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A Larger View A Bi-Monthly Newsletter of the Inner Outer Partnership Volume V Edition 6 November/December 2000 The Middle East: Oxymoron for Religious Tolerance?      Not only is the Middle East a political problem, it is also an ethnic one, an international relations and economic powder keg, a sociological quandary, and a moral situation. Most of all, however, it is a religious dilemma, a place where the ethos of three major religions meet and clash. Religious dogmas give the region its significance as well as endow it with larger than life history. Not only is it the place where those three religions have sacred sites, it is also a place where the name of religion shadows all other major claims. Why then is it a place where the ethos of those religions is either forgotten or perhaps not practiced? The keynote of Islam is submission, submission to the will of god, that of Judaism, justice and that of Christianity, love. Somehow it seems that utilizing the principles inherent in those keynotes to see more clearly, finding right solutions ought to be possible.      International crises are normally solved in the political arena. Heads of State and their delegates are the usual vehicles. But the Middle East is not an ordinary crisis and perhaps to solve it a new paradigm ought to be called forth. A call by spiritual leaders to rally behind the spiritual tenets common to all three religions, tenets such as unity, compassion, tolerance, and social justice would be bound to create a helpful framework. The key, as perhaps the difficulty, lies in the distinction between spiritual and religious.      Many would label such a call naive, for it seemingly ignores what has re-ignited the conflict, the role of religious extremism. And it is such extremism that has enflamed all sides, weakened peace efforts and lies behind the resistance to needed compromises. Given that there is more to the region than extremists, that those extremist groups are often used to political advantage and that none wants the dire consequences looming at the time of this writing, bringing in the power inherent in the spiritual values espoused by all could create a sufficient opening to sustain talks and arrive at an answer.       In a recent L.A. Times Op-Ed piece, Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of "Spirit Matters: Global Healing and the Wisdom of the Soul" suggested the exercise of compassion as prelude to possible solutions. What if Jews understood the suffering of Palestinians and what if Palestinians understood the suffering of Jews? A dialogue erected along spiritual values is worth thinking about. Perhaps it would not succeed, yet if conducted under the right auspices, it is doubtful it would fail. The Story Behind Numbers      Statistics are more than mere numbers. They reveal. Those that follow were given to us by a reader who was struck by their implications for social justice. They are taken from an article by Marlin Wroe for a British publication. Please note that for the sake of space we 've edited and compressed some of them and that a pound is about one and a half dollars. Bill Gates, Helen Walton and Warren Buffet are the 3 richest people in the world. Their combined wealth of 82 billion pounds makes them richer than 48 of the world's countries put together. In Britain, 78 people in 100 have their own TV. In Bangladesh it is one in 100. In Monaco there are 99 phones for every 100 people. In Cambodia, there is just one. In France everyone has access to sanitation. In Malawi only 6 in 100 do. The cost of a single stealth bomber could wipe out the debt of 20 of the world's poorest countries. It would cost less than 4 pounds per child to provide education to every child in the world. Europeans spend 7.5 pounds each year on ice cream. The cost of feeding the armies of the world every year is more than the total income of the poorest 45 per cent of the world's people More than 22 million people are refugees with many more displaced within their own countries. On the other hand many choose to "displace" themselves; global tourism is booming - 600 million people in the last 20 years. A kitchen tile in Bill Gate's 32 million pound Seattle mansion cost 450 pounds. That is more than the average weekly income of a village of 82 people in Uganda. Mobile phone sales are booming; telecommunications is one of the most profitable global businesses. But more than half the people on the planet have never made a phone call. More people have climbed out of poverty in the last 50 years than in the previous 500 years. Polio was one of the worst killers of the 20th century, some 20 million people remain paralyzed. After a worldwide immunization program, polio will be eradicated within two years. Twenty years ago, 4 people in 10 had clean water; now it is 6 in 10. An average family had 4.7 children; now it is 3. Infant mortality was lO in lOO, now it is 6 in l00. Fertility Technology and Its Consequences      Although there is no precise count, some in the field of reproductive technology believe that there could be more than 100,000 frozen human embryos throughout U.S. fertility clinics. Ensuring the needed temperature, 321 degrees below zero, and the proper amount of liquid nitrogen may be tricky, for a slip in the nitrogen level could be disastrous to the embryos. And yet however delicate maintaining these conditions may be, it is nothing compared to the philosophical, moral and legal issues that have arisen.      