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Tezcatlipoca (the Smoking Mirror)
The embodiment of change through conflict. |
The buddhists say "thou are that". Your external reality is a reflection of your internal reality and visa versa. I see this very clearly as I get deeper into the hard internal work of being an activist member of my community. I come up against painful, difficult problems between myself and others: ego conflicts, angry and hurt feelings, past projections on present conditions, etc. and I begin to see that it only increases conflict if I act out of a belief that those issues are "out there". I'm an artist and am use to the isolated life of the mind in my studio where I play my own game without the annoying interference of other people. I'm trying to learn a new way now; to halt the rote response, take a deep breath and see how my inner conflicts are being mirrored around me. I can talk about inclusiveness, compassion, sustainability, transition but if I am not actively practicing these disciplines every day then what hope do I really have to help make the external changes that need to be made? Working with others brings me up hard against myself. The problem is the solution.
