You heard it here first....!!! Hello Venezuela

[ronnewmexico]

Headline...US is prepping its population for war with Venezuela.

The FBI did a sting operation with a operative disguised as a Venezuelan political/buracrat aimed at two former Los Alamos New Mexico nuclear scientists.
The US video media is largly reporting it sans the addition of this being a FBI sting with no participation of Venezuela in any shape or form, whatsoever. Print media mentions it, but never as headline and always way into the article, and sometimes in a unclear manner. The emphesis is on this leading to selling of nuclear secrets to Venezuela with the intent of supposedly attacking places in the US such as NYC.

So imprinted in the americans fragile psyche is the notion that Venezuela is trying to get nuclear weapons and wants to bomb NYC.

So eventually goodby Iraq....hello Venezuela...long term of course. How did the american populace get so misplaced as to think Saddam H inspired 9/11...things like this, misinformation, set the ground work for such later false conclusions to be made.

What's a Buddhist to do?

[Indrajala]

At the very least, I think, in our present day the best thing to do is lead a moral and honest lifestyle. Refrain from violence, hatred, revenge and intolerance. Do not take sides in violent conflicts.

The world might go to hell in a hand basket, but at the very least as an individual you'll play no part in encouraging it.

And if the world really sinks into chaos and we're all destroyed, we'll die without any regrets and moreover at death there will be no need to fear an unfavourable rebirth for the actions we committed in this life.

[ronnewmexico]

Well certainly I agree with those sentiments.

However while america is of course not really a democracy of form, it does function in some semblence of one.
As such, perhaps though nonexistant at the time of the Buddha, is not one, in part responsible for actions of such governments which in structure at least are thought to be representative of its peoples?

And do we not then in such a environment thusly ensure karmic fault be present with no action of other than the present personal responses as mentioned?

My personal opinion is that in such a environment americans must take some action in some regard as americans all are in a sense, participants in this thing of government. Certainly in the day of the teacher Buddha such could not said to be so;all being totally authoritarian structured governments. As such the totally personal response would seem truly sufficient.

So I agree and disagree. I think all americans bear karmic fault a bit if they take no actions of a political sort in this circumstance.

Of course if one is not a american this would not apply(which I assume is the specific), and the personal response would be totally appropriate.

And in final question..could we not take a side in a violent conflict..... if say we were a german in 1928 and it was clear on which side the most harm would occur?..... that semblence of a democracy that germany was at that time. Not of course to advocate for taking violence as means but to advocate for taking sides as means, to prevent violence from occuring....great violence that is war. Would this response elicited alow for that circumstance? Would a good buddhist then be doing that in 1928 germany?

Buddhism it seems as opposed to Jainism does allow for nations and armies and such as history attests to such. And explains why there will never be Jainist identified nations yet there are Buddhist identified nations..Buddhism seemngly does allow for the politic while Jainism generally does not.