Take for example, the some 20,000 abandoned embryos, embryos forgotten by their donors. Who has the right to decide what to do with them? Some would like to dispose of them, some would like to use them for scientific research, but given the arguments well publicized through the abortion rights debate, it is not likely consensus will soon be found. Meanwhile courts do not agree and most state legislatures are not yet sure how to handle the problem which some experts say is likely to get bigger.      Are these embryos property? Are they human? They are drawing interest beyond the doctors and patients who created them. Adoption agencies are transferring some of the abandoned ones to hopeful parents, but the lack of clear laws often make this difficult. In fact the lack of clear laws compounds many of the issues. In Tennessee three different courts ruled differently on the same case, that of a divorced woman who wanted to have children from the seven frozen embryos that had been conceived with her former husband. He, on the other hand, wanted no children. A state court ruled in 1990 that the embryos frozen in 1988 were children and awarded their custody to the woman. The same year an appeals court awarded joint custody saying both should have an equal say in their disposition. Still in 1992 the state's Supreme Court saying that his ex-wife could not force him to become a parent awarded custody to the ex-husband.      In the midst of the legal and emotional tangles there is perhaps a set of principles that is being neglected, an ethical code with roots in the spiritual. It is doubtful such a code would provide easy answers, but it would point direction. By spiritual of course is not meant the tenets of any one religion, but rather the underlying ethos unifying most. While the spiritual values of such a code usually guide individuals, they could also provide courts as well as others with a framework to clarify issues and inform decisions. The Benefits of Patience, Dalai Lama Style      Despite its serious title, the Dalai Lama's "Ethics for the New Millennium", has been quite popular. And no wonder, it weaves the universal to the particular in a thought provoking and helpful way. We are used to compassion being a cardinal concept of Buddhism, but what struck me was how other qualities, well known in the West as virtues, bear on that practice. I was especially struck by the role and application of patience, so pa in Tibetan.      One way to begin to gain familiarity with the practice of patience, the Dalai Lama suggests, is to spend time reflecting on what it can bring us. To him one of its clear benefits is as "the source of forgiveness". One reason he writes is that "forgiveness arises naturally" from a patient attitude when it is combined with discernment about the difference between the person and what he or she has done patience then "enables us to reserve judgment towards the act and enables us to have compassion for the individua1". As I pondered his words, I recalled many instances when it would have been wiser to have just taken a deep breath, left a situation, taken a walk or the like. And such hind-sight is precisely why he recommends spending time getting familiar with patience as a concept and a virtue. "If..we ignore the practice... until we are actually experiencing trouble, it is quite likely we will not succeed in resisting provocation." Indeed, to him the most important benefit of patience is that "it acts as a powerful antidote to anger". It thus can help us maintain an inner balance which could otherwise be thrown by an emotional state such as anger.      His treatise does not omit the practical. Becoming more familiar with patience, he says, is helped when we do not allow ourselves to "think of adversity...as a threat to our peace of mind ...." Practicing patience in the face of actions or words that are meant to harm us can be a powerful opportunity to learn and develop a deeper sense of its meaning of course, some situations might call for something other than patience, honesty, for example. But no matter the response, it would still need to meet an important criteria of compassion, that is, be motivated by concern for the other.       In fact, concern for others best describes the underlying thrust of the book. Although we are treated to different concepts meant to propel us on the path toward a more meaningful life, at the root lies our attitude toward others. Spiritual practice, he acknowledges, is "nothing more than acting out of concern for others". And he concludes by a hopeful and pragmatic observation: "Provided you undertake this practice sincerely and with persistence, little by little, step by step, you will gradually be able to reorder your habits and attitudes so that you think less about your own narrow concerns and more of others". In doing so, you will find that you enjoy peace and happiness yourself." Seed Thought      The Dalai Lama describes the following as "a short prayer which gives me great inspiration in my quest to benefit others". May I become at all times, both now and forever A protector for those without protection A guide for those who have lost their way A ship for those with oceans to cross A bridge for those with rivers to cross A sanctuary for those in danger A lamp for those without light A place of refuge for those who lack shelter And a servant to all in need From "Ancient Wisdom, Modern World, Ethics for the New Millennium"