When brothers and sisters courageously stand together across (or at least in spite of) national boundaries for what is so clearly right—yes, even more right than the rules of free trade!—the heart soars.

Isn’t this something:

Even as the Zimbabwe crisis worsens, an extraordinary solidarity movement has taken hold across Southern Africa—sparked by a South African dock workers’ union that refused to unload a Chinese shipment of Zimbabwe-bound weapons.

Their refusal to facilitate Zimbabwe’s crackdown has ignited a wildfire that is spreading across the continent. Now, as pressure builds, China is publicly wavering—and might decide to bring the arms home.

To be sure, the act is symbolic. By that I mean there are, delivery or no delivery, enough small weapons in Africa and in Zimbabwe to continue/unleash war and mass killings for decades. But a ‘refusal to participate in evil’ is made by these actions—which is always profound.

American governmental support for the action is always welcome, yet exemplifies Noam Chomsky’s ‘We Own The World’ theme, that makes clear the hypocrisy of even this stand.

Are there also blockades at Lockheed-Martin stopping weapons from reaching Iraq, or anywhere else? There probably are, knowing how many wonderful Americans there are. But you get the point of my question. The killing continues; the profit continues.

The numbers of dead and displaced in Iraq are truly staggering—and undeniably criminal to anyone not utterly inculcated by a belief in their country’s own right to unilaterally mete out violence.

Chomsky writes:

There is a huge debate [in the US] about the invasion of Iraq, but no question about whether we have a justification to do it. Of course, we have the automatic justification to do it—because it’s us.

We have a justification to do anything.

The dockworkers solidarity is beautiful, and inspiring, and says ‘yes’ to the right of the people of Zimbabwe to not be further victimized/slaughtered by the weapons industry—which is a huge part of the war engine, as any moron could attest.

Here’s a petition worth looking at and even signing, if it’s up your alley. What effect it has on the dictatorial nature of Robert Mugabe and his henchmen (or the heinous trade of small weapons) I do not know, but it nonetheless symbolizes human solidarity at its best, stating unequivocally that humans who are able can choose to protect the unprotected, and stand in solidarity with the vulnerable.

Check it out here.

Lots of love and solidarity to you—and here’s hoping the people of Zimbabwe (and Tibet, and Sudan, and Iraq, and everywhere else) will be safe, and left in peace,

Pete xox

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Ahimsa means to cause no harm, or as litle harm as possible.

I was out walking with a dear friend today, in the remarkable sunlight that nourishes this planet, and with belly relaxed, a simple little thought came to me that might be interesting enough to share:

“The only thing harder than being yourself is not being yourself…”

I hope, whatever you’re doing, it is movingly you lovingly towards a reconciliation of that paradox—and, if so, creativity is involved, for it takes creativity to evolve, and to love, and to stand with grace and love and strength in this remarkably crazy world…

Pete xox

In my experience, one of the things that people need to do is figure out what appeals to them personally. If you are going to devote time to good works when you already have plenty of other things to do, then you have to like what you are doing…
—Dr Paul Farmer

In a moment away from my research for some upcoming interviews, a line came to mind:

If you want to ban boxing, ban poverty.

Yesterday I happened to see on the Larry King show (on line) a few-months-old argument between filmmaker Michael Moore and journalist/doctor/media guest Sanjay Gupta (Senior CNN Medical Consultant).

It was revealing, and for all Michael Moore’s supposed ego and so on (Maufacturing Dissent etc), what he speaks out for is in my opinion about a million times more relevant, revealing and vital than what Dr Sanjay Gupta stands for.

Hearing Gupta being the cool head of reason and ‘balanced’ reporting (on CNN!), I was unable to grasp what it is exactly Gupta does stand for (other than which makes CNN not too uncomfortable).

To be the devil’s advocate in this situation seems to me to be the wrong approach for any doctor who truly believes in the Hippocratic oath, or at least the idea to give care to those in need. Disagree with some of Moore’s methods, sure, but stand in sincere solidarity (as opposed to “I don’t disagree”) with his outrage over a lack of coverage for tens of millions of people (in a country that can afford an endless war).

At a guess, though, Dr Gupta seems to me to be—and maybe even unknowingly—a well-groomed apologist for power-brokers running a medical system that leaves over fifty million people (elderly, women and children—1.5 Canadas) without access to health care in the most powerful country in the world.

By power-brokers I think I mean the HMOs and ‘privatizers’ in general, who base everything including the medical system on the maximization of profit—and thus by definition, not on the maximization of care, let alone universal care.

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Worse, this American sensibility has a profound influence on the Canadian system. This medical condition is exacerbated by our Prime Minister, heralding from the so-called Calgary School, which is in direct line with President Bush’s near-sighted extremism.

The word neo-con is so profoundly apt.

I have yet to hear one word from Prime Minister Harper offering enlightened, original criticism of his mentor to the south, despite Bush pushing the average citizen in the States to an absolutely inconceivable amount of debt, financially and morally with the rape of Iraq.

FROM BIG PHARMA TO BIG FARMER

And then tonight I was, in a break, reading through the beginning of Tracy Kidder’s wonderful book, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World. It is, as the title describes, the story of the remarkable Paul Farmer, an American doctor who has spent a life working with the poorest of the poor (and the unhealthiest of the unhealthiest) in Haiti.

Reading from this book is what triggered the line about boxing and poverty at the beginning of the piece.

And then I wondered: what would a read-through of Kidder’s book on Farmer (let alone a visit with Farmer) do to the belief system of Sanjay Gupta? Would it shift him even a bit towards Farmer’s passion for justice, and away from the amoral emptiness that he, in my opinion, defends—when he should be, as a doctor, defending access to medical care?

Here’s a short video of Paul Farmer talking, echoing the opening quote, and saying why he’s inspired.

Three lines from the book leaped off the page. The first in relation to those in the Western world who cannot get medical coverage (pg 21):

At Zamni Lasante [the Partners in Health clinic in Haiti]…patients were supposed to pay user fees, the equivalent of about eighty American cents for a visit [the average pay in Haiti is a dollar a day or less, according to the book].

Haitian colleagues of Farmer’s had insisted on this. Farmer was the medical director, but he hadn’t argued. Instead—this was often the way, I would learn—he had simply subverted the policy.

Every patient had to pay the eighty cents, except for women and children, the destitute, and anyone who was seriously ill. Everyone had to pay, that is, except for almost everyone.

And no one—Farmer’s rule—could be turned away.

And two aphorisms from German physician Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902), who has a profound influence on Farmer.

One:

Medical education does not exist to provide students with a way of making a living, but to ensure the health of the community.

And a second, and this is stunning:

The physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor, and the social problems should largely be solved by them.

Wow. Imagine if that was exercised even more fully in spirit and action.

Mountains Beyond Mountains, at least the beginning (being all that I have read), is a deeply inspiring book.

Lots of love and good health to you and yours, and may you always have access to medical care,

Pete xox