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July 2008
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With all that is happening in the world, you would easily think that prominent leaders like the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu would get wrapped up in the thoughts of "why us?" Though during this panel at Seeds of Compassion I caught a refreshing discussion of these two leaders not only bringing a positive but optimistic outlook on the questions which were asked about pain and suffering. When one youth asked, "What do you do to redeem ... came into this project not really knowing what to expect. "Five days of talking about compassion?" I asked myself, "What solid good will come from that?" Jaded as only a 16-year-old can be I couldn't see the point of a five day event with no high profile follow up.
After the amazing speech by his holiness and all of the other inspiring performances during the seeds of Compassion youth day; i had the chance to not only reflect about the meaning of compassion, but also i was able to gain a better understanding with those around me. I met with a group of 4th graders after the conference, Omry Majors-Howe, Christian, and Austin, and they described there reactions to the conference. "I will definitely be much... Please enjoy my slide show of the following: 1. Science & Compassion Dialogue at UW 2. Music & Media Dialogue at Key Arena 3. Concert with Death Cab for Cutie and Dave Matthews Thanks, Jack - Bellevue High
At the event, there were over 60 booths throughout the Mezzanine at Qwest Field. These booths were for a variety of organizations, all relating back to themes of compassion. One booth that we found particularly interesting, was the Project Happiness booth.
After everyone on the interspiritual panel had arrived, I began to notice the many differences of all of the participants. Panelists ranged not only in age, but in gender, nationality, and religion. I found it incredible that among so many differences, everyone could share one common goal of compassion.
On Saturday my friends and I got to bring cameras to Qwest field to film the resource fair and His Holiness himself. We got great footage! Here is the video that I edited together from what we got. Nathan Raible-Clark ...As I entered Key Arena I had to weave my way through the giant mass of people. I was shocked not only by the sheer mass of students but by the diversity of the people there. Students ranging from Kindergarten age to high school seniors were there and they all didn't quite know what to expect. They were soon to find out.
As I walked down the steps of section 112, I entered a pit of color. Patches of red, white, yellow, and black filled the Key's seats to the rafters as the Righteous Rainbow Choir filled the arena with songs of hope, change and most importantly, compassion. There were more people in the stands today than at a Sonics game in the 90's with The Glove and Reign Man. A huge projection screen was situated behind the stage and showed all of the happy ... I walked in to the Key Arena overwhelmed by the amount of youth that flooded in next to me. Thousands of eager students, ranging from elementary school to high school sat in their seats waiting for the presentation to begin. I had never before seen so many people, gathered in one space to listen to something so great and meaningful.
Jessica Markowitz and Habib Behjatnia talk about their experiences being youth ambassadors for the Seeds of Compassion event. ...Phumza, a South African student visiting on behalf of Bridges to Understanding, tells her story about the wonderful - and unexpected - kindness of a stranger at the Pike Place Market.
What a day! After all of our experiences earlier in the day, we finally made it to the main event. Sitting in the front row of the stadium right up close to the stage, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama appeared amid roaring cheers and quietly sat down in his big red chair. After a procession of cultures and a variety of introductions, including one from Governor Christine Gregoire, His Holiness finally spoke.
Today we attended the Seeds of Compassion: Heartbeat of Humanity event at Qwest Field. Beforehand, we got a chance to talk with a few members of the Bridges team, and found these students from across the world to be incredibly interesting.
K.T. Lhamo is a student from Tibet and a participant with Bridges to Understanding, an organization that works with students around the world, teaching photography and storytelling in order to build cross-cultural understanding.
Sesethu Goniwe is a student from South Africa and a participant with Bridges to Understanding, an organization that works with students around the world, teaching photography and storytelling in order to build cross-cultural understanding.
All that worrying about the correct protocol - for nothing. Meeting the Dalai Lama today couldn't have been simpler. Or more surreal. With tons of kids arriving at the Seattle Center on Monday for the Seeds of Compassion Gathering, the parents of these children have brought up the timeless question of: Is a religious and political leader able to speak on a topic such as Compassion in a completely secular way? and do they want their children subjected to possible religious or political bias that may or may not be present?
In response to the Parents concerns article in the Seattle Times:
So, today I attended the "Scientific Basis for Compassion" discussion at the UW to take video footage for the blog. The speakers talked a lot about how children develop emotionally and how they learn how or how not to be compassionate as far back as the time they spent in the womb. What I found especially interesting was the Dalai Lama's comments on how compassion can be a survival mechanism. We often get the message that science and feelings ... Youth Voice is comprised of 20 youth videographers, bloggers, photographers and journalists from Bellevue High School, the Center School, Garfield High School, Nathan Hale High Schools, Bridges to Understanding (whose bloggers KING5.com has already published) and Reel Grrls sharing their thoughts and perspective of the historic events of the Seeds of Compassion conference in Seattle.
I'm not sure which is more nerve-wracking - the prospect of addressing 60,000 people at Qwest Field on Saturday, or botching any part of the protocol surrounding the Dalai Lama.
Everyone who's meeting him this week has received the list of "do's and "don't's" surrounding "His Holiness" - i.e., you may only refer to him directly as "Your Holiness;" don't touch him, just fold your hands and bow; try not to ever turn your back to him; when enterin...
He desribes himself as just a 'simple Buddhist monk.' But he's both a spiritual and political leader to millions of people in the world. Honestly speaking, the first time Bridges was introduced to our school I was chosen as part of the learners that would be participating in the cultural exchange program. Back then, I never knew what Bridges was all about and I started to lose interest in the program because I was involved in many programs at school and I saw them as more interesting than Bridges. I ended up leaving the group that had chosen me. Later, after the program... |