New Canadian the Dalai Lama urges youth to lead this century away from violence

Many people take for granted the freedoms that come with being Canadian, but not all the world is as tolerant a place in terms of religion and politics. Areas excluded from the ethnocentric Western hemisphere, where national sovereignty is not a given, are plagued by unrest (such as Asiatic countries).Within these regions, people turn to leaders who are no more than average people put up on pedestals, expected to pave the way to stability and peace. People like Tenzin Gyatso, better known as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.

"My talk, there's nothing special to offer you, so don't expect much," chuckled His Holiness to an audience of 16,000 plus people of all ages and denominations seated in the spacious Rogers Centre October 31st.

"Too much emphasis [on social class], forgetting we are human beings first," the wise one lectured in grandfatherly-sounding broken English. "Lama", loosely translated from Tibetan, means "wise".

On a day of indulgence, His Holiness spoke humbly on the art of discovering true happiness. A man who, numerous spectators commented, was an authority on the subject of being "the happiest man alive". But how true is this statement?

The man may have his own multi-limo, ambulance accompanied motorcade and top notch security team, but his life is filled with tribulations.

Despite an informal atmosphere created within a stadium usually flocked by baseball fans, security for the evening's public talk was tight for the 72 year-old man who has been eluding assassination for 48 years.

The Dalai Lama has been operating his Government-in-Exile, the Central Tibetan Administration, in India since 1959 when the Chinese troops invaded Tibet. It seems odd that the man seen as a country's figurehead has spent most of his life travelling to other nations; however, the use of his political position to campaign a peaceful diplomatic ideology has won him international acclaim.

In addition to being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and America's Congressional Gold Medal, His Holiness' October trip to Canada was largely to honour his becoming the third honorary Canadian citizen. The other two honourees are Nelson Mandela and Raoul Wallenberg.

Irrespective of his chuckling manner and topics of spreading "world peace through inner peace", the Dalai Lama's visit was not without politics.

From subjects such as the "effect of affection," a hushed audience listened to the humbly endearing old man turn his discussion to opinions on Iraq, nuclear warfare and future world leaders.

"I love America," he said, excusing his next statement that the U.S. should be investing its resources on disarmament, education, healthcare and stabilizing the Middle East, not spend billions of dollars on nuclear weapons.

Offering prospective ideas on continental coalitions, His Holiness expressed hope that the new century will be one of dialogue.

While world consciousness leap frogs from one media hotspot to another, Darfur to Burma to Iran, the Dalai Lama's country remains in constant turmoil like the rest. As of the end of 2006, Chinese authorities were still detaining 116 political prisoners in Tibet. 2,000-plus people escape annually in search of asylum.

Beneath the subtle pleas for heightening awareness among the up and coming generations, His Holiness jokingly conceded his lack of expertise.

"If you think these principles [that I've been lecturing about] not important, not interesting, then forget them," he concluded.

The unforgettable statement made that evening was that of today's youth being tomorrow's leaders and politicians. It was worth listening to His Holiness speak, if only to communicate the necessity of teaching youth, like university students, to "solving problems through dialogue, not through force."

He preached not a technique, or philosophy, or a right way to live, but rather an idea that only tolerance, care and open-mindedness will bring a better world.