You looked so sad when you came to us, From a land so faraway. You left your friends, your favourite foods, The language that you spoke so well. But you came to us with a lovely smile, A beautiful dress, and a small soft voice, Sometimes I know you felt so lost, In the street of unfriendly noise. And your mother smiled too, She couldn’t say much. B…

Anger I’m wanting to punch the world into pieces, Lie back on the grass and scream, Wipe the smiles off everyone’s faces, Banish them into a dream. The red hot feeling inside me is growing, The hatred I have makes me cry. I want to kick out, to hurt them real bad, Calm down, calm down you reply. My stomach is twisting and turning around, My face is…

"1 wrote this poem in 1965 especially for the young people in the School of Youth for Social Service who risked their lives every day during the war, recommending them to prepare to die without hatred. Some had already been killed violently, and I cautioned the others against hating. Our enemy is our anger, hatred, greed, fanaticism, and discrimina…

From Thich Nhat Hanh: Essential Writings, p. 101: Many people think that if they do not have influence and money, they cannot realize love and compassion. In fact, the source of love and compassion is in us, and we can help many people suffer less and realize a lot of happiness without being rich or influential. One word, one action, or one thought…

My readaloud of Liu Xiaobo's 'I have no enemies: My final statement", Part 1. To see the text, go to: http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/china_law_prof_blog/2010/02/liu-xiaobo-i-have-no-enemies-my-final-statement.html To see the Nobel Peace Prize 2010 Award Ceremony: http://nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1405…

(from ‘On letting things alone’, A HIDDEN WHOLENESS: THE JOURNEY TOWARD AN UNDIVIDED LIFE, by Parker J. Palmer, pp. 52-4) But we can learn a more creative way to be present to each other, as the following story shows. It is the story of a conflicted person who was transformed because the people around her chose to trust her inner teacher, overcomin…

(From NEW TALES OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA: THE INAUGURAL ANTHOLOGY OF THE HONG KONG YOUNG WRITERS AWARDS; pp. 40-41.) You have undoubtedly picked out this story by mistake, so I advise you forcefully to please put it down. In this story, all the mischief of men has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded in these few pages. I cannot think of a single …

LETTING GO (EAT, PRAY, LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert, pp. 245-9) I climbed to the top of the tower. I was now standing at the tallest place in the Ashram, with a view overlooking the entirety of this river valley in India. Mountains and farmland stretched out as far as I could see. I had a feeling this was not a place students were normally allowed to …