Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life. Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye. This episode will be slightly more brazen than the gentle invitations to self reflect that you've heard from me before, and that's because after hearing the news of Desmond Tutu's death last month, it felt like the first of a trinity, with Thich Nhat Hanh and
the Dalai Lama not far behind. The sorrow I feel is not from the inevitability of this, I just can't think of anyone in the next generation to pick up the baton, so to speak. Nobody is without flaws, so it's important we not expect perfection.
It's just that our "leaders" today are in capitalism, electric cars, and space travel, though we DO have Greta Thunberg for environmentalism, for example, which is great, but who will lead nonsectarian spirituality beyond religion the way these teachers have been doing for decades? Those who have passed will be remembered forever in books, that's true,
but I believe we need living, modern-day trailblazers for us to emulate. And since nobody of that caliber comes to mind, this episode is a call to action, so BUCKLE UP! Follow my train of thought... Enlightenment is not reserved for the select few; it is essentially Embodied Mindfulness, which we can ALL do. Another word for Mindful is Considerate, which makes Mindlessness Inconsiderate,
but consideration of what? When we talk about being mindful, we talk about raising our awareness of the ripple effects of our thoughts, words, and actions. But the relationship between cause and effect is not always immediate or direct. Life is usually the result of cause... ripple, ripple, ripple, THEN the effect.
From the theoretical flap of a butterfly's wings in one part of the world causing a tornado in another, to every small change we make having much larger consequences down the line, we are all in a relationship with everything and everyone around us. And just like in ANY relationship, we cannot be selfish and still expect it to work. There are side effects and consequences to whatever each one of us does because no man is an island.
What I'm saying is we can't keep turning a blind eye and walking away thinking someone else will clean up the mess; it's up to us! If you don't know how your decisions impact others, then ignorance may be bliss, but it is also egocentric and potentially harmful. Mindfulness demands that we never be indifferent about anything. The spiritual leaders we value know this, which is why they have passion, determination, and commitment.
Those qualities are not superpowers that are only available to them, we are talking about daily habits that add up to a sense of purpose and dedication, which are the fuel of life. So many of my One-on-One Sessions are with people who are looking for Purpose, but it's not something you magically find one day, Purpose is what we instill into our actions.
You don't need to be an entire nation's moral compass to be a hero, you just need to take the ripple effects of your decisions into consideration; it's that simple. Every action either positively or negatively affects someone else down the line. So, if you don't know where the products or the food you consume come from, for example, then find out. We can't be lazy about this because if we are, then we might be unknowingly supporting slave labor, toxic waste, violence, corruption, and even war.
Again, I'm not asking you to make big changes I'm only inviting you to never be indifferent about anything. We can't afford to be inconsiderate because the true cost of carelessness is our very humanity; THAT'S what we're losing by dismissing our responsibilities. As Desmond Tutu said, "I wish I could shut up, but I can't, and I won't."
This is a call for all of us to rise, think outside ourselves, and be mindful of the ripple effects of our daily choices because at the end of the day, your beliefs don't make you a better person, your behavior does! Let's be part of the solution by first and foremost not being part of the pollution. Godspeed! Timber Hawkeye is the bestselling author of Faithfully Religionless and Buddhist Boot Camp.
For additional information, please visit BuddhistBootCamp.com, where you can order autographed books to support the Prison Library Project, watch Timber's inspiring TED Talk, and join our monthly mailing list. We hope you have enjoyed this episode and invite you to subscribe for more thought-provoking discussions. Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love. 🙏🏼