An Encounter with the Dalai Lama.

Regardless of whether you were there in person or you watched him through a screen, the Dalai Lama was nothing less than memorable. The mass media seems to be focusing only on his last words, whether they were actually said or not, and they are forgetting about everything else that made the experience worth it. Rather than over talking the already talked about topic of His Holiness’ final remarks, I think we should focus on everything else that happened during the hour and a half long speech and question and answer.

Chosen at the age of two as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, the current Dalai Lama, previously named Lhamo Dhondup, has led a life of spiritualism and education. He has traveled the world to spread his message and has been himself attending various classes. Although this was not as clear in his speaking, his English was not exactly the best and if it wasn’t for the closed captioning I would have been lost. Sure, the subtitles were off and there were many typos, but it is safe to say that our ears alone would not have been able to take in everything His Holiness was saying.

I found him to be an adorable man. He had the greatest laugh I have heard in a long time. There is no doubt that he is a happy man, no doubt that he wants to spread his joy. His laugh was contagious and he laughed at his own jokes, whether or not they were funny I found myself laughing along with him. I was constantly smiling at his small gestures, at his giving the entire talk wearing a Brown cap or his present to President Paxson. However, his speech was somewhat predictable, as an educator and peace advocator I would have been surprised had he not talked about peace and education.

He talked about humanity wanting to lead a happy life and peace being the way to it. He asked the audience, the 21st century generation as he called us, to look outside ourselves in order to be able to have a world in which people get along. He said that our reality is still changing and that although we can learn from the past, it is gone, and we must now focus on our future. The only way to do that is if we have knowledge about reality in order to come up with realistic solutions. He talked about the evolution of compassion and altruism, about human rights being a thing of the present and not of the past, about our world cooperation. He had some inspiring moments, he said some things that resonated with me. He said things like, “success is related to inner peace not monetary gain,” and the fact that we have to think more about the things that motivate us and do them. As a Brown student, these ideas are the reasons I came to Brown, to do what I love. Yet, all this talk about education and altruism made me think a lot about the audience. Whether we like it or not, he was talking to a mostly Ivy League educated audience. We know education is the answer and the option of being altruistic comes a lot more naturally and easier to some of us.

So maybe although the Dalai Lama himself as a figure is inspiring, his words don’t seem to be different from what most world leaders advocate. Even though it was a once in a life time experience, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, I think it is safe to say I wanted a little variety in what our actions should be in order to achieve peace. More than that, I wanted him to expand on his ideas, to tell us what he wishes we could do to make education a more common thing. We are all receiving a proper education; we are part of the answer, but what happens when the people he talks to don’t have the opportunity, not because they don’t want to but because they simply can’t? How can we as an educated audience change that? We all wish it was as simple as sending a letter, donating some money, or signing a petition. But the truth is, that small actions by many individuals can help, but not necessarily change everything. How can we achieve peace through education, and knowing who our fellow humans are, if not everyone is as exposed to other cultures as we are? Part of me wanted to hear something new, something that would make me come out of the talk and say yes, this is what I am going to do to help reach peace. Yet I came out of it happy to have attended, but still unsure as to how I could help. I wish I could provide an education to everyone, I wish I had the means to ensure that every child of this generation received the proper exposure to the world.
I was left a little disappointed, and not because of who he is, but because of what he said. I am all for peace, I think that once as a world we work together and understand each other, rather than cause each other pain, we will achieve our goal of leading a happy life. I don’t disagree with him, I just expected to be enlightened by him. Maybe I put too much responsibility on one single human being.

34 Ideas About Love And Other Facets Of The Human Condition Worth Considering

Reblogged from Thought Catalog:

The most universal secret is, "I hurt." Everyone has a secret, and it's a secret for a reason.

Secrets exist to protect oneself or others from hurt. They are most deeply rooted when felt with guilt or shame.

If you can't think of a question to ask when judging a decision, it is fair for someone to expect you to have been in the same situation.

Read more… 602 more words

Wise words. If only we could all take these words and embrace them, rather than see them as beautiful and move on.

Top 7 Star’s Alter Egos

Stage names, pen names, or alter egos, whatever you call them, they all fulfill the same role. These have become quite a common thing in the world of entertainment. Stars use them for various reasons, sometimes the purpose is to be able to do or say something they wouldn’t otherwise be able to, other times it is to hide who they truly are, and yet other times, these simply emerge because their old names weren’t flashy or catchy enough. There is always talk about recreating oneself, about using a move to a new city or country or job to become the person we actually wanted to be, and we all need to start somewhere.

Beyonce Knowels/Sasha Fierce: If there is one thing that this star’s alter ego is, it’s definitely fierce! We all know and love Beyonce, we’ve seen her grow from just a member of Destiny’s Child, to a super star and empire ruler. She seems to have it all, the job, the voice, the body, the man, the family. This change from one of three to the one has made her into a respected woman. Yet this hasn’t stopped Beyonce from going on stage and showing that just because now she has more things to worry than just being a pretty face with a voice, she is going to give up what brought her there. Sasha Fierce teaches you that it’s all about the attitude, if you go out into the world and you have confidence in yourself, then there is nothing and no one that can stop you.

