Wallerstein, Zen, Change

Immanuel Wallerstein  said "every little action by every person at every moment effects the outcome  .  .  ." in an interview about the end of capitalism. The outcome he was referring to was the economic/social-political system that will replace the current one.

This statement struck me, because I have heard so many others say something similar. Or at least I thought I did. I don't have the option of finding every quote referring to this and citing it but no matter. The information is more important than the source anyway, especially for these purposes.

Dan Millman, author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior, and other books once said that the one piece of advice he'd give someone when they are in need is "be here now."

I remember hearing a Dharma talk at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center one time in which the person giving the talk said the same thing. But, he took it to the next level bridging the gap between Millman's idea of being in the moment when in need and Wallerstein's idea that every moment and every action affects the entire system we live in. The MN Zen Center guy said that the way we change the world is by taking care of ourselves at every moment. He said that we need to be present, be awake, and this is how we change the world. When we do something as simple as closing the car door we do it with our full being.   

I've also heard and read Brad Warner (Zen priest, writer, blogger, musician) say a similar thing. I remember him communicating that when 911, or some such tragedy, happened, his teacher, Gudo Wafu Nishijima, went to Israel and began to teach meditation there. Idea being, that the more we are able to wake up to the present moment, the more we are able to function in a way that will reduce the risk of destroying the human race. So, we ought to teach the world this skill—Israel being as good as place as any to continue the teaching I suppose.

I think it takes a leap of faith to believe that the above people's ideas mentioned are correct regarding the benefits of living in the moment and being present—might be a stretch to say that's exactly what Wallerstein was getting at—but I also think there is some degree of evidence to suggest that our conscious mind should not always be trusted as the most intelligent aspect of our decision making body. Some researchers point out here that the subconscious mind is better suited for making complex decisions. Perhaps, when we are able to live in the moment we are free to let our subconscious mind more effectively peacefully live with others in the world.