Ok, now turn the other cheek so I can slap it too. Will Smith is Chris Rock’s spiritual teacher?
The world stopped four months ago, on a Sunday night during the Oscars. Many feared World war three would kick off at any time in Ukraine. Never mind the covid variants spreading, rumors of food shortages in the states and families in Africa and other parts of the world. After slapping and cursing out Chris Rock on live television, accepting best actor, and partying afterward, the world waited for an apology from Will. In perhaps what was the biggest anticipated apology in recent memory, Will has finally apologized on the video to Chris Rock. Most feel that the apology was long overdue. However, many of us have experienced what we perceived as unfortunate harm from someone and never received an apology at all. Ok, now turn the other cheek so I can slap it too. Will Smith is Chris Rock’s spiritual teacher?
One of the biggest lessons of this whole saga is that the offense you commit will always feel greater than the apology. This is why a spiritual foundation is so crucial in our lives. It is preventative, as it protects us from not only harming others but from harming ourselves. The wrong we do towards others is always remembered more than the apology. The best apology is never to do anything that would warrant an apology in the first place. So how is Will Smith, Chris Rock’s spiritual leader, though?
The first issue is how we’re taught(no pun) who our teachers are in the first place. It’s not just underpaid average citizens working in schools or universities. It’s not just gurus, nuns, monks, pastors, and other leaders in religious institutions either. According to Buddhist nun Pema Chodron’s book “Welcoming the unwelcome,” a spiritual leader could be your worst enemy.
“For example, one of the verses goes, “”Even if someone humiliates you and denounces you in front of a crowd of people, think of this person as your teacher and humbly honor him””. “”When someone treats us in such an unkind way, our natural reaction is to think of them as an enemy, along with any number of negative labels. But for the bodhisattva this humiliator and denounced can be a great teacher””.
Pema Chodron
But how is being slapped in front of millions and potentially billions of people good for us? How does this make Will Smith a great spiritual teacher? Since we’re speaking on Buddhist philosophy, we should mention that Chris Rocks’ comedy tour started a few days after being slapped at the Oscars. The name of the tour…EGO DEATH…
Pema explores the “enemy” being a spiritual leader, even when humiliating us in front of a crowd by bringing us back in touch with reality. By showing us the side of ourselves were trying to keep hiding from ourselves and others. Many were angered to learn that Rock was severely bullied as an adolescent. Perhaps Will allowed Rock to deal with bullying; at the least, Will exposed to Chris that he still has to work more on establishing boundaries with others. According to Pema, what Rock did correctly was loosened up and made light of the situation. So Will Smith is Chris Rock’s spiritual teacher in this sense. Pema tells us that our enemies show us were are “tight” and need to loosen up.
How to die laughing; Jada Pinkett and Will Smith refused enlightenment and chose anger.
And this is the genius of comedy and comedians. Comedians such as Rock teach us how to make light of our worse situations. This is an actual Buddhist practice by Machik Labdron, a great Tibetan practitioner who lives in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Reveal your hidden faults
In conclusion, “How you label it is how it appears.” This is the title of Pema’s chapter in which she discusses enemies being spiritual teachers. As independent thinkers, this is crucial in understanding how we view the external and internal world. Changing one word can make a once opposing crazy view seem like the “right one.” But, enough about celebrities; look at the enemies or those difficult for you to get along with and take inventory of how you’ve matured. Or maybe you haven’t matured much because you label your spiritual leader’s as your enemies…What, you can’t take a joke?