My Shangri-La

That is one of the most wonderful memories in my life, the time I was attending the Youth Encounter to Sustainability (YES) course in Bad Deutsch Altenburg, Austria last September 2008. I have learnt a lot and have been inspired a lot by the excellent lecturers and highly motivated friends there. We came from all over the world. Unity through diversity, like a big friendly multi-cultural family, we are young people with enthusiastic hearts, wishing to make positive changes for a better world. We spent a very nice and loving time there, learning together, playing together and working together, with a lot of fun. Many aspects of sustainability were approached creatively by inspiring lectures, groupworks, questions, documentaries, talks with experts, discussions, expressive art and particularly by real experiences. We visited wind-park in the region, Amoda organic farm, PET recycling factory, renewable energy centre in Grussing, technical museum in Vienna… And on a whole day immerged in nature, we walked through the national park wetland and paddled across river Donau. This is a unique educational, emotional and social experience, an unforgettable memory in our life forever…

Arja said what i told is like what would happen in the New World. After the Last Judgement Day, God will restore the Earth, transforming it into a paradise, where people live happily and harmoniously with each other and with all the animals and the plants... That recalled me of "Shangri-la", a permanently happy land, isolated from the outside world on mystical Himalayas, a fictional place in the novel "Lost Horizon" of James Hilton. Professor Mika had mentioned it in the lecture on “History of Science”. I've not read "Lost Horizon" yet, but I 've known about this word "Shangri-la", by chance, from the song "Lovely lady of Acardia” of Demis Roussos. In its lyrics, there is this sentence: "In your arms I found my Shangrila..."

YES, my Shangrila is also beautiful as a dream! Heaven on Earth is an old dream that humankind always cherish, isn't it? I wonder if a dream of a plentiful, peaceful and happy world is just a mythical utopia, which is too ideal to be true?

Perhaps I'm still optimistic. I believe "there is a rose in every soul". And the wholesome seeds which bring Hope are being multiplied all over the world. You know, prospective of a sustainable future is a modern version of an earthly paradise...

"You may say, I’m dreamer.
But I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you join us
And the world will live as one..."
(Imagine - The Beatles)

Memories in the Land of Snow

I miss the long white winters, the beautiful nature of summer blue sky and green forests in this land of thousand lakes. And of course I miss you too, my dear friends. 

Thank you, Finland, for all the nice memories I have had!

With love,

Daisy

Finland 2006 - 2008

Education for Sustainability

I. Introduction

Climate change, environmental destructions, pollution, energy crisis… are hard problems of our world today. The pro-material but not pro-human economy where people are in chase of benefit, would result in a world of competition and increasing injustice, poverty, ignorance and violent conflicts. Reflecting carefully our way of life, we need to change, to get away from an energy- and waste-intensive lifestyle and live more in concert with the production and assimilation capacities of the Earth. We must recognize the fact that we cannot live alone in the planet but we are interdependent to each other and other species in the larger nature. We should reawake ourselves the important role of nature, human relationship and community values in our lives. Ultimately, the main cause that underpinning all is the present mindset or set of values in our convention societies. Therefore, as education is the key to tackle these global challenges, its vision should be revised in order to create enthusiastic agents of change of today and thoughtful leaders of tomorrow. Education is the most important and effective investment for future.

II. Vision and Philosophy

Since our problems are complex and interrelated, they require systems thinking as well as an integrated and interdisciplinary knowledge to manage. Thus, a creative and holistic approach to education for sustainability is what we are searching for. The new vision should embrace sustainability in all aspects of life, environmental, economic, cultural, social and spiritual, as described beautifully in the Earth Charterii. Moreover, education for sustainability should be integrated at all levels of education systems, from as simply as teaching the love of nature and human to children, up to community level as raising public awareness. Actually, most of our actions are induced by our subconscious, which has been formed from very early ages. And the main educational goal is the development of human beings in the fullest meaning, not only providing skills but also nurturing the compassion of life in their hearts and inspiring their minds positively.

