
With the new year, may all beings be happy, safe & free.
With our love, may the rights of nature be protected from unwanted dozing.

“The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.” ~Robert Hutchins

dozer taking trees