The Best Buddhist Writing 2010 - Melvin McLeod [139]
If we moved this ancient tale to New York City today, we’d have a modern American story:
A wealthy and prominent couple were expecting their first child. Understanding the dangers and difficulties of the modern world, they vowed to use their wealth and connections to make their child’s life as safe and easy as possible. Even before he was born, he was enrolled in the most exclusive preschool. The child was given a long, illustrious name that echoed the greatness of his family lineage, but his friends all called him Sid. He grew up within the circle of the social and political elite of New York, enjoying every advantage. His parents envisioned a special destiny for him and even imagined his marriage to the daughter of the senator from . . .
We wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Sid eventually decides to join a rock band, go backpacking in Alaska, or just stick his thumb out on the road to see where life takes him. The same holds true for any young person or youthful heart. Whatever our situation, ordinary or extraordinary, we want to discover our own path. We want to find the ultimate meaning of our life.
We know from history that Prince Siddhartha was successful in his quest, but we don’t really know about our modern-day friend, Sid. We’ll wish him the best. The point here is that, at the moment of their departure, neither one of them knows what the future holds. Both are taking a profound risk, abandoning security and the known world for a leap into the unknown. But it is as natural for Sid to take that risk as it was for Siddhartha to leap the palace fence. The impulse toward freedom is an essential part of our makeup; it is not the exclusive domain of special beings or men in robes from long ago or faraway lands. This desire for freedom is quite ordinary. In fact, “freedom-loving” is a common description of the American character—at least that’s what you hear on the news—but take a walk on the streets of any modern city, and you will find the same spirit, especially among the young.
The very youth of America no doubt contributes to this freedom-loving nature. Other than the indigenous peoples of North America, most everyone here now is a recent arrival from Europe or Asia or Africa. While most of us today are somewhat removed from our ethnic roots, and some may have forgotten them entirely (and believe simply that “I’m an American”), in some sense, what is best and most unique about America is just this global ancestry, pioneering spirit, and independence of character to which all the world seems to have contributed.
This melting pot of America is home to trailblazers, inventors, freethinkers, and visionaries, as well as pragmatists and puritans. Avant-garde artists and musicians ride the subways alongside corporate bankers and factory workers. Everyone is officially welcome. America’s family gatherings are full of sparks—from those at your house to those played out on the national stage and documented by CNN and Entertainment Weekly. But when the sparks from this rubbing together of opposites ignite in an atmosphere of openness, it makes all the difference. Then, instead of pure friction, we get a lively dance that generates a very creative energy. By testing limits, pushing the envelope of old concepts, what was once unthinkable becomes the new norm. For example, not so long ago, no one had ever dreamed of flipping a switch and having a light go on, much less of watching faraway images on TV or surfing in cyberspace. Even as recently as the 1960s, we were amazed as we watched