And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
From: Wolves
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 13:56:54 EDT
Subject: THE RIVER&THE CLOUDS
The River and the Clouds
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Once upon a time there was a beautiful river finding her way among the hills,
forests, and meadows. She began by being a joyful stream of water, a spring
always dancing and singing as she ran down from the top of the mountain. She
was very young at the time, and as she came to the lowland she slowed down.
She was thinking about going to the ocean. As she grew up, she learned to
look beautiful, winding gracefully among the hills and meadows.
One day she noticed the clouds within herself. Clouds of all sorts of colors
and forms. She did nothing during these days but chase after clouds. She
wanted to possess a cloud, to have one for herself. But clouds float and
travel in the sky, and they are always changing their form. Sometimes they
look like an overcoat, sometimes like a horse. Because of the nature of
impermanence within the clouds, the river suffered very much. Her pleasure,
her joy had become just chasing after clouds, one after another, but despair,
anger, and hatred became her life.
Then one day a strong wind came and blew away all the clouds in the sky. The
sky became completely empty. Our river thought that life was not worth
living, for there were no longer any clouds to chase after. She wanted to
die. "If there are no clouds, why should I be alive?" But how can a river
take her own life?
That night the river had the opportunity to go back to herself for the first
time. She had been running for so long after something outside of herself
that she had never seen herself. That night was the first opportunity for her
to hear her own crying, the sounds of water crashing against the banks of the
river. Because she was able to listen to her own voice, she discovered
something quite important.
She realized that what she had been looking for was already in herself. She
found out that clouds are nothing but water. Clouds are born from water and
will return to water. And she found out she herself was also water...........
.............................................
In light of the recent controversy, finger pointing and accusations surrounding the
demise (execution, murder) of Anna Mae, many are left wondering just what or whom to
believe. As the implications of these accusations filter through communities and
lists it seems what is left is confusion, anger and further divisions among the
people. Despair.
Anyone who looks to another for direction or guidance is vulnerable if it turns out
that the person to whom they looked is attacked, or questioned and remains silent in
the wake of accusation.
Some 'information' that has circled the lists has been comprised of partial truths and
outright falsehoods. As has been pointed out by others, this only does the work of
the opposition for them by leaving everyone confused. The antidote is to always
listen to your own gut..your own connection with Creator...and throw away from
yourself anything that creates confusion. The Truth is something you already possess,
and it does not come from anyone else. Your gut responds with recognition of Truth
when another's words illuminates it within you.. It was already there.
As Leonard has so succinctly written in his book..AIM is each of us who seeks to serve
the people, who responds to a cry for assistance...it is who we are, not what
organization we belong to.
Some times, standing for Unity..means standing in silence...because to defend yourself
only serves to create more confusion by adding one more strident voice to the melee.
A couple of years ago while seated around the cook fire I had the opportunity to ask
Dennis Banks about those times at WKII and the surrounding events. Everything I had
heard or read only contradicted itself and I asked to clarify my own confusion.
Dennis was silent for a moment and then slowly said, if he began to answer any of
these questions he was asked so often, this would be ALL he ever did, there would be
time for nothing else. And embarrassed at first, that I had even questioned him, I
realized there was something really important just said. Not to be distracted by the
confusion...in essence..to ignore it ..to just keep on keeping on as though ..like the
clouds that keep changing shape and direction..the sky yet remains. The sky still
remains..the movement still remains..we still remain..and we remain strong! Clouds
only pass through...the Truth remains and is part of each of us.
So...no, I do not speak for the organization called AIM...and NO, I don't speak for
any chapter or support group. But, I do speak as one small piece of the movement..as
we each are who remain true to the vision of a strong and free people for the next
seven generations....
From Leonard Peltier:
WHAT IS AIM?
"AIM is not an organization. AIM, as its name clearly says, is a
movement. Within that movement organizations come and go. No
one person or special group of people runs AIM. Don't confuse AIM
with any individual or individuals who march under its banner -
however worthy or unworthy they may be. AIM is the people. AIM
will be there when every one of us living today is gone. AIM will
raise new leaders in every generation. Crazy Horse belonged to
AIM. Sitting Bull belonged to AIM. They belong to us still, and we
belong to them. They're with us now.
One other point I want to make about AIM. There are no followers
in AIM. We are all leaders. We are each an army of one, working for
the survival of our people and of the Earth, our Mother. This isn't
rhetoric. This is commitment. This is who we are."
Leonard Peltier
