麻豆社

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A 麻豆社 news investigation has found that major oil companies aren鈥檛 declaring the greenhouse gas emissions they are producing through gas flaring 鈥� the burning of the excess gas released during oil extraction, causing damage not only to the environment but also to the children living close by. A documentary 鈥� Under Poisoned Skies _ shows how on the surface, these oil companies are presenting themselves as eco-friendly. But underneath, some are falsifying their records, green-washing their activities. I鈥檓 reminded of a line from Shakespeare鈥檚 Hamlet that I came across as a teenager: 鈥楾hat one may smile and smile and be a villain.鈥� Realizing Shakespeare was right was a hard awakening to reality.

The holy texts of both Christianity and Buddhism contain harsh words for individuals, communities and public bodies that present false images of themselves. In Matthew鈥檚 gospel, Jesus says to some within his own community 鈥榊ou are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and all kinds of filth.鈥� The Buddha is reported as using a similar vivid image to warn his own monastic community against hiding their internal blemishes. A self-seeking monk, who hides his blemishes, is compared to a metal bowl 鈥渂rought from a shop of a smithy clean and bright鈥� but which, when filled with the carcass of a snake, dog or human being, provokes disgust and loathing from those who raise the lid that has been placed on top of the bowl.

If public bodies hide the truth about themselves, it is right that they should be exposed and called to account. But I want to think too about how to respond when we as individuals present false images of ourselves. All of us make choices about what to hide and what to share, what to keep private and what to make known. If this means being untruthful, it often harms others and always harms ourselves. It can corrode us from within, causing stress and illness. Buddhist and Christian teaching would here encourage us to recognize the truth about ourselves and not hide from it. So we might need to accept our weaknesses and then forgive ourselves. Uncovering what is untrue in this context needs stern compassion for self and others. After all, Buddhism teaches us that we should surround ourselves and others with loving kindness, whilst always seeking to see things as they are and to speak the truth that we see. Uncovering deceit in the public domain calls for similar honesty and for accountability.

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