Kids from a dozen South Sound schools at event
Diane Huber
SEATTLE — Local students couldn’t contain their anticipation as they filed into KeyArena Monday to see the 14th Dalai Lama.
“I could hardly fall asleep (Sunday) night. It was just so exciting,” Horizons Elementary fourth-grader Karigan Putkins said.
When the Dalai Lama entered the stage — bowing with hands clasped in his red robe — thousands of children yelled, clapped and stomped their feet.
“I thought it was really cool. … They cheered like he was a rock star,” said Black Hills High School senior Claire Powers, 18. “I thought it was really, really neat to see the Dalai Lama actually in person.”
Students and teachers from about a dozen Thurston County schools were among the 15,500 people who attended the Seeds of Compassion Children and Youth Day, part of the Dalai Lama’s five-day visit, which ends today.
The exiled Tibetan leader spoke about everyone’s interconnectedness — that actions in one part of the world affect people across the globe. Strangers are connected like family, he said.
“The whole world is just one entity,” he added.
He said people need to find compassion not just for loved ones, but also for enemies.
Graeme Truschel, 16, a sophomore at Black Hills High School, said the message of loving your enemy resonated with him.
“What he’s taught me, is that the people I have a good reason not to respect — I can find a way to respect them anyway. There is a way to respect them above grudges or hatred,” Truschel said.
The event included several music and dance performances, spoken-word poetry and clips from documentaries — all encompassing the theme of compassion.
Horizons Elementary fourth-grader Hayley Ruiz, 10, said her favorite performance was a tale by American Indian storyteller Gene Tagaban, who incorporated native drumming and costumes.
“I thought that was really cool,” Hayley said. “I’m glad I came. It was really fun.”
Ishmael Beah, a human rights activist and author who has written a memoir about his experiences as a child soldier in Sierra Leone’s civil war, called the youth to action.
Compassion, he said, “starts with the ability to listen deeply … so when people are suffering, we are able to hear it. … We don’t need to wait ’til we’re older to be compassionate. We can start here.”
He likened compassion to helping a neighbor rake leaves or sharing lunch with someone who is hungry.
Many local teachers incorporated compassion and empathy into their lessons leading up to the field trip.
“We talked about when someone was suffering, when people are hurt and the desire to help,” said Bruce Milliman, who teaches writing at East Olympia Elementary School and chaperoned a group of students from Peter G. Schmidt Elementary.
That message resonated with many of the young people.
“(Compassion) means you are being kind to one another, so if someone fell down, you’d pick them up and rush them to the hospital,” Karigan said.
Milliman said the Dalai Lama’s presence seemed to capture the kids’ attention, even if his words seemed esoteric.
“What was endearing for the adults was the way he looked at the children from the podium, the expression of love and kindness — all the children felt it,” he said.
Diane Huber covers education for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-357-0204 or dhuber@theolympian.com.
