one last thought for today

The previous posts have all been grappling with my perspective.
I wanted to end today though reflecting on a dharma talk by the bellmaster of Beginner's Mind Sangha. He spoke last wednesday on right view, right concentration and right mindfulness (elements of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path for the cessation of Suffering). The bellmaster shared with the Sangha (spirtual community) how he struggles to avoid the spectacle of war images and the anger these evoke in him by choosing what to focus on and in this way he demonstrated for us the inseperable nature of right view,concentration and mindfulness. He also shared stories of how he has to choose not to correct his mother's failing memory as she struggles with Alzheimers and how he must choose to concentrate on his wife's health not how and when it might fail because of her Multiple Sclerosis and finally how he works to maintain right mindfulness of his own emotions while remaining selectively engaged in protesting war, while refusing to consume the images and conversations of war. I am always humbled in hearing what thoughts weigh heavily on others and the similarities and differences in our experiences/perceptions of our individual reality AND shared humanity.