Dolly lived up to her cute name. So far there is a report of an indirect casualty, a Mexican who touched an electrical line, only one injury of a teen braving the wind from a balcony, and material damage. The levies held and most farmers are relieved the drought has ended. Residents are thankful the damage isn't as bad as they feared. It's very interesting to note that Dolly did not damage any refineries in the Gulf, therefore sparing us from another spike in oil prices. She even blocked McCain from visiting a Gulf refinery, leading to his embarrassing last minute visit to the cheese section of a supermarket. The picture below illustrates her clear message on how Bush and McCain's offshore oil drilling would ruin the environment. The simultaneous Louisiana oil spill reinforces the point.
Other hurricanes swirled around the oceans avoiding land, notably 'Cristobal' a derivative of Christ or play on crystal ball, and Fausto, whose name evokes the union of Faust, the devil, with O, the masochistic literary heroine. The intensity of her love for her sadistic master overwhelms his intent. I always thought spirituality could be considered a masochistic pursuit and O's fervor is a metaphor for the unconditional love necessary to achieve it. On the bright side, I don't believe in evil, rather interpreting misery as an opportunity to learn how to react gracefully without perpetuating the cycle of pain. Here is how Venerable Tenzin Palmo, a Buddhist master, interprets this concept in her book, "Reflections on a Mountain Lake: Teachings on Practical Buddhism".
There is a film called "Groundhog Day," which is really a Buddhist movie because this is exactly what the plot is about. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's about somebody who had to relive the same day again and again until he got it right. He started out with an extremely negative attitude, and so throughout the first day he created a lot of negative causes. People related back to him from his own level of negativity, and so he had a very bad day. Then the next day he had to experience the same day all over again. Then again, and again. He became desperate to find a way out. He attempted suicide many times, but the next morning, there he was again in the same room and the same bed. The date hadn't changed, and the same song was playing on the radio. His attitude underwent many, many changes, until in the end he spent most of his time trying to help people. He forestalled tragedies he knew were going to happen because he had lived the day over so many times, and his whole attitude gradually turned around into working out ways to help others. As his inner attitude transformed, the day gradually got better and better. Finally, he was able to break through to a new day. The important thing is how we respond to our situation. We can transform anything if we respond in a skillful way. This is precisely what karma is about. If we greet situations with a positive attitude, we will eventually create positive returns. If we respond with a negative attitude, negative things will eventually come our way. Unlike the scenario in the movie, it doesn't always happen right away. We can be very nice people but still have lots of problems. On the other hand, we can be awful people and have a wonderful time. But from a Buddhist perspective, it's just a matter of time before we receive the results of our conduct. And usually it is true that people with a positive attitude encounter positive circumstances. Even if the circumstances do not appear positive, they'll be transformed through a positive view. On the other hand people with negative minds complain even when things are going well. They also transform circumstances, but they transform positive ones into negative ones! Both our present and our future depend on us. From moment to moment, we are creating our future. We are not a ball of dust tossed about by the winds of fate. We have full responsibility for our lives. The more aware we become, the more capable we are of making skillful choices.
