Let the Tribe Decide

The easiest thing for people outside the tribe, is to decide what the tribe should do.

As we watch the Presidential race here in Romania, people talk to us about who they think we should vote for. :) Nice of them to be concerned, but it's our race, not theirs! CNN frequently features comments from people all over the globe who have an opinion about our politics. This was more amusing a few months ago when people thought that our race was between O'Bama and Clinton. We tried to explain to people that this was only a party race, the real one was still to come.

However, we watch leadership decisions in other countries with the same, if not more, interest. For example, right now the election in Zimbabwe has created international concern. It appears that the election was rigged. Should we intervene? If so, how? If we place a boycott, we hurt the people, not the president. Still, we are feeling honor-bound to at least complain.

Also in Darfur, we join other countries in complaining about the genocide and the refugees who are fleeing their homes from violence.

And of course there's Iran, our new old enemy. We definitely don't like the leadership there because we didn't choose them. The Ayatolla overthrew our favorite, the Shah, and quit talking to us. So now we feel invested in complaining about that leadership.

It's so easy to make decisions for others, to tell them how to run their tribe, to advise them on correct choices and actions. It's the easiest thing in the world to tell others what they should do.

In a recent issue of Newsweek (p. 108, July7/July14, 2008), Apo Gaga, the young Karmapa who is the Dalia Lama elect, was interviewed. This man, the age of my children, was identified at the age of seven as the incarnation of the next spiritual leader of Tibet. He fled the country when the Chinese attempted to capture him and gain control of the incarnation process. He has some reasons to dislike the Chinese and his circumstance. He said, when asked what we all should do about Tibet, "The most important thing is what Tibetans in Tibet think." When asked about the Chinese and how to deal with them, he said, "[China] belongs to the Chinese brothers and sisters. The world needs to give them more chances and opportunities to show their growth and express their views."

Gosh! Someone who isn't telling other tribes what to do! Well, he is a blessed leader.