Appreciating Human Society

We have telephone poles with wires strung between them; we have the pattern of breakfast, lunch, and dinner; people keep their front lawns neat with lawn mowers—those are broad basic patterns. Society functions in a certain way based on these inspirations of the past. These patterns have been passed down from generation to generation, making it possible to keep society alive, to keep it neat and tidy, clean and functional. There is room to appreciate the existing patterns. The question we have to face is: If we had to take responsibility for running the whole world economically, spiritually, psychologically, and politically, how would we do it? That seems to be the real challenge.

– excerpted from Orderly Chaos by Chögyam Trungpa

(photo by Max Gilkerson)