Losang Rabgey grew up as a Tibetan refugee in Canada. Her childhood included countless demonstrations in the cold streets outside of empty Chinese embassies. She remembers being stopped by an Anglophone Canadian at one demonstration who asked, “Why are a bunch of Asians asking for a Free Quebec?” She realized that there’s a long way to go in terms of education about Tibet.
full article here

m: he got kicked out only because he’s gay.
j: what? is that still happening?

it was a joke, marcus.

there are many things that we need to care about - we just can’t stay ignorant about. sometimes it’s overwheleming to see just how much we need to learn and practically apply what we know to keep the sustainability of this world adequate and healthy. when i was younger, i simply didn’t care. i just couldn’t figure out why the whole world was against me. i was angry, naive, foolish, and ignorant. it’s only this year, i think, that i started to see myself for who i really am (at least at this moment of my life) and consequently accept the enormous problems that are beyond me, and that though i may not be able to solve all those problems, i can at least contribute to the slow/quick solving process.

marcus asked me today what the purpose of my phd was. well, apart from the general willingness to “contribute to the world knowledge,” there’s a few.

1. i want to get people to pay more attention to non-western cultures (especially east-asian culture, to which i was born) in this euro-americo-cetric world
2. i want young people to know that they’re not only littlies who can’t do anything (the world, after all, is not really against you)
3. i want to see positive aspects of technology (we’ve done more than enough harm to the nature, of which we’re part)
4. i want people to play (and be happy/ier)

these are pretty general statements, really. but i don’t see my phd as my definitive answer to the world’s problems. it’s a stepping stone. as marcus said, we take over the world after the phd, not with it.

recently i’ve been thinking about quite a few things, but mostly about myself (ha! selfishness shamelessly exposed) and i’ve made some significant decisions in and for my life. it’s pretty exciting. before i actually involve myself with those decisions, i think i’ll go away for a few days and just be alone. of course, as a good student should, i will take my work with me - work may not be against me, but it’s waiting for me. the only place i can think of is chenrezig. i love the air and the sky there, and most importantly, their chai… (jaz, temporarily loses consciousness and starts drooling … then wakes up). well, anyway… i think i should stop here and go for a walk… or make chai or something.

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