Here's some Writings for you.
I’m going to be working at Omega Teen Camp again this July, a great place for teens to discover new things and be part of an amazing community of wonderful people. Here are some pictures from last year and the year before to give you a taste of what happens there. More about OTC soon…
A friend asked me just the other day, do you like to write things down?
I said – I do, but only if I feel inspired.
Now I’m thinking, why couldn’t we write things down more often? If you already do, I think that’s amazing and I would like to join you. If only to bring all the thoughts we have in our heads out into the open, to let them breathe a little bit and get some sunshine on their faces. Maybe that will help us notice which thoughts have been hiding in dark places, not wanting to be seen, and which thoughts need to be exercised more regularly like a young golden retriever who needs to run around outside to grow healthy and strong.
“To get rid of violence ask yourself if you are totally nonviolent in every thought, action and behavior of yours.”
Thanks to Kaye Lee for submitting a link to a Deepak Chopra interview in which he answers the big questions we spiritual beings on a human path ask. We couldn’t embed the video, but you can view the full video here.
Below is just a short taste of some of the things that Deepak touches on in the interview.
Resist nothing and see what thoughts of wisdom may come to you from your own depths like so many schools of brightly-colored fish, free to swim out into the world and flourish.
Let the light in your eyes shine as bright as the sun for each and every face that they rest upon.
Let the clouds and the rain nourish your spirit as much as the warmth of summer afternoons does the same.
Let the problems and hardships of your day be your greatest teachers, your perfect opportunities for gracefulness and patience.
Let the hopes and dreams of the world be a carefully held mirror, through which you notice your own heart’s rhythm, your own spirit’s calling, your own inspirations beckoning you to shine brighter and brighter.
Let the noise and movement of the city be an alarm clock for which you are filled with the deepest gratitude, for the time to awaken from dreaming is now.
The time to resist nothing, dear friend, is now.
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran seems to be one of those books that can be read over and over again without losing a single drop of its magic.
Here’s some more writings from Omega Teen Campers. This time Ian Elliott shares his thoughts in writing.
Silence
I want to bottle up all the silence,
that comes with the snow.
And let you listen,
over, and over.
For we only learn,
not when we speak,
but listen.
I often don’t remember what people say.
It’s not that I’m not listening – I’ve been called a pretty good listener, or I like to think I am anyway! It’s rare, however, that I remember exactly what someone says. The feeling of the conversation, yes, but specifics, no. So on the rare occasion that I do,
it is usually a life-shifting earth-shaking sort of phrase. The story behind one of these phrases is a good one, and one that has changed my life into an existence that is more peaceful, faith-filled, and one that can rest in trust that all things are connected.
We were clean and clear and calm and free splashing in that warm water and there was nothing more to hope for other than maybe some chicken and pineapple sandwiches for lunch after drying off, and a sunburn that didn’t hurt too much when the cool water from the shower that night landed on our rosy shoulders.
Stefan, Nick and Matt share some writing with us.
I am the bridge between heaven and Earth.
Then, there is no bridge and there is no I,
There is only Heaven and Earth.
This is the first in a series of posts from teenagers that attended Omega Teen Camp. You can find the introduction to the series here. The first piece is a beautifully insightful essay on education, politics, and love by Stefan Trilling, a high school senior from Rocky Point, NY. He writes:
We learn a lot. We learn an enormous amount about science, math, English and social studies. We also learn discipline, respect, patience, and the rewards of listening and hard work. But what does all of that mean without teachings of love, kindness, hope, and passion?