Divine authority over fear in Tibet

A Christian Science perspective on daily life.

The weekly "Free Tibet" demonstrations along the river in downtown Chicago used to be about a block long. This past Tuesday they were over five blocks long with 50 police walking along to safeguard their crossings at the intersections.

That peaceful protest in itself is in stark contrast to the unrest and violence between Tibetans and Chinese in Tibet's capital city, Lhasa. And the physical violence is an outward symbol of the mental struggle between Tibet's very charismatic leader, the Dalai Lama, and the Chinese government.

The solution to the fear and anger as well as political stress could be found by taking the discussion to a higher plane: to the realization that all people are beloved of God and have an inherent right to peace with one another and within themselves.

The most basic Buddhist greeting, "Namasté," means "The divine in me honors the divine in you." If it were possible for all people who love Tibet, and those who love China, to think of everyone involved in this conflict in those terms – honoring the spiritual values in each side until there are no sides – solutions could be found.

As in interpersonal relations, when political entities are agitated by one another, it usually means they have something to learn from one another. One major step would be to overcome fear, and this can begin with the knowledge that God is divine Mind, the only Mind, providing guidance, unity, understanding, and wisdom. Turning to Mind's spiritual resources can build bridges that help wipe out fear, whatever its cause.

The writings of Mary Baker Eddy offer this assurance: "Discerning the rights of man, we cannot fail to foresee the doom of all oppression. Slavery is not the legitimate state of man. God made man free. Paul said, 'I was free born.' All men should be free. 'Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.' Love and Truth make free, but evil and error lead into captivity" ("Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," p. 227).

How the details of freedom will be expressed in Tibet and China is something that only the citizens and government officials can work out. Yet prayer that recognizes the essential spiritual nature of each individual and the inherent qualities of freedom, truth, love, and goodness can leaven thought on all sides, ease bitterness over wrongs, open peaceful ways to resolve differences. Within the government of divine Love, freedom, peace and love are essential; and each individual involved in working out the future of China and Tibet includes those qualities and is ultimately under Love's good government.

The compassionate law of God operates to peel away the strictures of fear that would hide the glorious breadth of the kingdom of God that isn't a distant hope, but is actually here and now. In this kingdom there is no conflict between true individuality and collective constructive, community. The one supports the vitality of the other. The teachings of Christian Science are anchored in the fact that the divine purpose of individuality is to make the infinitude of God known by the expression of divine qualities. This is what it means to be the image of God.

No matter how sophisticated, manipulative, entangling, or misguided any system of thought may be, the misleading and constricting elements fall before divine law. Peace and freedom are possible as the wisdom of Mind is revealed through intelligent steps toward respect and understanding. In the end, the only power that prevails is the one that corresponds with the will of divine Truth and Love.

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid,
neither be thou dismayed:
for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Joshua 1:9

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