Peace with an Edge

A lot of time is spent in Buddhism talking about taking reality as it is. This is one of the most wise thoughts a person can think, but in the West, I think there may be a couple problems we should address.

See, we Westerners are used to a work-a-day lifestyle where everything is one thing after another. Everything is so hectic now with fast cars, cell phones, computers, iPads, iPods, and all this money going everywhere at once and seeming to get us nowhere.

And a lot of people complain about commercialism and television and how people spend their lives glued to the television and, now, addicted to Facebook and Twitter et al. One of the great things about American culture is that we hold being critical of our culture as a cultural value. However, I tend to think that people indoctrinated into this self-critical approach end up hating America by default for no reason.

Okay, let's talk about advertising. The word itself seems to evoke cynical manipulation by immoral puppet-masters. But if that's the case, then why is it that advertising is so increasingly consumer-oriented? Why does advertising bend over backwards to make the consumer feel good about him- or herself?

And not all of it is a lie, either. I actually do like to drink Coca Cola. I really do see the benefit in Apple computers. I really believe in the philosophy evoked by the three-word phrase: "Just do it." And what of the advertisers themselves? Immoral puppet masters?

Actually, from my experience, Advertisers are some of the most positive, wholesome, and genuinely decent people you'd want to meet. And I'm not alone in thinking this: Luke Sullivan, author of advertising bible Hey Whipple, Squeeze This! agrees with me: "One of the great things about this business is that you’ll be surrounded by vibrant, interesting, and genuinely nice people," he writes. "I don’t know why the industry attracts them, it just does."

A lot of people blame advertising in part for our hectic lifestyles today, because we're always pushed to want more and more. We see this as such a problem. But I have a radical idea:

How about we just take it as it is?

Unfortunately, when we're told to "take it as it is," I sense that what we really are thinking is "take it with some reservations." Take it like a strung-out, unhappy mother with a disobedient child who's too exhausted to correct him. Take it, but disagree with it, and simply not bother to fight it anymore.

But really, why is the American lifestyle such a problem? Okay, exploitation of the third world is a problem. Monsanto ripping off poor farmers with bad seeds is perhaps the biggest moral failing the world has ever seen. But I'm not talking about that; I'm talking about the lifestyle. Drinking Coke. Watching television. Listening to iTunes. Driving down the street in a BMW yelling at someone over the phone because you and your client(s) want it just perfect.

I actually like getting yelled at sometimes. I like yelling at people, too. It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something. I'm not a bully: I don't like making people feel bad about themselves, and I'll work 110% to make sure that doesn't happen. But the point is, if we just sit around being peaceful all the time, we'll never get anything done.

I hear all the critics now: "What's so important about getting things done? Why can't we just be happy with what we have?" Sometimes, that's okay. It's important to be happy with what you have, and never lose sight of that. But Bodhisattvas must always be trying to make our gurus and precious sentient beings happier. Just sitting around being blissful doesn't get the job done.

America is an immensely active culture. But I think this is one of its strengths, not necessarily a weakness. This is why, in my humble opinion, we don't just need peace: we need peace with an edge. We should be peaceful deep inside, but also edgy and challenging. We should be active and vibrant. We should make people feel happy about themselves and their choices, not by just sitting there, but by engaging them with shining and intense eyes. Like a good advertisement.