Wisdom QuarterlyDr. Vic, Singapore
Contagion is yet another film that glorifies us (the Occidental) while demonizing China and the Chinese (the "Oriental"). In the US-centric universe created by this movie, the source of the problem is China. (Everything bad comes from there.) And the only country working overtime to do anything about it is the USA and its CDC.
The movie depicts China as a helpless bystander providing no assistance. Everything Chinese is cast in a negative light. A group of Chinese is shown kidnapping a World Health Organization health official because, of course, the Han Chinese government does care about Han citizens. In contrast, a sympathetic Caucasian later tries to rescue poor, helpless Chinese kids despite her kidnapping. It is ridiculous and racist; what about history?
If the directors are making a comparison to SARS, they are twisting the facts. Many Chinese and other Asian doctors and nurses in Hong Kong, China, and Singapore died and suffered every day while saving lives. As a doctor who worked in a SARS-infected hospital, I remember the risks and tragedy of friends and colleagues who died and suffered respiratory distress in 2003 after the first case was found around Nov., 2002.
Although Chinese health officials at best initially underestimated the threat with their inadequate (developing world) healthcare or, at worst, covered it up, they managed to contain the disease by July, 2003. The Chinese developed the first SARS vaccine to control this disease (CNN). This movie is insulting to Asians. – Vic, Singapore
And, guys, stop clapping at Gwyneth Paltrow's death scene. Cut her some slack; she's had a hard life -- her godfather is Steven Spielberg and she's married to that bad boy rockstar from Coldplay (who is not gay). Do yoga with her or read GOOP.com instead.
Transforming the Three Poisons:
Passion, Aversion, and Delusion
In Buddhist teachings, greed, hatred (often expressed as fear), and delusion are called the "Three Poisons," the three unwholesome roots, and the three fires. These metaphors suggest how dangerous afflicted thoughts and emotions can be if they are not understood and transformed.
- Greed refers to craving, selfishness, lust, misplaced desire, attachment, and grasping for happiness and satisfaction outside of ourselves.
- Hatred refers to our aversion, anger, fear, and revulsion toward unpleasant people, germs, circumstances, and even toward our own uncomfortable feelings.
- Delusion refers to our dullness, bewilderment, and confusion, our wrong views of reality.
The poisons are byproducts of ignorance and self-view -- ignorance of our true nature, the awakened heart of wisdom and compassion. Arising out of craving and ignorance, these poisonous states of mind/heart motivate unprofitable, unskillful thoughts, speech, and actions. This brings all manner of suffering and unhappiness for ourselves and others and the world. But there are antidotes to these self-made prisons.
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