The M~Theory blog looks across the landscape of political and social issues and examines how they impact Bellevue, our region and beyond. It's namesake is the theory that unifies the five superstring theories, providing us with answers to our universe's oldest riddles.
As we watch politics begin (and continue) at the local, state and federal level, I am reminded that “Life means Suffering” - the first of the four noble truths of Buddhism.
This truth is often perceived as negative. Such is not the case. This truth is just what life means to us – collectively and individually – as we go about making decisions on our way. Decisions can be hard. It is when you recognize you must ”suffer” on some level to achieve happiness that you begin to become more aware of your purpose. And in today’s world the decisions we face – particularly the political decisions - are filled with difficulties that will mean suffering.
So why do we suffer? We suffer because our lives, our society and our world are all imperfect. Along with physical maladies, we also spend each day processing mental anguish, fear, disappointment, frustration, sadness, anger and much more. These mental “afflictions” often take the greatest toll on our happiness. And happiness is often fleeting. It appears for indeterminate periods of time before it leaves us again. This is hard on us because we want so much to be happy and realize the best possible outcome all the time.
Today we are in the midst of a lot of ”suffering’ in our politics. Between health care reform, efforts to stem unemployment, finding additional billions to fix our budgets around and for our state, and raising taxes in our own cities, we are living first-hand the difficulties of life and the hard choices that must be made. We do this with the hope that it will lead to a greater happiness. But we do suffer with the decisions we have made to realize happiness and will suffer more in the upcoming year.
In the end, we must remember to weigh this suffering against the prospects of happiness. As happiness is fleeting, so is the difficulty of attaining it. The path to happiness is supposed to be hard. That is what makes happiness so rewarding. It is important that we embrace these difficult issues during this difficult time. For within them holds the key to the happiness that lies ahead.
mmarchand Michael Marchand has spent more than 20 years working on behalf of governments and government agencies, Fortune 100 corporations and nonprofit organizations in the areas of public affairs, advocacy, policy enagement, regulatory affairs, issues positioning and public relations. He has served in senior-level roles for Microsoft Corporation, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the honorable Gov. Gary Locke and has worked on behalf of clients including MasterCard, American Express, Ernst & Young, Prudential Securities, Lucent Technologies, and both NBC and CBS television networks. Marchand received a bachelor of arts degree in government from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and is a CDC-trained expert in crisis, emergency and risk communications, and is a skilled mediator. He currently resides in Bellevue with his wife, Beth, their three kids and two dogs.
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