Mindfulness is a quality that's always there. It's an illusion that there's a meditation and post-meditation period, which I always find amusing, because you're either mindful or you're not.
Richard GereRead
It's not enough to say that the Olympics is an athletic contest outside of politics, because it's not. The Chinese clearly are using the Olympics to recreate how they are viewed in the world and how they view themselves.
Interpretation
The Olympics is intertwined with political agendas, especially regarding national identity.
In this quote, Richard Gere points out that the Olympics, often seen as a purely athletic event, is heavily influenced by political context. He argues that countries, particularly China, utilize the global stage of the Olympics not only to showcase athletic prowess but also to shape their international image and reinforce their self-perception, highlighting the complex relationship between sports and politics.
In practice
During a discussion on global events, one could quote this to emphasize the political undertones of international competitions.
Mindfulness is a quality that's always there. It's an illusion that there's a meditation and post-meditation period, which I always find amusing, because you're either mindful or you're not.
In a situation like this, of course you identify with everyone who's suffering. (But we must also think about) the terrorists who are creating such horrible future lives for themselves because of the negativity of this karma. It's all of our jobs to keep our minds as expansive as possible. If you can see (the terrorists) as a relative who's dangerously sick and we have to give them medicine, and the medicine is love and compassion. There's nothing better.
Meditation is such a more substantial reality than what we normally take to be reality.
I've got a lot of opportunities, a lot of love in my life, a lot of things going for me. Still, it's not complete. I know this is not the whole thing. There's much more.
As custodians of the planet it is our responsibility to deal with all species with kindness, love, and compassion. That these animals suffer through human cruelty is beyond understanding. Please help to stop this madness.
If you can see the terrorists as a relative who's dangerously sick and we have to give them medicine and the medicine is love and compassion. There's nothing better.
We have over a hundred political detainees, men against whom we are unable to prove anything in a court of law. Nearly 50 of them are men who gave us a great deal of anxiety during the years of Confrontation because they were Malay extremists. Your life and this dinner would not be what it is if my colleagues and I had decided to play it according to the rules of the game.
Russian Parliament today is a bunch of puppets that just fall in with the instructions from Kremlin.
The State has invariably shown a striking talent for the expansion of its powers beyond any limits that might be imposed upon it.
There are a number of things wrong with Washington. One of them is that everyone is too far from home.
If government were a product, selling it would be illegal.
None of this is fair to you. And should it continue, it will make it more difficult to keep attracting the kind of driven, patriotic, idealist Americans to public service that our citizens deserved and that our system of self-government demands.
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