07 May PODCAST: A world in turmoil
The state of the world can feel overwhelming. Conflict, climate concerns, political polarisation, social unrest. The flow of news is relentless and often unsettling. In times like these, many people ask themselves a quiet but essential question: how do I stay human, present and connected without turning away or burning out?
In this podcast episode, I sat down with Bas Gemmink and Jolinda van Hoogdalem to explore exactly that question. From a Zen perspective.
Looking without turning away
Rather than analysing world events or offering opinions on “what should be done”, our conversation moves in a different direction. We explore how to relate to the world as it is, without closing down or becoming numb, and without being pulled into reactivity, fear or moral outrage.
Zen practice does not ask us to ignore suffering. Nor does it ask us to fix the world from a place of agitation. Instead, it invites a deeper inquiry. From where do I respond? What kind of human being am I, moment by moment, in the face of complexity and uncertainty? How do I stay connected to others while remaining grounded in myself?
Calm and composed,
Awakening to our true Self,
Being fully compassionate humans,
Making full use of our abilities,
According to our respective vocations,
Discerning suffering both individual and social,
and its sources.
Recognising the right direction
In which history should proceed,
Joining hands as kin beyond the differences
Of race, nation, and class.
With compassion, vowing to bring to realisation
Humankind’s deep desire for emancipation,
Let us construct a world that is true and happy.
Shi´ ichi Hisamatsu, 1889 – 1980
A central moment in the episode is a text brought in by Bas: “The Vow to Humanity” by Hisamatsu Shin’ichi, a Japanese Zen philosopher and student of the Kyoto School.
This short but profound text is not something you simply read and move on from. As becomes clear in the podcast, you can easily spend 25 minutes with just these few lines. Allow them to work on you, challenge you, and open questions rather than provide answers.
The vow does not speak from ideology or belief. It speaks from awakening, from a place where responsibility is no longer abstract or moralistic, but deeply human. It raises uncomfortable yet essential questions. What does it mean to stand for humanity without relying on enemies or blame? How do we act without separating ourselves from others, even those we strongly disagree with?
Practice, not escape
What becomes clear in our conversation is that Zen is not an escape from the world. It is actually an invitation to meet the world more intimately, starting with ourselves. It brings us back, again and again, to direct experience. From there, action (or non-action) becomes more honest, less driven, and paradoxically more effective.