Capra saidiii, ecoliteracy - the understanding of the principles of organisation that ecosystems have evolved to sustain the web of life – is the first step on the road to sustainability. The core philosophy of sustainability lies in the appreciation of nature as the symbol of integrity, stability and beauty. Sustainability holds a philosophy of respect and caring, cooperation rather than competition with nature and with each other, as we can see in permaculture ethicsiv: (i) care for the Earth, including all living and non-living things, such as animals, plants, land, water and air, (ii) care for people, (iii) share resources and surplus (labour, money, information, knowledge) to help others achieve their needs - our relationship with others becomes the basis of community caring, (iv) reducing and taking responsibility on consumption.

III. Practical Approach

1. Creative Education: Education for Sustainability should recognize and integrate many interesting ways of learning besides the conventional teaching:

- Teaching by being examples: green teachers

- Group work/team work to teach cooperative spirit

- Experience-based learning, through school gardens, working in the field, helping other people in need, voluntary services in local community..

- Visual learning: with the help of movies, audio, documentaries, internet…

- Project-based learning, problem-based learning

- Excursions to natural sites, forests, national parks…

- Learning through Art…

2. Green Science and Technology

Curriculum should integrate ecoliteracy in all level of education system. These principles of sustainability would become guiding lines of green-living for a sustainable future. Green science, eco-designs and appropriate technologies should be taught in universities.

3. Education for Global Citizenship and Social Responsibility

- Education for Peace, teaching of living-values

-Teaching of respecting and celebrating diversity, multicultures, equality, social responsibility and global citizenship

4. Raising public awareness, integrated community-based solutions

- Enhancing local community living through cultural change, recycling, sharing, “grow, shop and eat local”…

- Strategies for livable and green cities, eco-villages: urban agriculture?, bicycling, public transportation, green building (making improvement in energy efficiency, using renewable energy, solar roof, green roof)…

IV. Conclusion

As the crisis we face is first and foremost the crisis in perception and values, education for sustainability is essential for society in shifting from our present way of being, thinking and relating that is separated, reductionist and linear to a more holistic, ecological worldview. This is a necessary perceptual shift for humanity to live sustainably by understanding of our co-existence on this planet, how we are systemically interconnected and mutually interdependent in the web of life. That vision leads us to cooperate with all other humans and other living beings, and encourages a meaningful lifestyle in which we live more close to nature, more simply but healthily and richly. It encourages a culture of mutual respect, solidarity and love that nurtures the human spirit. A sustainable society should be the community where people living harmoniously with the Earth and its inhabitants, then it is sustainable in all aspects, economically, socially, culturally and ecologically. There are cooperative, caring relationships that cultivate inner peace and spread a friendly, reliable atmosphere around. Sustainability vision recognizes what is deeply and fundamentally important to us – our connection with each other and with the natural world.

References

iCapra F. The Turning Point: Science, Society, and the Rising Culture. Simon and Schuster, 1982.

iiEarth Charter: http://www.earthcharter.org/

iiiCapra F. The Hidden Connections – A Science for Sustainable Living. Anchor Books, 2004.

ivPermaculture Ethics: http://www.seedinternational.com.au/pc_ethics.html

v Cull J. The Circularity of Life – A Shift in Worldview for Sustainability. Ebook on

http://www.lifesnaturalsolutions.com.au/

A teardrop on the face of eternity

"You know Shah Jahan, life and youth, wealth and glory, they all drift away in the current of time. You strove therefore, to perpetuate only the sorrow of your heart. Let the splendour of diamond, pearl and ruby vanish like the magic shimmer of the rainbow. Only let this one teardrop, this Taj Mahal, glisten spotlessly bright on the cheek of time, forever and ever."
-  Rabindranath Tagore

18.12.2008

It was still dark, about 5:30 in the early morning. The railway station was dense with many people walking, sitting, and sleeping on the floor. I sat at a waiting chair. Beside me, there was a Korean man about forty something. He introduced himself as Rim and he was an electric engineer. He told me about his interesting yesterday trip to Tibetan residential area in the North of New Delhi. He had bought many good DVDs on Tibet with cheap prices. I told him I was in Seoul last August to attend a conference. He asked where I had been in the city. And when I mentioned Insa-dong, a cultural street in Seoul with many traditional art shops and performance centers, he said that he was also at Insa-dong for some souvenir gifts before leaving to India. He gave me one with nice image of Korean flag, it was a nail-clipper which also had bottle opening function.