Stefani Germanotta/Lady Gaga: Let’s be honest, if Lady Gaga had walked down the red carpet in a meat suit under the name Stefani Germanotta we would have thought she was insane rather than artistic. This is the classic example of someone who wanted to become someone else and started by changing their name. You can’t act like Lady Gaga and have a common name, it simply doesn’t work. She does whatever she wants to because no one will tell her no when it is for the sake of art, for the sake of sending a message. People used to tell her she couldn’t do it, and she proved them wrong. She recreated herself into something that people either love or hate, but into something people definitely talk about. She rose to the top because she inhabited her new persona and ran with it. There is a saying in Portuguese that Lady Gaga definitely embraced, it says, “talk well, talk badly, but talk about me.”

Sasha Baron Cohen/Borat: Some people think he took it too far, but maybe he took it just far enough. Borat was controversial to say the least. He showed the public things they didn’t want to admit about themselves, and he did it all under the name of entertainment. Borat is an example of an alter ego with a purpose. Sure the whole portrayal was awkward and embarrassing, and most of the time we just wanted to slap him, but he did and said things that he wouldn’t have been able to had he still been Sasha Baron Cohen. He used his alter ego to make a point, to send a message. He made fun of the American public and he got them to laugh at it. He will always have people who disagree with him, but that doesn’t ever stop him from becoming someone else.

Marshall Bruce Mathers III/Eminem: Had Eminem come into the rapping world as Marshall Bruce Mathers III he would have had no success. His original name sounds like he should be a prince, or at least a member of the elite. Yet Eminem is neither of those things, not even close. No one would have taken his plight seriously unless he had chosen a new name to go along with his persona. Eminem has had a rough life, he made it out from nothing, he has battled drug addictions and has had various encounters with the law. Yet he always seems to come out on top, with lyrics that aren’t just about big booties and sexy women. He definitely has some songs that reference women, but his songs always seem to have a greater driving force behind them and we probably wouldn’t be taking him as seriously in his rapping career had he been Marshall Bruce and not Eminem.

Miley Cirus/Hannah Montana: This star’s alter ego was created by none other than the Disney Channel. So she didn’t pick who she would become, but to young girls, and some older ones, she has become an inspiration. She was regular girl by day and teen star by night. Like Lizzie McGuire earlier on, Hannah Montana showed young girls out there that it is ok to be awkward and have weird friends. It showed girls that who we are doesn’t dictate what we do. Although Miley has done questionable things since the end of the show, Hannah Montana will always remain the innocent teenager who is just trying to live a “normal” life. She has become a symbol of dreams that come true, of things that can go right.

Calvin Broadus/Snoop Dog: Snoop Dog, or Snoop Tiger as he most recently renamed himself, is an image. He is no longer just a person; he represents a spiritual yet weird aspect of the rap world. He’s a pimp turned family man, who actually seems to care about his family, or at least that is what he wants the world to think. We have welcomed him to Brown before, and we would do it again. He also seems like one of the least scary rappers out there. Maybe it’s his goofy smile, or the fact that his alter ego is called Snoop Dog, but I wouldn’t mind being friends with him.

Alecia Moore/Pink: She changed her locks and she changed her name. She was the hard girl with the short hair when she first came out into the entertainment world. She sings about not giving a fuck and girl power. She is the epitome of a strong independent woman. Granted she got married, had a baby and got a divorce, but that doesn’t stop her from being strong and showing the world she doesn’t need a man to be successful. She represents the woman we all ideally wish we could be. The one who made it to the top through her own will and strength and the one who stayed there in spite of the ups and downs and disagreeing men.

Although I sometimes wish famous people used their real names, so that I could have a sense of them as real people and not made up personas, at the same time I think they wouldn’t be stars if they were Alecia, or Stefani, or Calvin. Sure they would be like you and me, but then they would lose the allure and fantasy that surrounds them. It makes me wonder to what extent we want stars we can relate to, and to what extent we want stars that can make us lose our sense of reality. For the sake of art and fame they change their names, and for the sake of entertainment and fun we accept and embrace the change.

 

http://www.hercampus.com/school/brown/name-fame

How To Talk To Someone You Love(?) | Thought Catalog

How To Talk To Someone You Love(?) | Thought Catalog.

 

Perfectly put.

Writing.

http://www.hercampus.com/school/brown/hello-brown

Maybe Don’t Kiss Me.

