"For then they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn unto fables...gathering unto themselves teachers who will tell them what their itching ears want to hear."
Not my favourite journo at the best of times, nevertheless having given (thus far) the only telecast interview with 'His Holiness' the Dalai Lama, broadcaster Susan Wood's tete-a-tete a wee while ago bears scrutiny.
But perhaps first we oughta let Ms Wood's (evidently carefully-chosen) words speak for themselves. In a 'backgrounder' (piece) with NZ National Radio's Noelle McCarthy on Thursday afternoon the 20th of June, in which Ms McCarthy examined the Dalai Lama's recent revisit of God's Own, observing that "his effect on his (celebrity) interviewers has been [well] noted", Susan Wood referred back to that conversation she'd had, and made the following comments and observations.
The Dalai Lama "[brings/exudes] an enormous sense of soul and compassion...and a great [deal] of fun...[is] full of energy and life...he made me laugh...feel great actually." And in light of these momentous realizations and/or states of being thus elicited by "His Holiness", Ms Wood conculuded: "I asked him finally the only question that popped into my head: "Are you looking forward to your [soon coming] birthday?" To which 'His Holiness' amazingly(!) responded: "It doesn't matter." Whoa! What a revelation from beyond! Of course it doesn't. But so what? An adolescent could 'discern' as much, once s/he has, through natural, inevitable life setbacks and disenchantments, started realizing a few home truths about life, the universe and everything else. Will such scintillating insights never cease? With journalists like Sue, who needs the media?
To sum up the quintessence of the Dalai Lama's impact upon chiefly his Western audiences, let's say this:
He's warm and cuddly, cute and charismatic - moreover in a gentle, unassuming kinda way (hey, like the new Pope!) As in: that's all that really matters to this supremely superficial 'now', image-fixated generation.
Warm cuddlies, someone who makes us (all) 'feel good' - no matter how undeserved or meaningless the description. I.e. the cult of self-esteem writ large, bold and bulging 'so no-one feels left out' or poorly.
Someone offering a 'feel good' religion of kisses and cuddles, of pats and strokes - the cult of pleasure, or more aptly hedonism - the 'if it feels good, let's pursue it, ipso pronto, hook, line and sinker - now or never; the sooner the better...and without a taint or tinge of 'psychotic', 'neurotic' guilt attached. So what's possibly stopping me? Go for it - just do it! It's all about me, myself and I, first, last and always...ever and ever, world without end. Amen. "He makes us feel alright", i.e. about ourselves, our sinful lives and selves. So no need to repent, to confess, to make it right between ourselves and our Maker. 'It's all right Jack - and Jill!"
No, what cannot be disputed is that the effect of The Dalai Lama upon many of his hearers was not altogether diferent from a brand new word I've stumbled across in the last few minutes. 'Kef', being derived
from the 'Ar[amaic?] 'kaif, [meaning] pleasure', is a noun denoting 'a state of dreamy repose: something, as Indian hemp, smoked to produce this'. And who would or could deny that New Zealand today literally basks in both this state of mind as well as such various narcotic substances well known to elicit it?!?!
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