Thich Nhat Hanh and Henry Miller

I’ve been reading both Thich Nhat Hanh and Henry Miller at the same time. They speak the same language in different tongues. They sing of life with exuberance, skill, and clarity. The force of their honesty cannot be ignored. They oppose fear and all of its extensions: anger, greed, authoritarianism, power lust, denial, dependency, ambition, materialism, boredom, inadequacy, failure, self incrimination, disrespect, selfishness, hopelessness, in short, all the common qualities of politicians, lawyers, cops, military generals, university officials, bureaucrats, and most school teachers, priests, and business leaders as well. They opt for life in the moment with the fire of love in their eyes and peace in their hearts. They refuse to kill for any reason, especially patriotism. They open their hearts to everyone without exception, reaching across the great divide of ignorance to the forces of fear on both sides while refusing to take sides. They speak with everyone in mind, including the Hitler’s and Bush’s of our life and times, because they recognize that we are all here together in this wonderful moment, and they sing with forgiveness and grace in their hearts. Their goal is peace on earth in this singular, beautiful moment.