Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain....

I decided to boycott the Beijing Olympics a few years ago. The oppression of the Tibetan people and the intentional erosion of Tibetan culture will, according to the Dalai Lama, eventually give way to truth and peace. I want to believe that. There are only a few things that have ever made me feel as hopeless and defeated as the tragedy of Tibet, which continues to play out day after day. Those feelings only last a moment - the impact is felt much longer. The idea that defeat may be inevitable, or to put it another way, that restoring Tibet's autonomy may be impossible, is deeply unsettling. I'm usually comforted by my own faith that injstice will be set right. When it comes to Tibet I can't find that faith, so I'm comforted by the Dalai Lama's assurance that injustice is always impermanent.

Interestingly the Dalai Lama would not have us boycott the Beijing Olympics. This is in keeping with the Buddhist principal of non-violence or non-harming. Athletes who have trained and stuggled and sacrificed shouldn't become casualties of the Chinese government, directly or indirectly. Yet I still haven't been able to bring myself to watch the games, and even as I continue to boycott I can't help but hear about the Chinese government's attempts to mislead, deceive and oppress .

China has a fascinating history and when the 2008 Olympics were awareded to Beijing, for better or worse, the Chinese government was given an opportunity to shine and promote its country and showcase its rich culture. Instead it concerned itself with phony fireworks, quieting protesters, and finding a "cute" child to lipsynch at the opening ceremonies. The Chinese government is not content to let its country's merits speak for themselves. And whatever credibility they had has been completely blown out of the water. The government wants to control how it is perceived and it will mislead and deceive in order to maintain that control (suddenly the Chinese government does not sound much different than our own). This certainly isn't a case of style without substance because there is enough "substance" in China's culture and heritage for 10 Olympic games. Yet the government plots and plans and puts on a show designed to convince the world that it is The Great and Powerful Oz , all the while hoping desperately that the world will "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain"... It needn't worry because as usual, nobody calls it out on its bullshit. I mean REALLY calls it out.

So where does that leave it? Where does that leave us? Where does that leave Tibet?