My Post-Sabbatical Year(s) in Asia (or wherever): November 14th

We had three amazing and inspirational speakers yesterday. Mr. Sitaram Yechury spoke on the issues of hunger and the problems with the food distribution system which leaves over one billion people hungry world wide. Mr. Bharat Wakhlu spoke on empathy and each person's "inner world" to develop a sense of caring and sharing. Mr. William Bissell spoke on the youth of today inheriting a world full of outdated ideas, such as measuring economies by GNP, the idea of a sovereign nation state in this world of global interdependence, the illusion that large armies create security, and the notion that constant consumption is needed to keep economies going. The students' questions were equally inspiring, giving me a great sense of hope for the next generation of leaders.

The students worked on their "Culture Day" exhibits and performances. They each dressed in traditional clothing (tie-dye t-shirts for the Americans). The dinner buffet was exquisite, accompanied by traditional dance performances by students of each school (the American swing dancers fared pretty well). An Indian boy announced on the loud speaker before his performance that he used to have one brother, but now he has two. His second brother is his new Pakistani friend. And then, after dinner and performances, the evening culminated with a DJ and dancing. No matter what country the teenagers are from, pop culture and pop dance are the universal language. Students clumped together, doing the exact same dance, whether from the U.S., India, the Philippines, or Malaysia. Maybe the high light was a Pakistani boy, still dressed in his traditional clothing, break dancing on the floor.