Matt Damon, Civil Disobedience, Declaration of Interdependence

Actor and progressive activist Matt Damon is calling for a Declaration of Interdependence as he quotes Howard Zinn on civil disobedience, as a rejection of a topsy-turvy world hierarchy. Three or four people have sent this video to me this morning. Check it out below. I don't agree with everything Zinn or Damon feel about the rule of law being a problem, or his stark separation of the People from the State (that separation between leaders and the people is not quite the true meaning of the word interdependence), but it is great to hear such a celebrity using the word interdependence in his political discourse. Of course, to me the interesting thing is not just the outer idea of interdependence in politics, ecology, culture, or life. We also must look at the contemplative imperative to understand how individuals can actually cultivates our awareness to live in touch with the truth of interdependence moment by moment. It's the union of outer interdependence and the inner awareness of interdependence cultivated by mindfulness techniques that we need. One without the other is a good start, but ultimately insufficient. And that’s the main reason I practice Buddhism, personally, to keep myself in touch with the interdependence between our own minds and the world “out there.” Follow Ethan on: