Charles Schultz
I would like to put something on the blog which I got from Yvonne (it's meant to be sent by e-mail but I like it so much that I will put it here as well):
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the"Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are nosecond-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier? The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care. Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life. You are receiving this because you made a difference in mine.
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." (Charles Schultz)
I am spending the last few days in Kathmandu. On Saturday or Sunday I will be going to India. I did some research on Ayurvedic schools and I found Ayurvedic University in Jamnagar in Guyarat, University in Pune and then schools in southern India. So that will be my route. I want to try Ayurvedic treatment on myself (especially the purifying procedure called Pancha Karma) and possibly register for an introductory course in Ayurveda. I will be going by bus to the border with India and then travelling by trains.
Tomorrow I will go last time to Durbar Square in Patan - one of the districts of Kathmandu. It is a very old districts with beautiful Hindu temples. The first time I went there I went with my Reiki master who took our Reiki group to a lecture delivered by Jane Goodall, held at the museum in Durbar Square. I forgot to mention it before but it was one of highlights of my stay here. I was always fascinated by Jane Goodall and her research on chimpanzees. She founded Jane Goodall Institute (www.janegoodall.org) and is on tour lecturing about it and its purpose. I admire her and what she does immensly. She spent most of her life in the jungle with the chimpanzee family and got very attached to it but she also understands that if people kill chimpanzees and animals in general, making them endangered species, it's because they usually have no other choice to sustain themselves or make a living in their presently changed ecosystems. Her institute is devoted to protecting animals and the communities of people by helping them to create sustainable livelihoods in areas where they may be exploited or in which their natural habitat may be destroyed. The lecture was very interesting and it was hard to believe that the energetic lady who delivered it is 72 years old.
I have also seen a few movies about Tibet, all good ones: "The Himalayas", "Seven Years in Tibet" and a really good documentary entitled "Tibet. Cry of the Snow Lion." I wonder if it is pssible to rent the documentary in the West - I highly recommend it (if I have mentioned it before on the blog, forgive me, I don't remember if I have). It shows what Dalai Lama calls the "cultural genocide" in Tibet. I wonder if Tibet will ever become indpendent. China is growing into such superpower that no country will be able to press it to withdraw. When China invaded Tibet it was on their claim that they were freeing Tibetans from teocratic rule. It is true Mao believed that "religion is poison" but what always seems to be the true reason for a power to size foreign land is for resource and strategic purposes. Dalai Lama is a religious leader and Tibet was ruled by Tibetan priests. Religion was government in the case of Tibet. According to western civilization (and to communism in particular) the idea of religious system being govermental system (and feudal) may not be acceptable and many revolutions and uprisings happened to separate the church from the government but to Tibetans it was acceptable and desireable. Tibetans were a happy nation before the Chinese invasion. I talked to a few people in Lhasa and I talked to Tibetans living in Nepal. They don't welcome new roads, buildings, and companies built by the Chinese in Tibet. They value their tradition more than modernization and progress. I also talked to a few Chinese who settled in Lhasa (they get very favorable terms of employment and business incentives and they can have two kids if they move to Tibet, instead of one if they live in mainland China). They asked me if I thought Tibet was part of China "because some westerners thought it wasn't." I tried to wiggle out of these discussions for fear of being locked up (if governments of powerful countries are afraid of speaking up what I, an ordinary gray tourist, can do?) but what I really wanted to tell them is that Tibetans and Chinese have different language, different traditions, different lifestyle - they have very little in common - so no, I don't think Tibet is part of China in any possible way and the fact that Chinese killed two million of defensless Tibetans does not make them even good neighbors. What is so sad in this conflict is also the fact that so many Chinese are brainwashed to believe they have the right to be in Tibet. And, even though Dalai Lama calls for non-agression and no hostility toward the Chinese, many Tibetans develop hatred toward their oppressors. You may not see open hostility in Lhasa but the tension hangs in the air.
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the"Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are nosecond-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier? The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care. Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life. You are receiving this because you made a difference in mine.
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." (Charles Schultz)
I am spending the last few days in Kathmandu. On Saturday or Sunday I will be going to India. I did some research on Ayurvedic schools and I found Ayurvedic University in Jamnagar in Guyarat, University in Pune and then schools in southern India. So that will be my route. I want to try Ayurvedic treatment on myself (especially the purifying procedure called Pancha Karma) and possibly register for an introductory course in Ayurveda. I will be going by bus to the border with India and then travelling by trains.
Tomorrow I will go last time to Durbar Square in Patan - one of the districts of Kathmandu. It is a very old districts with beautiful Hindu temples. The first time I went there I went with my Reiki master who took our Reiki group to a lecture delivered by Jane Goodall, held at the museum in Durbar Square. I forgot to mention it before but it was one of highlights of my stay here. I was always fascinated by Jane Goodall and her research on chimpanzees. She founded Jane Goodall Institute (www.janegoodall.org) and is on tour lecturing about it and its purpose. I admire her and what she does immensly. She spent most of her life in the jungle with the chimpanzee family and got very attached to it but she also understands that if people kill chimpanzees and animals in general, making them endangered species, it's because they usually have no other choice to sustain themselves or make a living in their presently changed ecosystems. Her institute is devoted to protecting animals and the communities of people by helping them to create sustainable livelihoods in areas where they may be exploited or in which their natural habitat may be destroyed. The lecture was very interesting and it was hard to believe that the energetic lady who delivered it is 72 years old.
I have also seen a few movies about Tibet, all good ones: "The Himalayas", "Seven Years in Tibet" and a really good documentary entitled "Tibet. Cry of the Snow Lion." I wonder if it is pssible to rent the documentary in the West - I highly recommend it (if I have mentioned it before on the blog, forgive me, I don't remember if I have). It shows what Dalai Lama calls the "cultural genocide" in Tibet. I wonder if Tibet will ever become indpendent. China is growing into such superpower that no country will be able to press it to withdraw. When China invaded Tibet it was on their claim that they were freeing Tibetans from teocratic rule. It is true Mao believed that "religion is poison" but what always seems to be the true reason for a power to size foreign land is for resource and strategic purposes. Dalai Lama is a religious leader and Tibet was ruled by Tibetan priests. Religion was government in the case of Tibet. According to western civilization (and to communism in particular) the idea of religious system being govermental system (and feudal) may not be acceptable and many revolutions and uprisings happened to separate the church from the government but to Tibetans it was acceptable and desireable. Tibetans were a happy nation before the Chinese invasion. I talked to a few people in Lhasa and I talked to Tibetans living in Nepal. They don't welcome new roads, buildings, and companies built by the Chinese in Tibet. They value their tradition more than modernization and progress. I also talked to a few Chinese who settled in Lhasa (they get very favorable terms of employment and business incentives and they can have two kids if they move to Tibet, instead of one if they live in mainland China). They asked me if I thought Tibet was part of China "because some westerners thought it wasn't." I tried to wiggle out of these discussions for fear of being locked up (if governments of powerful countries are afraid of speaking up what I, an ordinary gray tourist, can do?) but what I really wanted to tell them is that Tibetans and Chinese have different language, different traditions, different lifestyle - they have very little in common - so no, I don't think Tibet is part of China in any possible way and the fact that Chinese killed two million of defensless Tibetans does not make them even good neighbors. What is so sad in this conflict is also the fact that so many Chinese are brainwashed to believe they have the right to be in Tibet. And, even though Dalai Lama calls for non-agression and no hostility toward the Chinese, many Tibetans develop hatred toward their oppressors. You may not see open hostility in Lhasa but the tension hangs in the air.
posted by Asia Kabat at 2:11 AM
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