If only we all had the courage to say these words. To admit that a kiss is never just a kiss and sometimes it leaves us wanting more. That sometimes we want to kiss and be kissed but not if our partner in crime is going to disappear from our lives in a couple of hours. Sometimes we want what’s attached to the kiss. I wish people would stop running away from commitment like it’s the plague. I wish people my age would understand that a relationship is not like a prison, that it can be fun and that it can involve as much freedom as a non-relationship does. If only we would stop being so afraid of the relationship stereotypes out there and were willing to create our own, maybe we wouldn’t be so against commitment.

 

Maybe Don’t Kiss Me | Thought Catalog.

Ways Your Crush Will Crush You.

Ways Your Crush Will Crush You | Thought Catalog.

Digital Portrait.

For one of my classes I had to submit a writing sample in which I talked about a digital portrait. My professor left it open for us to decide what we wanted to write about, whether it was our own digital portrait or what we thought a digital portrait was or how we felt about one.

Here is my take on it:

As a budding writer I want people to know me. I want people to read my name and be able to associate it with my writing and the kind of person I am. I want my readers to get to know me through my writing. So where do I draw the line? Ever since I entered middle school I’ve been told that I need to be careful with the kind of information I put on the internet. Never write where I live, what my full name is, or anything that can lead anyone to me in a way that they can harm me.

Yet this summer I decided that it was all up to me to get my name out there, before I actually get the chance to publish a novel, so I started a blog. I modeled it after one of my favorite blogs. It is honest, it does not really have any filters, and it is about me. I started building a digital portrait that gives the right amount of information without overdoing it. When it comes down to it, I don’t want to give people a thorough description of what I look like and what my likes and dislikes are, I don’t want my blog to be an ad page for me. Instead I realized that the true way I wanted to build my digital portrait was through my words. I want the people that read my blog to create their own ideas of what I am like through what I write. I don’t tell my readers what to think of me, I tell them what I think in hopes that I will elicit a response from them.

My digital portrait is me. That’s who I want to be both in the real world and the world of the internet. I don’t try to or aim to deceive anyone with my writing or my internet profile. I am as honest in my blog and my Facebook profile as I am with my friends when we are together. I don’t say anything online that I wouldn’t say out loud. I am me through and through, in all aspects and all forms of communication. I think we live in a society where people are not comfortable being themselves and so they try to create different personas online. I think this a new phenomenon, one that starts with our generation. Yet this alternate universe that is created through the internet doesn’t cease to be a fruit of our imagination.

Hair.

I decided I no longer wanted long hair. It could have been because I wanted to look different in order to feel different. I had always cut my hair in new ways when my life changed, but this time I wanted it for no other reason than being completely sick of looking the same way. I thought the bob cut would make me look younger, or older. It didn’t matter, all that mattered was that I would no longer look like me.

But the feeling heightened when I saw my mom walk into my room, her hair gone and the orangy, thick haired wig in its place. I was left speechless; I smiled awkwardly trying to choke back the tears of the reality that was going to face us for the next 6 months. I knew it wasn’t the end, but I also knew it was the beginning of an excruciating process. How do you acknowledge something you don’t really want to have to deal with? How was I supposed to make her feel better about what was going on when it scared the crap out of me?

Weeks later, she took me to her hairdresser where the whole process began. They removed the wig and I caught a glimpse of my mom looking at herself in the mirror, tears filling her eyes as she touched her hairless scalp. I couldn’t bring myself to look at my mom through the mirror again. The mirror that only reminded her, and consequently me, of what was happening, of the unfairness of the world and the beauty of life. So many emotions that I was too young to understand: how scared I was to show I was worried , how when she was not home I put on her perfume to feel her close to me. How I acted nonchalantly as my dad came in to tell me my mom was going to be ok as I sat in the green art room of my house, the afternoon rays of sun coming in through the window, the paintbrush still in my hand, and all I wanted to do was cry out of relief.

Yet as I sat on the black leather chair, a huge mirror in front of me and my hairdresser asked me: “are you sure you want this?” I dared to look at my mom through the mirror. I looked at her standing there, a half-smile on her face. Half in worry that I wouldn’t like my new hair and half in knowing that I was old enough to make my own decisions. Only a couple months before her body had rid her of her locks and here I was doing it willingly. I turned my gaze to my hairdresser and nodded, “cut it all off.”

Still getting used to this.

I know I’ve been away for some time, but I’m still getting used to the return of the college work load. Believe me, it is not as scarce as I remembered it. I’ve had to spend quite a few afternoons doing nothing but reading Shakespeare (not complaining) and Anthropological texts (definitely complaining) in the last weeks.

But on other news. Life happens, things stop happening and others begin. So like a good young person in this day and age I went from one bad moment in life to a good one without even thinking about it. New things will come every so often, but slowly I’m learning how to let them happen without planning too much. A friend once told me that my biggest problem is that I always want things to go my way and never let life take me by surprise. And although I don’t think I’ll ever be good at completely letting go of what could happen, I am trying to tone it down. I spent a great weekend with friends, I let myself forget and move on, but most of all, I came to the conclusion this is going to be a GREAT year!