It’s not every day you can go on a field trip and see a world leader. But today, a lot of schoolkids from around the Seattle area got to do just that – this photo shared by a parent (with school permission) shows Mrs. Clark’s 6th grade advisory class from Madison Middle School during their Seattle Center trip today to the Dalai Lama’s “youth event.”
Public schools going to a religious event? Where’s the ACLU when you need them?!
I would be interested to know if a school field trip would be taken to hear a “Christian” speak on compassion
Let me clarify, I think that this is a great event….I was just wondering where and how the line gets drawn
It is lead by his “holiness” the Dali Llama who will teach us how to have compassion. He is buddhist, and is teaching this from a Buddhist point of view.
Barbara, what would this be technically?
dan I doubt this would happen if Billy Graham came to town to talk about forgiveness.
Wes/Barb: Some parents have raised the question gently:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2004341619_dalaischool11m.html
Dan: Thousands of kids every day attend field trips where Christians speak about all sorts of things, including compassion. A majority of US presidents, senators, representatives, etc., are Christians. And we willingly bus our children to their events without question. Watch the evening news. No doubt [insert any US political figure here] has made a public appearance during his or her time in office. In the background many times are school children.
The Dahli Lama is a religious leader. But he is also the recognized political leader of a nation and a well-known world figure. The opportunity to see such a person is often once in a lifetime.
As for myself (and hopefully my kids — but it’s their choice), if Jesus were on tour, I’d go (NOT comparing the Dahli Lama with Jesus, btw. Just trying to show an example of a popular world and religious leader). Even though I do not agree with Christianity, I agree with his message and feel that, were he alive today, that would be someone I would want to see.
I attended the event at Qwest field on Saturday and if the event today for kids is anything like Saturdays event – there was no mention religion at all.
It was a conversation about compassion and how to be more compassionate as human beings and how to teach our children compassion.
You bring up an interesting question, Wes and Dan. I wonder if Billy Graham would launch a worldwide, nondenominational movement to encourage compassion for all people…without mentioning God once. If so, then I think it would wonderful for public school students to attend.
There were also many other school groups from West Seattle at the event. I know that West Seattle Elementary (formerly High Point) and Gatewood had groups, as well as Denny, Sealth, West Seattle HS… Probably others as well, those are just names that I heard read as the groups were being dismissed, although, I must admit to having been busy chasing around our group of wiggly students…
I said hello, Dalai,……well, hello, Dalai
Its so nice to have you back where you belong
Youre lookin swell, Dalai…….i can tell, Dalai
Youre still glowin…youre still crowin…youre still goin strong
I feel that room swayin……while the bands playin
One of your old favourite songs from way back when
So….. take her wrap, fellas…….find her an empty lap, fellas
Dalai’ll never go away again
(instrumental break)
I also attended the Qwest Field event.
It is terribly silly to assume that Buddhism is all that the Dalai Lama has going for him. Buddhism is a practice based on having compassion and caring for one’s fellow man, the earth, and all the sentient beings on it. It is not based on the worship of any god, gods, or Buddha. it would do anyone who thinks otherwise some good to do some research, before they start shooting their mouths off. We’re talking about a man who has won a Nobel Peace Prize and a Congressional Medal of Honor for his work teaching people anti-violent ways to solve problems…hmm…come to think of it, Jesus preached about love and caring for one’s fellow man, didn’t he? Or would you prefer the fire-and-brimstone war-and-killing, Old Testament version of the Bible?
People’s desire to remain willfully ignorant of the world around them will always, always astound me. Good luck with that.
snowlion, so what is it you learned at the event at Qwest field?
I thought I was raising the question, not insert an opinion.
Praying for you all for the grace of Jesus!
So if it’s to learnabout being more compassionate where did the Dali Llama learn about compassion? Buddhism?
Also whose compassion are we going to use?
“West Seattle students attend Dalai Lama’s youth event, spark world’s 400 billionth useless debate about religion on the Interweb Tubes”
So from this thread:
Christians want to focus on persecution.
Buddhists want to focus on compassion.
__________________________
the Dali Lama is an exiled government leader who doesn’t focus on persecution in his worldwide appearances. Pretty unique these days when people constantly clamor for the crown of persecution.
If nothing else, this thread will be a nice civics lesson for the students who were told to look for their smiling faces on the blog tonight …
It was an “interesting” day at Key Arena today. I think that it was probably better geared at children that were older than the ones that I was there with… There was what seemed like a cavalcade of grownups introducing him that was UNBELIEVABLY boring for the kids that I was chaperoning… I felt like there was a bit of political grandstanding, in terms of a beautiful photo-op with the Dalai Lama and surrounded by children that didn’t really add to the dialog about compassion for the kids (who were theoretically the target audience today) Some were more fun and engaging, storytelling, singing, drumming… but the grownup talk was rough for the kids…
By the time the Dalai Lama got a chance to speak, our kids were so tired and hungry that they had a really hard time following what he had to say (especially with his heavily accented English, no translator and subtitles that they could not yet read)… I think that really today was unfortunately mostly about the adults, and not so much the youth, at least not the younger ones…
We were specifically told that we could not bring snacks in with us, or pencils, or paper, so there was literally NOTHING that we could provide them to sustain them. We got there by bus at 10:00, the program didn’t start until 10:45 and the Dalai Lama didn’t speak until nearly 11:45. Those kids were REMARKABLY well behaved considering how difficult the circumstances were to be good.
Que, unfortunately, my middle-schooler reported the same feedback on the technical side. Hard to hear (volume) and white subtitles on a white background. Hard to read, and I wondered if the youngest ones would have been able to read along even with the best of visuals. Overall, I think they got something out of it, but as you point out, they were an older group.
Bubba, you got persecution out of that? The Dali Llama doesn’t focus on persecution? So why does he feel that we need compassion?
Hey Bob, what civic lesson would that be? Also, give me an example when public school kids went to hear a famous religious figure who is Christian talk about anything?
It’s comments like this “Praying for you all for the grace of Jesus!” that absolutely drive me nuts. I don’t need to be prayed for thank you. Some of us just want to read the comments.
I did not say that we do not need compassion, I asked the question, who’s compassion or whose definition of compassion shall we use?
I am a local elementary teacher. I too questioned if the Seeds of Compassion events would be appropriate for children in public school to attend. I researched Seeds of Compassion online and found that it was not a religious event. Organizers/leaders of different devotions organized and spoke at the Seeds of Compassion events. There is NOTHING wrong with hearing words about compassion. Compassion is compassion no matter whose definition of compassion we hearing. Of the children I’ve talked to about the field trip, not a single one has mention Budhism.
CHILL OUT.
Wes, at least one of the “seeds of compassion” youth events included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rev. Samuel McKinney, Father William Treacy and other Christian leaders.
AJD, do say the same to your kids when they ask questions?
Also, say there is a rapist and he thinks it’s compassionate to at least say kind things to the women he rapes. Is his idea of compassion the same?
barmargia, did my question say that? It was a question asked in response to the comment that compassion is compassion no matter whose definition of compassion we are hearing. Is it a hard question to answer?
Oh come on, don’t commit intellectual suicide. I want to know what my neighbors think, have a conversation, and not assume anything about them.
Is that trolling?
Also, you don’t have to hide under a silly username, be brave and when you have an opinion.
Sorry, comment time is over.
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