The little Tibetan kid who played traditional songs on the guitar-like instrument while dancing around was absolutely awesome. The little rockstar got quite a bit of applause.
After he and the rest of the ensemble had finished, Kevin Newman said he was pleased to announce His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. There was a standing ovation, and then nothing.
Everyone stood there in silence, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. Then all of a sudden someone began to sing the only song we all knew: O Canada. By the end, nearly everyone was singing. I wish I could say it was monumental, or something but it wasn't really. We were just killing time.
Kevin disappeared backstage for a few minutes, then returned for introduction attempt number two. This time it worked and His Holiness took the stage much as he did last time he came to Vancouver, only this time as a Canadian citizen.
His message doesn't change much. You have to be the change you want to see in the world. Care, compassion, kindness, tolerance. Doesn't get much more complicated than that, but people can't seem to keep things simple, can they?
It's always interesting to see the cross section of people at these things. You've got the old and the young, the educated, the students, activists, the holy, the exiled, the curious. Oh, and the guys that my mother refers to as "crystal-packing mamas". I don't think I need to say more about that.
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