Monday 25 May 2009

Never I have come back from a location with such mixed emotions. The tibetan people are lovely

Take your pick of words to describe the plight the Tibetan people find themselves, bollocks,

Expecting a police state, you are still taken aback by the sheer presence of the police and military patrolling the streets and countryside only to be gob smacked by stories of triple the numbers only a few weeks earlier prior opening the borders for tourists. A five minute walk quickly encounters up to 40 police with five per corner and patrolling in fives packed with guns, broom sized batons, and knife sticks. On our trip, which we get to shortly, we drove past one convoy of 60 odd police trucks and a second with 36.

Only the most naive, and we met one on the train ride home, would think believe that they are making the lives of ordinary Tibetans better.

The Tibetans, living up to their friendly reputation, do not seem to take umbrage at the Hans as a people, only their corrupt and oppressive communist government. For me, it is hard not to feel angry at the han, a people who have only attempts to keep their government under country, is to find another corrupt tyrant(s) to take over.

Religion, politics, public servants, and all manner of security forces have power and they all contain examples of the worst people in history. Perhaps this is why people started anarchism? Anyway, back to the point. I expected more from bhudhist faith. I really, really, really wanted to meet peaceful, insightly, and genorours people and just hate the communist party.... It didn't happen.

For starters, there was no utopian society before the Chinese whatever a unwashed hypocritical hippy will tell you, these people lived in a fuedal society, basically slaves to the landed gentry and the monks.

I have no issues with not taking photo's in religious or sacred sights and having limited restrictions like Potala palace, but enough monastaries did not use either of these.

Not knowing much of anarchist philosophy, but I wonder if this is a good reason to believe. I don't know why, but for some reason, you expect more from buhdhist monk? Is is the Dali Lama, the apparent lack of a checkered past, or these airy fairy bhudhist in Australia bitching about free Tibet, but lacking the same compassion for other oppressed people?

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