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Dalai Lama Thinks This Century Will Be About 'Dialogue'


  3. jabee
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In front of a packed house in Rome along with Mikhail Gorbachev and Mayor Veltroni, he spoke about how the last century was really one of bloodshed but the new one had to be about discourse, dialogue. War is outdated, so we must find a way to be happy as a people. The world is too interconnected now, so the destruction of our neighbor is the destruction of ourselves. He went on to say that education and self-knowledge were the keys to building this kind of century and that secular ethics, not religious ethics were vital. Any action that is one that helps the community is an ethical action, not one based on religious faith.

Very interesting message that harks to Current's mission to bring dialogue back to the media and young adults.
jabee

9 responses // Dalai Lama Thinks This Century Will Be About 'Dialogue'

  • http://current.com/items/88792586_inspiring_words_from_...
    And check out this video - a right-on speech from music princess Ani DiFranco.
    mischabarrett
  • CurrentTV is a great tool for dialogue. I hope a new dialogue can happen here. While it has a focus on young adults, building an interconnected community includes a dialogue between age groups to restore the divide between ages. My generation, which sits slightly above (in age) the demographic of CurrentTV can say ?been there done that? to many of the issues and events that are posted here. Sure we have done it, but did we do it right? Should we have done it? The ?ME? generation that has been born out of owning stuff and becoming a celebrity for doing nothing (Paris Hilton) has served to subdivide us into smaller and smaller groups. We have even started dividing into virtual life (sims, 2nd life) so that we can again be part of something. A chance to start over and maybe get rich and/or famous there. A year ago I heard an interview with a girl who said she ?created a sims character that is like the person she would like to be n real life? What happened to her real life that she no longer wants to be in? Think of these mall, school and church shootings. Why do these people feel so detached from those around them? The media jumps all over these stories as if we have defective humans around us. We scramble around looking for reasons to alienate these malfunctioning people. When you go to the doctor and say ? hey doc, it hurts when I do this.? The first remedy is to stop doing that. Dialogue is the 2nd remedy.
    twodee
  • Here you go Dad, I didn't get you a present as such, just thought my wisdom would be enough...
    mattbrawn
  • my dad always made me sweep up the leaves.
    twodee
  • good for the italians who chose to recognize him and support his holiness. too bad it had to be behind closed doors as it were. imagine if you would the restraint and love it would require to calmy declare no intent at this time for independance but instead to humbly beg for
    more autonomy. while at the same time being called a traitor by an occupying government. i know i would be sorely tempted to kick my heels and yell and scream of the injustice but this brave soul smiles and begs, while teaching a universal message of love and compassion. we all could learn something from him. most especially our world governments.
    and twodee unfortunately as far as i can see historically its always been us vs them mentality in the world. these groups are just getting smaller and mebership more elite..(lol) its no new disease the carriers have just gotten sneakier... and as far as video games i know the fantasy aspect is scary for you old timers (wink) but realize its just that, fantasy. we have always dreamed of a different, better life, its part of our drive to change. these games do not kill this, they help nurture it. and if it sad that people withdraw from the world to live in complex fantasy constructs i think it just as sad that reality seems to be constructed from just as much fantasy as these games..
    and as far as shootings go. well thats how our justice department, government, television, and neighbors believe in handling things. what i mean is this is the way out children are shown. that violence does indeed solve issues. until we can sit down like adults and get past petty things like borders,religion,race,and (perhaps) at the root of it all until our leaders can get over the economic lines that divide control of the world and come to the realization that there truly is enough for all of us to be kings if we husband and manage and nurture what we hold instead of co-opting,dominating,and controlling.
    dont think the battle will end soon. your generation didnt answer... they began to answer...
    they didnt change... real change takes generations not decades. have faith though. in love. in sanity. in what ever gives you the strength to face the day.
    the angels will win and the devils will lose. to quote one of my favorite movies, kundun.
    somefamilylove
  • fantasy is not at all scary for this "old timer." This is where invention is born. It is even the way I make my living and what I have thrived on all my life. I only question the distraction of these fantasy world video games. They tend to remove the dialogue from real life which is where it is lacking most. I could be making a gross assumption on this but my guess is not.
    twodee
  • no, a fair point. it does become easy to hide out in fantasy worlds where rules are absolute and good and evil rarely grey. speaking as a person who has hidden in fantasy novels and video games most of my life i must say that too much of a good thing can certainely be detremintal. but in defense of the most avid gamer or mudder, as the old timers prefer to be called. lol (gamer joke dont worry if you didnt understand...) there is often a time or channel set aside for rl chat ( real life) and some very interesting conversation can take place. but objectively looking i guess i agree my voraciose reading/gaming habbit has not endeared me to many. and i have had to drasticaly curb them both with fatherhood. as fantasy is not conductive to restoring the dialogue to real life...sigh. reality time....
    somefamilylove
  • I really hope that what the Dalai Lama has to say is what happens in this century. I may only be 16 and fairly new to this world but I would give anything to know that this is the world that I grow up in. There may be slight issues with this view on life as a lot of discussion will occur with very little action, and I hope the action will grow proportionally with the dialogue. But I believe that this would be a massive improvement on the destruction and devastation that has scarred the human race so far and will only lead to better and brighter things.
    Wragg
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