There was a mad dash for tickets to the Dalai Lama speaking event yesterday. I was a participant in the secondary market for my chance to see His Holiness in person. Word has it there was even a black market for tickets! Shameful to think someone would willingly profit off of the relgious leader's presence, when he and the school in fact, do not. I had also heard some folks were arriving two hours in advance to get seats. Two hours? Really? Despite having to stand in a 1/2 mile long line in an unnaturally hot and humid October afternoon (wait, this is Ithaca...there is no such thing as unnatural weather patterns), despite having to endure the oven like atmosphere of Barton Hall where thousands of attendees packed the bleacher seats like canned sardines, and despite the event having a live broadcast online where you could watch from any remote location (like an air conditioned one sitting in a seat with a back to it), yes despite all that, I would willingly pay again for this rare experience.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama warned us in his opening, many of us had come there because we were curious, and that's okay. Then there were others of us who had come with high expectations, and that's not okay. The room thundered with laughter when he said we would surely dissappoint this group of people. This humorous introduction set the mood for the rest of his talk. In reflection, I think he couldn't have made a wiser marketing decision here. In order to sell his message he needed an audience willing to particiapte and an "ask" that can be easily adopted. After this humanizing move, he made his case for joining him in a human approach toward peace. In a convincing argument he described how the physical features and lifestyles of humans show an inherence for affection and gentility; from our ability to smile beautifully with teeth (not jaws) to our handshakes and hugging arms (not fierce claws) we are gentle creatures. But overall the greatest message I took away from the Dalai Lama's talk was the idea that we are all born with limited compassion. However, we have the opportunity - and more so responsibility, I think - to grow infinite compassion through practice.
In other recent events, we are right at the middle of the semester. The 1st years have made it through their 1st half of the core and are now on fall break. The 2nd years also had a fall break (apparently) earlier this week. I spent part of my break in Houston for the NSHMBA conference. Overall rathing for that event is about a 7 out of 10. Not great, Not bad...Not like the NBMBAA conference in Orlando (see story below). So what's going to keep me busy over the next few weeks? That is, aside from classes (obligatory disclosure for the professors and administration that read my blog). Johnson Means Business! It is fastly approaching and hard to believe because I have soooo much to do! Happily, the event will also allow me to reconnect with some old friends from undergrad and from Los Angeles as they were admitted to the weekend and recently informed me of their confirmed attendance. I can only hope my record will improve from last year when both my hostees ended up at different business schools this year (*LOL*). In all seriousness though, so long as they end up in business school, we all win. And on that happy note, I bid you adieu.
Cheers!
