The drums of war are beating. Conflict is boiling over. Spilling out from Ukraine and the Middle-East like magma flows from angry volcanic eruptions. At the same time politics seems gridlocked. Battle lines are being drawn up. The Western powers, some potentially underprepared, are waking up to the reality large-scale warfare is inevitable.
What is a simple civilian and family man like me to do to prevent panic creeping into daily life? I’ve seen many prepping videos, and some particularly nightmarish scenarios. For example, watching how a limited first strike Russian nuclear attack on the UK might work. The enemy logic for that being to create a humanitarian disaster for Europe to distract from Ukraine, while degrading the UK’s ability to respond.
Zen ideas to the rescue
Too much contemplating chaos. Let’s turn back to Zen. I’ve talked about Zen and war before, but now I’m focusing on Zen Buddhism on the home front. Zen gives a grounding perspective that offers a stripped back take on the world. It also transforms ordinary moments into gateways of insight. Through a Zen perspective, we learn to focus on the richness of direct experience, embracing the impermanence of everything around us.
A few recent happenings have illuminated these teachings to me, offering a glimpse into the practical wisdom of Zen in the context of modern living. Focusing on the mundanity of these events has taken my mind off the looming conflict. The first insight was overhearing the saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” This adage struck a chord with me. It was a humorous reminder of life’s inherent unpredictability. In Zen, this unpredictability is not a source of frustration but a reminder to live fully in the present.
Let me clarify. Despite our best efforts, plans often fall through, illuminating the utility of non-attachment and acceptance of change. Two key aspects of the Zen way. This understanding encourages us to approach life with openness and flexibility, finding peace in each unfolding moment. Whilst the macro scale may be overwhelming, with horrors of war potentially coming to visit upon our normal way of life, our own perception can give us solace. Take something very ordinary.
Far away from war, the sit-stand desk debacle
Recently, at the request of my still-injured other half (broken coccyx), I drove 45 minutes to somewhere in Hampshire to pick up a sit-stand desk. On arrival the sellers were very friendly, but it was clearly not an easily moving sit-stand desk. I pointed this out, and the sellers husband insisted we would be able to adjust the desk. We would just have to twist each of the legs. He said they had done it when his wife used it. Not wishing to have a wasted journey, I paid the couple the few notes and drove the 45 minutes home.
Next I cleared out my wife’s current desk, moved the old desk out of the room, down the stairs and into the garage. I spent an hour putting the legs on the brand-new second-hand sit-stand desk. It was clearly an adjustable standing desk and not an easily convertible sit-stand desk. I explained this miscommunication detail. That she had bought the wrong thing. She wasn’t pleased. In the end, I spent another hour taking apart the new desk and switching the desks back. Now the room looks exactly like it did on Saturday morning before the Hampshire trip and we have a desk to sell!
This could have been a frustrating experience. Angering even. However, in Zen, the path to peace lies in acceptance and the release of attachment. The whole desk disaster reinforced the value of flexibility and sense of peace that comes from embracing things as they are, even when they don’t align with our initial expectations. It’s also an example of things not going quite to plan.
A musical sidenote
We inherited my brothers electric piano at the start of the year. I find it interesting how anyone can make a tune with a variation of noises and if the variation between individual noises remains the same it will be recognizable as that tune. It reminds me that the human brain has evolved to spot patterns. It also makes me think of a digital-audio workflow when creating music. Using a digital sampler, one can make a tune in any arrangement and apply different musical sounds/instruments to it.
Our brains are powerful pattern recognition engines, adept at creating order from the chaos of reality. This innate ability to discern patterns is not merely a cognitive curiosity, but a fundamental aspect of how we navigate the world. Taking this example further, it is fascinating to consider how a melody can be identified regardless of the instruments playing it. A tune can be composed and then slightly rearranged or have its surface sound changed, without losing its essence. It mirrors the Zen approach to experiencing life beyond the surface. Just like there is a deeper ‘pattern’ connecting the sounds, there is often depth to our daily experiences.
In the context of making plans, this cognitive skill both aids and hinders us. On one hand, it enables us to envision future steps, predict outcomes, and structure our lives with a semblance of order. We lay out plans with the expectation that, by following a certain pattern, we will achieve desired outcomes. However, life, in its inherent unpredictability, often deviates from patterns we may arrange in our minds. Sometimes we get just noise rather than tune.
Final thoughts
A focus on the present moment keeps us grounded in the reality of the day-to-day. If the nation goes to war, which seems increasingly likely, Zen Buddhist ideas can help remind us that everything is connected. That we should focus on the present moment.
The task in front of us, although often mundane, is our saviour from succumbing to overwhelming worry. It is precisely in these challenging times that the Zen perspective becomes most valuable, guiding us toward inner peace and resilience through the acceptance of life’s unpredictability.
Overall, the Zen approach offers a pathway to maintaining focus amidst chaos. While we may not have control over the larger forces of war and geo-politics, we possess the ability to choose our response to them. In doing so, we not only safeguard our inner peace but also become beacons of calm in this turbulent world.
