SBN community members participated in a second online meeting on December 5 to discuss the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States.
As in the first meeting we discussed how we are processing Trump's victory both emotionally and intellectually. Many of the same emotions that participants reported experiencing right after the election are still present — feeling helpless, depressed, anxious, and angry.
Most of the meeting, however, was spent in discussing how we can support each other and what we can do.
We focused on three areas:
- Identifying non-Buddhist organizations that are doing good work and that we can participate in
- Identifying books, articles, websites, and news sources that help us to understand what is going on and/or offer valuable strategies
- Reaching out to other Buddhist groups to develop a collective Buddhist response
A sub-committee was formed to work on #3. We began at the meeting to compile a list of organizations and resources for #1 and #2.
Among the useful articles, here are three that are particularly good:
- 10 Ways to be Prepared and Grounded Now that Trump Has Won - https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/
- Authoritarians like Trump love fear, defeatism, surrender. Do not give them what they want - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/09/authoritarians-like-trump-love-fear-defeatism-surrender-do-not-give-them-what-they-want
- On Tyranny Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth - https://snyder.substack.com/p/on-tyranny
Our next two meetings are January 7 and January 23, 2025, both at 7 pm, and both at the same Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5052592148
To sign up for one or both of these meetings, click here.
5 Replies to “What should secular dharma practitioners do? Report on a second meeting on the U.S. election”
I fully understand the disappointment with USA choosing a corrupt, criminal, and fascist president, but it is absolutely impossible for me to understand this web’s silence on the ongoing genocide in Gaza carried out by Israel and USA
I don’t understand, how this comment is posted here? It does not follow SBN guidelines of “Non-Harming”. This comment is full of hate, full of political propaganda.
Nicolas – I appreciate your concern, but the comment from Jesus does not violate our guidelines for comments on this website. The relevant language is: “Comments whose intent is to attack the author or to demean or to ascribe unsavory or otherwise disagreeable motives are not acceptable, nor are accusations that the writer is intentionally resorting to falsehoods or in any way trying to manipulate or deceive. We will exclude abusive speech of any kind aimed at an author or any social group.” While you may strongly disagree with Jesus’ political perspective, the negative comment that Jesus made is directed at the website, not a particular author; it’s not a personal attack.
Mike Slott, SBN Editor
Sometimes the lie is so widespread that telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. In the normal world, massacring 20,000 children is an act of genocide. True Buddhism begins with breaking the barriers of lies that we so easily fall into. I often observe that for many people in the West, Buddhism has become a mental technology to reinforce their ego and, therefore, their prejudices. Ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and genocide must always be condemned by an authentic Buddhist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_genocide
Luckily there are some voices within Western Buddhism are brave enough to speak out loudly about what the majority remain silent on. In this case, the voice is that of my admired Brian Victoria: https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/on-the-prospect-of-buddhist-complicity-in-genocide/