A compassionate Nature
Q. How many psychologists does it take to change a light globe? A. One. But the light globe has to want to change.
I am attempting to debunk the misinformation surrounding asylum seekers coming to Australia, in a conversation with an elderly friend of mine. She spends her days listening to right wing shock jocks blaring on the radio and reading status quo newspapers, so its no surprise she repeats this litany of lies fed to her by these purveyors of racist propaganda. It is Refugee Week and I have decided to give her a copy of the Refugee Council of Australia resource kit on asylum seekers.
I have no illusions though about the effects of this well researched, factual document's ability to dispel the years of brainwashing she has undergone. I don't see her having an epiphany and saying, "They lied!"
There are however, repercussions accruing from questioning the veracity of those people you have always regarded as an 'authority'? Further erosion of long held beliefs is possible and doubt can creep in. Inevitably a change in ideas can occur and sometimes a more compassionate spirit is fostered. This is not always so because people choose whether they want to embrace a challenge to their beliefs. Many people feel safer holding onto the 'us and them' mentality than risking an open trust in humanity.
I want to share a story from Arnold Zable's beautifully moving book, The Fig Tree which illustrates choice. He poses the question, 'why is it that in one place people welcome strangers, while in others they stand by and condone the murder of neighbours?' He relates a story of filoxenia, 'the love of strangers', the sacred bond between guest and host, especially the welcoming of an outsider or passing seafarer. In 2001 a Turkish flagged ship carrying 714 Iraqui Kurds and Afghan refugees broke down in the Ionian Sea. The Greek coast guard towed it to the town of Zakynthos. On arrival, the people lined the waterfront and cheered. Food was freely distributed, pregnant women and babies were taken to hospitals or housed in hotels. Since that time a number of families on that ship have been provided with a home on the island. Arnold Zable contrasts this empathetic response to a similar situation in Australia at that time, which became known as the Tampa affair. 438 asylum seekers in a leaky boat heading for Australia and planning to claim refugee status were refused entry to Australia. This act of cruelty, not only contravened International Law but signified the beginning of a political and social campaign that is still continuing, to prevent asylum seekers from entering Australia.
The Nature of Things.
There were once two monks filling their water vessels on the banks of a river. One noticed a scorpion slipped into the water and he reached in and fished it out. In doing so the scorpion stung him. He returned to filling his water container and once again noticed the scorpion had slipped into the river. He picked it up out of the water and set it on the bank and the scorpion stung him a second time. The monk's companion shook his head and scolded his friend.
"Why do you persist in trying to save that scorpion when you can see that it's in the scorpion's nature to sting?"
The monk answered, "Because it is in my nature to save."
Sources:
The Fig Tree by Arnold Zable
Text Publishing melbourne Australia, copyright 2002
Amnesty International Website with an essay on how Tampa became a turning point in Australian history.
Zen Stories to tell your neighbours
Artwork: Cross-Border by Roman W. Schatz
