My daughter has been in China. Hiking, exploring, loving the culture and the food, devastated by the poverty. It was a life-changing adventure.
Perfectly timed, too. She’s been doing a Master’s degree. Some day she loves it, some days she’s unsure about whether she wants to continue.
She said something while describing her trip that I thought might interest you.
During her travels she met a group of international PhD students who had just arrived in Bejing to do a year of study. They come from a variety of countries and specialize in a wide variety of subjects.
All of them are interested in changing the world for the better in their own, not-so-small ways (cleaner water, human rights, etc.).
Kali met the first of them on the subway and then had dinner with them.
She said the dinner changed the course of her life.
When I asked how, she said it was the conversations whirling around the table. The curiosity of these people, their ambition, their desire to do good, their humour, kindness – all of it filled her with some kind of certainty.
These are my people, she said. I’ve never felt that so strongly before.
She came home knowing that continuing with school is the right thing, and that studying internationally is the road forward.
It made me wonder whether we can all learn where we belong by describing “our people”.
My kids are my people. Many of my friends are. Some of my patients are.
What do you know about who your people are? Are you working with them now? Are they somewhere in your life? I’d love to hear.
Thanks for the conversation,
kristin
On an old blog, we were talking about dharma, more specifically, Arjun’s dharma in the Bhagavad Gita involving killing his family in order to protect his people, which is part of his responsibilities under the caste system. I am of the same caste, but who are my people that I have to protect? What’s my life purpose supposed to be? Since the Gita is symbolic, I took it as
“My people are all the good things in life that move to uphold justice with a peaceful heart and clear mind (conscious). My dharma is to live within my beliefs to show people who seek out direction the way I have chosen.”
Whenever I am asked “What’s the meaning of life?” It’s to process karma and to learn more than we did before so we can find our true selves.
c
the statement:
It made me wonder whether we can all learn where we belong by describing “our people”. This is very interesting and one I will ponder for awhile!!!