The Enemy Is Within Ourselves

I am not worried about an immigration problem, as many people are these days – many presidential candidates and so forth. But then, if that produces more terrorists inside, then it is a big problem. So that’s the true dilemma. Otherwise, such a human suffering, we should have and could have opened much more. Anyway.

Those of us who have been through this are reminded of two things to remember. One is: what we went through is real and what they are going through today is real suffering. It is human beings suffering in that condition and it is real. Also, remember: the sufferings are all man-made sufferings. Maybe it’s our karma, no doubt about it, but they are man-made sufferings. So many of our human problems – most of them – are man-made sufferings. The solutions for these also lie with human beings. So much so, that when you really trace them back, those sufferings are created not only by human beings, but by human negative emotions.

Hatred is number one. Of course, fear, hatred, jealousy and all of them are making people’s lives miserable in their own birthplaces. Look at Iraq and now Syria. Can you imagine? Two or three wars have been going across their country for the last three or four years. It is really, really terrible and at the end, if the war ever ends, there is no country left. It is totally going to be total rubbish. I do remember, after we came as refugees to India, in the same year Hungary had that same problem. Not as severe as Tibet, but they went through the same problem, with huge issues over there. Many Hungarians became refugees and all that. So today, Hungary is a little bit harsh on the refugees. I am sure it’s because they went through the same problem as we in 1959. I am sure it’s a very strong reminder for those Hungarians who lived through that. So otherwise, why should they be so harsh, much more than other European countries? Also the refugees are looking at passing through Hungary, rather than remaining in Hungary, but still, they have those difficulties.

So, all of those give us a very strong message: The enemy is really within ourselves. Throughout history, the refugee problem comes from hatred. It is caused by hatred, jealousy, obsession and all that, throughout, everywhere. It is really pinpointing us to where the real problem is. The problem is not outside, though we blame the enemy. We Tibetans blame Chinese communism. Of course the Middle Easterners probably blame us, deeply, in their heart of hearts. We try to pretend to be liberators and problem solvers, but it seems to be creating a lot of problems, if we go anywhere with guns. We create lots of problems, but we look at ourselves as problem solvers. The American public is really very kind, and very wonderful, and sweet. I cannot imagine. I cannot forget the image when they were saying that we need to go to Iraq and the Middle East to solve their problems. The public really had that image of us as problem solvers, rather than creating difficulties there.

If the public had that image, it would immediately stop it, for sure. Remember, during the Vietnam war, when the war pictures started to show on television, the anti-war demonstrations moved like wild fire. Immediately, including the University of Michigan, and every institution started that movement, and finally the war stopped. You remember, the administration during the Iraq war was so careful not to show war pictures on TV. Instead they showed things that looked like computer games, where they hit a target and that went boom! Blow-up and no killing, no blood or anything. Just a little blow-up. So people enjoyed that half way as a computer game or something. Somehow they were able to avoid the anti-war movement to become strong like in Vietnam. It didn’t happen. So that’s why even after a decade, the war is still continuing. The people who are really kind and compassionate, think we have got to go there because they are killing each other and we have to get them separated, and settle them, and then we come home. That’s what the American public thought we are doing.

It is because they are kind and compassionate, and that’s why the public image was like that. And the management also managed not to show those bloody murdering things on TV, though the TV stations have every….I don’t know whether they have the freedom to show it or not, but they chose not to. So that’s this.

Now the refugee problem, they can’t hide. There is nothing to hide. It is in the open air and there is no reason why they have to put restrictions. So we can see very well. They have this huge refugee problem because they can’t live in their own house. They cannot. It’s exactly the same way when I left Tibet. I left my home, because we thought that somebody is going to come and kill us. Somebody with a gun is going to come and shoot you, and catch you, and put you in a labor camp, and make you work and die there.

That’s what we ran away from, and I am sure most of those refugees run because of that reason. So, this is really human suffering caused by hatred. It is caused by 9/11, which was caused by hatred, the hatred of, let’s call it Osama bin Laden, or whoever in that group and their hatred against us. Then of course we retaliated, and we have been retaliating for 15 years continuously, and still the suffering continues. It is sad indeed. But then that is human behavior. That’s how we behave and that’s how we encourage our hatred. That’s how we encourage our anger. That’s how we encourage our obsession. Then of course, people take economic advantage in between of the people’s suffering. That is really obvious, completely. The more trouble we have, the more bullets will be produced. So that is the true situation. If this is not called suffering, then what is suffering? Honestly. That’s what we are living and that’s what we are breathing and that’s what we see every day and hear every day. Although there is nobody shooting and making trouble like that in the United States or Western Europe, but when the refugees are coming to the doors of Western Europe, then somebody is knocking on your door. So they are there. But then, whether they are really here or not, but we are living together.

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