This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Thank you, Ted Wilson for "The healing powers of the Dalai Lama" (Opinion, Dec. 22). Thank you for rescuing me, even for a moment, from the consuming grief of the Newtown, Conn., carnage.
A lot of what Newtown provoked extends my sadness — confusion, helplessness and hopelessness. There is also anger, bitterness, mistrust, political posturing and defensiveness.
Ideologues assert an endless stream of arguments punctuated with statistics, probabilities and likelihoods in embarrassingly superficial discussions about complex realities. Facebook reeks with overwrought, uncivil discussions about guns. The arrogant certitude that runs amok among cable TV punditry exhausts me. The exchanges become white hot quickly, but little light flows.
Wilson's sharing (a Buddhist-like perspective in and of itself) of a deeply personal experience with the Dalai Lama helped me step back, take a deep breath and feel sad. I puddled up a bit. A short while later, I felt better.
Thomas L. Durham
Sandy