Happy Wesak Day

Happy Wesak Day. Have not been blogging for some time now. Busy making a living. That is the problem with ordinary citizens. We are so busy making a living that we do not have time for the noble things in life like fighting for a better government, taking part in human rights demonstrations, going down to Perak to oppose the unconscionable take over of the state government, (on a big scale level) or to visit the sick in the hospital, the lonely elderly at the old folks home or the orphans at the orphanage homes, share our thoughts in our blogs (on a small scale level).

We are too busy earning to pay debts, to settle commitments- to feed, educate, clothe, shelter our own. We are so absorbed in our selves and our own- our little world- that there is very little energy or time left to fight for change in society. We are kept so busy in making money to pay bills that we are crippled to pursue our ideals. We do not have the freedom to be our true selves, to have the luxury to think, to be creative and do great things for our fellow citizens. We are constantly in a rat race. We become slaves to an oppressive system whereby we are compelled to sacrifice our values, our human dignity.

Perhaps today is the day to make a new commitment to manage our time better so that we have extra time to give to bring about a purification in the society we live in, to bring about real change. We can start by 'standing up and be counted' to bringing about a better government of the country which will bring about a better people, a better economy and therefore a better society.

E.F Schumacher, an economist had written in 'Buddhist Economics' (1973) that "materialism cannot sustain our present day economy as an attitude to life which seeks fulfilment in the single minded pursuit of wealth does not fit into this world, because it contains within itself no limiting principle, while the environment in which it is placed is strictly limited. It is clear that Buddhist economics must be different from the economics of modern materialism, since the Buddhist sees the essence of civilisation not in the manipulation of wants but the purification of human character. Character, at the same time, is formed primarilly by a man's work. And work, properly conducted in the conditions of human dignity and freedom blesses those who do it and equally their products".

May all be well and happy.