More on Paying Attention

On the rooftop rack of an SUV in the parking lot of my coffee shop, placed almost out of sight, was the message, “We must be the change we want to see in the world.” Attributable to Mahatma Ghandi—“We must become the change we want to see.” From Sanskrit, “mahatma” translates to “Great Soul”. The driver of this rig—which included a homemade-looking trailer, artfully painted with the business name “Earthen Accents”, and decorated with colorful cabbages, turnips, and vines—was a young male. Testimony to his age, and I guess his athleticism, was a THULE brand storage box, the kind seen on lots of vehicles in this mountain area where sportsmanship runs nose-to-nose with raised consciousness. Of course, the rig could have belonged to his brother or a friend. I got the message, regardless.

Every once in a while I see a bumper sticker or slogan other depicted that sends up my antenna:

“I’m for the separation of church and hate”

“Somewhere in Texas a village is missing its idiot” (large yellow question mark hovering over the Waco area)

“I think, therefore I’m dangerous”

“Born OK the first time”

While not necessarily the standard here in this high desert place, slogans on vehicles are popular, and raised consciences are seen as a good thing—“Saving water is always in season”. Now as the saying goes, there’s a thought you can hang your hat on.

As I drove here this morning, the WIND POWER slogan depicted in rich blue on the rear windshield of a Subaru caught my eye as I waited at the traffic light. I liked its looks, certainly like it message, and thought,  “maybe I’ll get one of those for my truck”. As a rule, every time I think of putting any kind of sticker on my truck, my next thought goes to who would want to vandalize my vehicle because they strongly disagree with my sentiment. Destructive, vindictive attitudes aside, bumper stickers are almost like having something tattooed on my body, almost. I can’t escape the hypocrisy, however, of driving a Ford crew cab V-8. Alas, it is what I drive, high payments over a long term, and in spite of the fuel economy factor—I do get 20 mpg on the highway, with air—it’s one thing to make an unfortunate choice here and there like an expensive fuel-consuming vehicle, or failing to recycle when recycling is clearly an option, it’s another thing to advertise your politics.

For the last several months, people, who either don’t know my politics, or who are painfully caught up in their own, have been forwarding me anti-Obama email. Today I even thought about replying to one from a fellow Texan who perhaps actually believes in Bush #1’s compassionate conservatism, or perhaps also believes the popular notion from the Reagan administration that ketchup is a vegetable, as far as school lunch program guidelines are concerned. I have no doubt this friend is convinced Barack Obama is a Muslim, along with his wife, and that theirs is a Muslim agenda, whatever, “God forbid”, that means. God, save us from people who become fanatical in your name, Christian, Jew, Muslim, and so on. I don’t read, forward, initiate, or promote anything traveling through cyberspace relating to politics. Maybe I’m just so ignorant that I don’t want to have my ignorance show up as evidence supporting the same.

One thing I can put my weight behind is Ghandi’s message that we must become the change we want to see. I know that I spend far too much time worrying over things past and the unfulfilled promise of another day. We are the promise. We are the difference, if we choose to accept the assignment. I was given some good advice many years ago—don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow. I haven’t been particularly successful in putting into practice that advice. Monkey mind nonsense has had its way far too much with me. Maybe, if I want to slap a sticker on my vehicle, one that will bring a smile to some and perhaps cause others to want to know. Maybe something like, “Don’t indulge your monkey” or “It’s 10 o’clock in the evening, do you know where your monkey is”?

More on Paying Attention—Santa Fe, New Mexico (August 5, 2008)

R. Harold Hollis