Then on the train, his seat number 39 and mine 37, just nearby, but we were in the opposite sides, thus we could not talk any more. Surround me were some European tourists. I was sleepy and so, sleeping during the whole time from New Delhi, until the train arrived Agra.

Outside the station, there was a crowd of taxi drivers offering tours, like a competition. I quickly chose a meek one and escaped this enclosure. The taxi stopped at a roundabout near Taj Mahal since no car would be allowed to go further. The driver gave me his phone number to call him when I was back. He said that he would wait just somewhere around. He advised that I should be careful, not listen to anyone but go straight to the inside.

Taj Mahal

A shrine of Love, Taj Mahal whose beauty was beyond words stood right in front of me, like in a fairytale. I felt as if I was walking in my dream. The masterpiece was magnificent, not only in term of its architectural forms but also in every delicate detail. It was truly an elaborate work of art. I wished that I could stay a whole day in Agra, to witness the miracle of its colour changing at dawn, at sunset, and at night, especially under a full-moon light, when it would seem to glow from some inner blue flame they said.

   

“A teardrop on the face of eternity” as Tagore described, this elegy in marble moved my heart. Its touching story evoked in me a feeling of melancholic nostalgia…

The Story of Shah Jahan  

“Shah Jahan came to power in 1622 when he seized the throne from his father, while murdering his brothers to ensure his claim to rule. He was known as an extravagant and cruel leader. But he redeemed himself by his generosity to his friends and the poor, by his passion in adorning India with some of its most beautiful architecture, and by his devotion to his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Mumtaz Mahal was so beautiful that the moon hid itself in shame before her, said the poets. He loved her deeply and was pained that she was going to die. He asked her what he could do to immortalise their love and she told him the famous words:

“Build me the most beautiful monument of love in the world.”

And so upon Mumtaz's death, Shah Jahan used the purest white marble to built the Taj Mahal as her tomb.

Shah Jahan's son Aurangazeb was a fanatic. Since he was the youngest son, he could not become king and so decided to kill all his elder brothers. He was Shah Jahan's favourite son but instead put him in jail in horrible circumstances. Whereas Shah Jahan had treated his father Jahangir well in jail, Aurangazeb was cruel. He allowed his father a small room with just a tiny opening. And he told him that opening was for him to view the Taj Mahal and die looking at it. No one was allowed into Shah Jahan's jail except his daughter who fed him once a day.

Shah Jahan spent years just looking at the Taj Mahal and died. His story is sad, but the monument he built is everlasting. Undoubtedly the finest creation of mankind, it stands a testimony to eternal love.”

Adapted from “Our  Oriental Heritage”, Will Durant and “Glorious India”, Hari Adarsh Sripathi . Photo “Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal” from Leonard Public’s Gallery.

The tragedy made me reflect upon human desire for power. How sad this greed of power had turned them to blind that they could harm even their own family’s members! Shah Jahan assumed his kingdom from his father Jahangir, putting him in jail. Then the same fate awaited him in his life (Hari Adarsh Sripathi). “As we sow, so shall we reap”, that is the universal law of causality.

It has been said that Shah Jahan cut off the workers’ hands after the completion of Taj Mahal so that no one would ever be able to build such a marvelous monument again (Thinkquest). I was thinking that if I were Mumtaz, would I be happy to have the most beautiful monument on earth while knowing that too many people had been sacrificed? It is them, those poor artisans, who had realized this wonderful gift to the world.

Agra's handicraft

After having an Indian buffet for lunch, I was led to a workshop to learn how decorated marble items were made. The presenter said that his ancestors were among those craftsmen who built Taj Mahal long ago.  Now their business is supported by the government to preserve the traditional art and culture. And having supporting from government was also a way of officially quality approval. He said that the marbles had been taken from Jaipur, about 200 km far from Agra. They put hena, the natural brown colour, into those white marble to facilitate the drawing process. “Flower stones” were made separately and then were inlaid into those marbles. The flowers were adhesive by a natural glue from plant. which was kind of white powder that needed to be heated until melted. At completion, the hena was washed and the marble became white again.

