Yesterday afternoon, I was at a small gathering with His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. It was held at Stanford Park Hotel near the Stanford University campus and the guest list of 130 included college students, professors, scholars, writers, poets, and artists.
It was an honor to hear the Dalai Lama talk. He was a very congenial fellow and I could not help but smile every time he laughed his soft, gentle chuckle. His laugh just seemed so sincere, with a genuine youthfulness to it.
Here are some of his remarks that stuck with me:
- Basically, we are all the same. We all want a happy life. Everyone has a right to achieve that goal.
- Most of our problems are man-made.
- Trust and genuine friendship are essential.
- The future belongs to people, not the government, not one party.
- Young people will shape the century. Think wisely.
I didn’t get a chance to get up to the microphone during the brief question and answer session, but I would’ve liked to ask the Dalai Lama:
“Many times, when conflicts arise, people say the best solution is to sit down and talk it out. Without talking, what are other ways people can better understand and learn from each other?”
Although the Dalai Lama’s words of wisdom were not life-changing, it was amazing just to be there, five feet from a person who has led a deeply influential life and is a world symbol of peace. He had a remarkable presence to him.
(Photos by Erika Suzuki)
Liu Wei from Beijing lost his arms in an electrical accident when he was age 10. But that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his dreams to become a musician. Despite the handicap, Liu has learned to do everything with his feet and learned to play piano at age 19.
Now 23, he just won China’s Got Talent this past Sunday. In the final show, he played piano and sang James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful”. Though his voice isn’t the best, his strength and zest for life inspires all.
Liu’s motto is, “I have two options – I can abandon all dreams and die a quick, hopeless death , or I can struggle without arms and live a brilliant life. And I chose the latter.”
Liu Wei’s audition:
Liu Wei’s final show performance:
A couple nights ago, I went to a concert featuring Jack Johnson, one of my favorite artists.
We got to the Greek Theater rather early, right before doors opened and found a spot in the pit 2-3 rows back from the rail. Super close.
The two opening acts set the stage for an awesome night of music under a beautiful Berkeley night sky. Zee Avi brought the smooth sounds of acoustic guitar while G. Love & Special Sauce added spice with blues and hip hop. They were good, but you could sense who everyone was waiting for.
Jack came out to a huge roar from fans, myself included. He quickly settled in and played through a great mix of songs from his old and new albums, with the sold-out crowd swaying and singing along with him. On stage, dressed in a simple brown t-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops, he looked and acted every part like the laid-back surfer dude I had always imagined him to be.
His three-part band, especially Zack Gill on piano, backed him up superbly. At one point, Gill played accordion for a song and in the middle of it, Jack dared him to crowdsurf. After much hesitation, Gill took the leap into the pit and crowdsurfed over my little area! How awesome is that! And after his thrilling adventure, Gill commented that he had never done that before and that we had made an accordion player’s dream :)
At the end of his set, Jack took a few song requests from the crowd. I thought it was a cool gesture and everyone else probably thought so too.
To finish the concert, he brought all the performers back on stage and they all so fittingly sent fans home with a rousing rendition of “Better Together”.
Jack Johnson’s songs all have that calming feeling to them, with treasures tied in. They are so simple, yet so deep. That’s why I love his music.
p.s. Jack Johnson is donating all of his 2010 tour profits to charity :)
(Photos by Ray Chavez)
I don’t understand why some teachers/professors purposely create an intimidating classroom atmosphere. Sure, maybe it’s to simulate the work world and a more serious boardroom setting.
But a classroom is supposed to be a place of learning. It should be an open forum of discussion where students should feel comfortable expressing their opinions without fear of being shot down.