Mettā Bhāvanā

Yesterday, at Buddhism class, we were discussing this new so-called 'spirit of community' that has apparently bubbled up from the flood waters of Gloucestershire and other similarly affected areas. Someone likened it to the wartime spirit of unity that was evident throughout Britain during the dangerous years of 1939-45. They talked of how, in the face of a common adversity, people were rallying around and beginning to 'look out' for each other, delivering much needed drinking water to house-bound neighbours whom they wouldn't normally consider visiting. However, others lamented how easily these communal bonds are broken once the threat of disaster has gone away, and wondered why people don't learn from these experiences and continue to hold these wartime values beyond the emergency.

I don't agree with much of this. Yes, it's true that a few caring individuals are helping out their less fortunate neighbours, but I suspect there is still a lot of greed and selfishness being manifested amongst these people; still an amount of me first; still some disgruntlement about 'why is nobody doing anything to stop this?' My guess is that the majority of people in this current situation are blindly cursing the government and demanding their 'rights' i.e. running water and assistance from the outside agencies. The government only has itself to blame, of course. By gradually eroding our individual responsibilities in many areas of British life, it has engendered a nation almost incapable of looking after itself.

Moreover, I'm alarmed that anyone would think the mood of the nation during the years 1939-45, that of 'pulling together', was a good thing. It would only be a good thing if it were spontaneous and intrinsic to our nature as human beings. I rather suspect it was more simplistic than that – I believe that in fact, it was something more chauvinistic than that; something more jingoistic. The so-called spirit of loving kindness would not have extended beyond our shores – for example, no such generosity of heart would have been shown towards the German people at that time. I'm not saying that it was wrong to be concerned about looking after each other, I'm just saying that it isn't really something to rejoice in when that community spirit is born only from a common hatred of others who are not in 'our gang'.

What we need is for such a mood of giving - and of caring support - to be spontaneous, unconditional, and not motivated by the search for personal reward. When we can all achieve that, we can all be on the true path to genuine dharma. Imagine what the world would be like if that happened!