 
The craftsmen making the flower inlaid stones.

In another darker room, the presenter displayed the light effects on the stones. Some orange stone could shine around its edge when light was projected from below. He also  performed the dawn, the sunset and the full-moon lighting effects on those marbles. These various changing colours explained why people come back again and again to see Taj Mahal at different times of a day, at different times of a month, and at different seasons.

Then the taxi took me to a carpet shop. In the room, some craftsmen were weaving skillfully. The shop owner turned up his lighter near the surface of a carpet in order to prove that it was genuine sheep wool which could not be burnt (really? Hmm, I had no idea about this ).  He asked me whether I knew how to evaluate the quality of carpets. Of course, I knew nothing. He smiled and continued, “the quality of carpets should be viewed from its back side”. He pointed at my camera and said, “just like photos taken from your camera, the higher the number of pixels, the better the resolution, here with carpets, the higher the number of nodes, the better the quality”.

Leaving the carpet shop, the taxi driver led me to a jewelry store. The owner here was a fat Sikh man, with hair covered. He presented to me about different kinds of gem stones, most interesting were those “Star of India”, they might have 6 wings (purple) or 4 wings (black). He said that he liked Vietnam and in the future he would like to do social work or teaching English in somewhere like Vietnam. He told me that he was a healer and that he saw positive energy from me as I had a good heart, kind and gentle. Oh! How could he see that just through a short conversation (actually only he who spoke and me who listened)! I did not know whether i had positive energy or not since sometimes I had been really down. But anyway, it was nice to hear.

He said these are local precious stones, called "Star of India".

We were passing by the Red Fort of Agra, where Shah Jahan was detained on the tower. I wanted to visit but the taxi driver said it was nothing special and just the same, therefore the taxi stopped on the street for me to have a short look from the fence outside. I was regret later as Nadya said it was very beautiful inside.

 

  The Red Fort of Agra from a zoomed view far away                 The taxi driver on the way passing Red Fort

 
Donkeys carrying loads on the street. A monkey climbing on the fence.         A goat wandering on the railway.

It was early and the train was late, thus I had been waiting for more than three hours at the railway station. While the train to Agra was the express one with comfortable conditions, the train back to New Delhi was a much cheaper one and it took nearly double the time. But I appreciated this experience as a way to learn more about local people and their lives.

On the train, there were many food vendors, like in Vietnam, they advertized their products with loud voices, which sounded interesting for me, maybe because I did not understand the language.

The window was open that made me so cold when the train running. I had to ask the man nearby to close it for me since it was high above. He could not speak English but perhaps he understood a little. He seemed to be a labourer and he looked so thin and poor that I felt somehow empathized for him. He closed the window carefully. Then he invited me some foods he had bought. I could not eat but sincerely, I was grateful. Thank you, a good stranger!

*****

Seven Wonders of the World

The Official New 7 Wonders of the World have been elected by more than 100 million votes to represent global heritage throughout history, announced at the Declaration Ceremony on 07.07.07 in Lisbon (www.new7wonders.com).

So, I have been only in 2 Wonders, the Colloseum in Italy and the Taj Mahal in India. I wish someday in this life, we can travel to all these Wonders, and other parts on earth, especially to visit our dear friends.

Nadya

Hymalaya, Nadya and Shamik

"Mountains don’t demand much from you. All they want and wish is that you would visit them once in a while and talk to them like friends. They are benign, they are majestic, they are enchanting!” 
- Nadya’s skype status, quoted from Satyabrata Dam.

New Delhi, 17.12.2008

Finally, I was in India!!! However, my check-in luggage was lost, maybe from the first delay in Brussels. I had to make a report, and they said they would contact me as soon as they found it.

I called Nadya and with her instruction, I came to her place by taxi. Taxis here look old and not expensive. Nadya is a new Russian friend, 25, whom I had just known through Hospitality Club*. Nadya lived in New Delhi with her Indian boyfriend, Shamik, who now is her husband (they get married in October, 2009).

Nadya made for me some pancakes. We ate and talked a while then we went to the street to call rikhsaws to railway station as i had to book train ticket for tomorrow trip to Taj Mahal. Rikhsaws look like Thai’s “tuk tuk”, they are common means of transportation in New Delhi, painted with green and yellow colors. Nadya gave me careful advices and then i parted alone, saying that we would meet again in the evening.

After booking train ticket, i walked around the central railway station. There were many vegetarian restaurants. They even put in the banner “Pure Vegetarian”. One taxi driver came to me, offering the package New Delhi sight-seeing tour. I took the taxi and observed people with diverse activities in the city. It was interesting for me to see Sikh men with “turbans” (hat) driving vespas and buses!  The traffic mess and the pollution were somehow familiar, like in Vietnam.  At lunch, the taxi driver stopped at a place called “Eating Corner”, we had to queue up in the line to buy plastic tokens for exchanging food such as rice, chapatti, dal, yogurt… We passed by the Indian Gate, President House, Parliament, Lohdi Garden… each one a while just for a short look. Then the taxi driver insisted on visiting some shops that he knew, though I told him that I was not so interested in shopping that time. I would still have a long journey ahead and I would like to travel light. So he was kind of frustrating that I thought ok, I agreed with him and we stopped by several shops…

We had not seen much the city but I was a little bit tired, thus i told the taxi driver to drive back to Nadya’s place. There was still no news about my lost luggage. Because all my clothes were in the lost-luggage, Nadya had to lend me some of hers. She heated up the water for me. I felt better after taking a bath with hot water.

Shamik had to work at the evening shift then only Nadya and me talked to each other. Nadya showed me lots of beautiful photos and exotic shots from their adventures by motorbike and even by bikes to wonderful landscapes in the Hymalaya, the camel fair…  Nadya studied economics but she prefers working related to nature. She taught yoga, doing Indian massage and working part-time at a health center. Shamik worked in IT industry and they both share a lot in common. They both love nature and adventures, especially go hiking and climbing mountainous areas. Nadya likes rock, jazz and tribal musics. She is also interested in Buddhism.

They had been in Dharamsala, where there is residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Nadya loves mountains, thus she was so delighted there. Nadya asked me if there was mountains in Vietnam. :) She told a nice memory about one foggy and windy day, they reached the top of the mountain. And when they waked up in the next morning, the sun had cleared up the blue sky, revealing the wonderful scene of the valley below…

Recently, they had just been in Jim Corbett National Park in the Northern India, about 250 km from New Delhi as celebrating their birthdays (Nadya’s December 1st and Shamik’s November 29th, only 2 days interval). Their group had seen the tiger passing by while they were sitting in a Jeep. Their group was really lucky as that day, because there were almost 30 groups but only 3-4 groups could be fortunate enough to see the tiger. She told me about Jim Corbertt, a British who living in remote areas in India, famous for his tigers and leopards hunting. Actually, he was a conservationist and naturalist and he slew only those man-eating tigers and leopards.

I asked her about future plan, whether she would stay here in India or go back to Russia. She said that she had got accustomed to life here. Moreover, living is expensive now in Russia and the politic situation is unstable. But she did miss Russia, particularly the atmosphere of Christmas (Russian Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7th), which was not the same here.

That night, I slept in a sleeping bag she gave to me. We all slept on the floor in the same room. I recalled her stories. I was impressed and touched by her love of nature, her strong spirit and characters. I really wish for all your dreams come true, and may you stay happy forever, dear Nadya!

Love.

 
Nadya and Shamik at their wedding, October 2009

Hospitality Club*: www.hospitalityclub.org, a useful site for young people who like travelling and learning from other cultures. Members can get or offer, vice versa, free accommodation, guided tour.., kind of cultural exchanges. I get to know this site from Kjell, our teacher of the online course on Sustainable Development.

And the journey began

“We build the road as we travel” – Roy Morrison

Helsinki, 15.12.2008

I took the train from Mikkeli to Helsinki and then the tram No.6 from central station to Anshy's apartment in Arabiankatu ("katu" is the Finnish word for "street"). Anshy is one of my best friends in Finland. We worked together at the same lab in Mikkeli. In 2007, she got married and then moved to Helsinki in 2008. We were so happy to see each other after a long time. Sara, her daughter, had obviously grown up. I remembered when I last saw her, she was still a small new-born baby.

Anshy made me a cup of milk tea or "Chai", a traditional  Indian drink. She was a little bit worried for me as I would travel alone to a complicated land. But I felt excited about the exotic trip ahead and tried to assure her. I knew that it was such a great blessing for me to make this dream journey to Buddha's Land come true.

In the evening, Hans, Anshy's husband came back home from work. I took photos for the whole family. Then we had dinner  which consisted of Basmati rice with Dalh (a traditional Indian lentil soup), cauliflower with ginger, eggs with paprika and green beans with potato. Oh, I like Indian food, (and for one of the reasons), especially  because most of them are vegetarian (as majority of Indians are vegetarian).

Anshy is from Kerala, "the green paradise" in the Southern part of India. How I wish to go there someday! Most of the Holy Sites I would visit were in the Northern part of India, where she said everything  was quite so different in terms of cultures and languages. Though Hindi is the official language, not all people in Kerala know it, they speak Malayalam instead.

I checked email and received a message from Master Huyền Diệu (his Buddhist name, Huyền Diệu, means "Miracle"), the Guru who would guide us through this pilgrimage. He was in America for his lectures  (on Asian history and International relations) and  would be back to New Delhi in late night of December 17th. He told me not to worry much and always be equable.

I really felt warm and at home here. Before going to bed, Anshy gave me a cup of hot milk.

16.12.2008 


The alarm clock woke me up at 3:30 am as I had to leave early in the morning to the airport. Anshy made me another hot Chai. Then we called taxi and went downstairs. I gave my beloved Anshy a big hug the last time before leaving Finland, not knowing when we would meet each other again...

The flight from Helsinki to Brussels departed much later than scheduled. Sitting nearby me was an old Finnish man, working for the United Nations on peace making in Africa. When we arrived  in Brussels, he directed me to the right terminal, otherwise I could have been lost in that big and complex airport. I had only a short time for transit to my next flight and could not catch it. As it was their fault for my delay, the airline gave me new tickets, but I had to go back to Helsinki and there would be a direct flight to New Delhi at 8pm! Then, from Belgium I was back to Helsinki again!

I was waiting at the gate. At 7 pm, there were Santa Claus and a little girl wearing red clothes coming to the sledge on the stage decorated with green pine trees and white snow background. Children were particularly excited to be there, taking photos and picking free chocolates from the big basket. There was an Indian couple also waiting near me. Both are IT engineers living in London and are now going to homeland in India to visit their parents for the new year. I talked to the girl and took one photo for her. Her name is Arpita, which means “devoted” in her language. They are Jains*.

Surprised! By coincidence, the numbers of our seats were the same 58, nearly in the last row in the airplane. Again, we sat near each other and had more chance to talk during the long flight from Helsinki to New Delhi. Arpita told me about her pretty impressive wedding last year. It was really a big event in the village that lasted for few days with thousand of guests! The party was served as a buffet with many diverse kinds of food, all of which were vegetarian!

It was interesting for me to know about arranged marriage through her own story. At first, their parents introduced them to each other. (Before that they had matched the birthdays of the couple for compatibility; ideal case is with 36 compatible points, normally over 18 points is okay. In her own case, Arpita and her husband have 24 points). Then the two families met and left the young couple alone for them to ask each other everything. And after only their 2-3 hour "interview", they had to decide whether or not to go further with the match. Maybe people from different cultural background could feel it was strange and difficult to understand how marriage could come first and then love, she said, but she felt ok in her own case.

*: Jainism is a religion in India whose philosophy embraces a deep compassion for all forms of life. First and foremost, it is a religion of the heart: the golden rule is Ahimsa or nonviolence in all parts of a person - mental, verbal, and physical. (Reference)

*****

And the journey began…

(Photo by Kim Anderson)

"A flower on hat
At the mouth a song
A joyful and sincere heart
And that's all it takes
For we young girls and boys
To go to the end of the earth.”

- From the song "Une fleur au chapeau"