I’ve just arrived here in Hong Kong at the beginning of a 30 day visit to this busy, bustling city and other parts of South East Asia.
The team here have worked really hard to create symposiums at a bunch of places, two universities in mainaland China, the Asia Consciousness Frstival here and Manila and Kuala Lumpur too. We’re also planning trainings in each of these countries so we hope by the time the month is out to have new teams of facilitators in the Philippines, Malaysia and mainland China – how cool is that.
And here’s what I was writing about the opportunity we have for the region during this period
The Big Opportunity
During this month we can build significant new capacity in the Awakening the Dreamer community here in SE Asia, which means
The target to which we are all committed is to further develop self-generated, self-expanding activity here that is also aligned with the rest of the ATD Initiative around the world.
Better get going, there’s work to do
Just back from a week in Hong Kong, where I was privileged to train up another 30+ people to carry the message of Awakening the Dreamer.
Got to tell you a bit about the city, which is like New York on speed. Crammed on to a few small and rocky islands, 7 million people create one of the busiest ports and financial centres anywhere. Its one of the most densely populated cities in the world, 40% of residents live above the 14th floor, largely because 70% of the land mass is either too mountainous to build on or protected habitat.
I got to experience both of these elements first hand. staying as I was in an apartment in Causeway Bay, one of the most crowded areas (and this courtesy of the generosity of a friend of a friend). The apartment was 2000 square feet, four bedroom, and was palatial compared to the average size living space here. To get some sense of what this part of HK looks like check out the video at the bottom of this post.
I also tripped out by commuter ferry to Lantau Island to visit Merrin and Louise in their idyllic hideaway, 20 minutes walk to the end of a steep path in the forest, a small house completely off the beaten track, enjoying fresh spring water and great views of the countryside.
The business end of the trip was organised by the indomitable, tireless Ms Jo Fok, who has taken on the organising of Awakening the Dreamer in HK. She was largely responsible for organising the Symposium there last Thursday, Lynne Twist and Marcia Martin delivered this to a crowd of about 170. The response of the audience was as moving, and moved, as usual and so we had 32 people show up the following Sunday to train as presenters of the symposium.
From this, and from the many contacts of contacts in this highly networked city, we already have options to share our work with universities in mainland China and Hong Kong, at least three schools and a host of groups of all kinds. Another friend of Jo’s, film star Michael Wong, wants to take us into the educational hierarchy of the city and a Thai Buddhist sect – I can only say watch this space, things are happening in Hong Kong.
The Big Trip; taking the Awakening the Dreamer message around the world. Here I am, blessed and privileged to be taking this message to China for the first time.
Courtesy of DC Cordova and her business partners I am being flown into Hangzhou to present to up to 1000 social entrepreneurs.
First impressions
• The amazing 3 lane highway between Shanghai and Hangzhou, full of trucks at 2 in the morning
• The familiar elements of the old dream, advertising bill boards
• The huge number of tower blocks everywhere it seems
• The tang in the air
• The wonderful greeting of so many Chinese people
• Language lessons from David, his pride in his country and the Olympics, he was actually a torch bearer as the flame made its way through the country, he personally handed over the Olympic spirit to me as a Brit because London will host the 2012 Games
• My own preconceptions and prejudices
• The piece in the South China Morning Post (check) about the Chinese government minister saying how successful propaganda had been in the H1 08, reinforcing the hegemony
• Meeting Randy, a Bucky afficianado and friend of Dave Buck
• Opulent hotel room, size of my last apartment
• My luggage is way-laid, I’m dressed in a Doers shirt and borrowed pants
• “I AM” with me, I am God in Action in this work
• The Toilet – American Standard its called – which offers a flush, rinse, wash and blow-dry all in one sitting
Pudong Airport in Shanghai would rival any modern airport in the world for scale, modernity and efficiency.
I’m supping Italian coffee, chatting online and watching a somewhat up-market crowd move through the airport. Clearly here the flights are out of reach of the poorer folk (or they are consigned to another airport of their own) and we could be in Paris or Geneva. The crowd is oh-so-bored Western business folk, travelers from the more developed world clutching bargains and tourist guides, plus seemingly wealthy Chinese wearing the latest fashions. The airport offers the normal diversions, food, drink and lusting after material excess. Why did I think I might get a pair of cheap trainers here, the $100 sneaker is alive and well – and not even a brand I know. All the familiar brands are here and then the wanna-be local brands borrowing look and feel to up their own perceived value. So what . . . . . why would it be any different? Its only my preconception or projection which would make this airport different from any other. And I do want to se it different, I do want to see an ancient culture reflected somehow, I do want to resist the McChina effect. For sentimental reasons, for environmental reasons, for the love of diversity and in hope for our future.
We drove here on wonderful roads that shame the infrastructure of the Bay Area, past an endless parade of huge hoardings erected 20 metres or so above the ground, advertising with huge Chinese characters, cars, textiles, washing machines. A few companies had arranged an English strap line on the ads, for whose benefit I can’t figure, but thank you to the kind folk at Kalibo Gear Hobbing Machines, International Automotive Electromechanical Plaza and Global Home Furnishings Centre. And I wonder if Sunkey Aluminium will achieve the sales boost they envisage from their investment.
The outlook, underneath a hazy smog or a smoggy haze (couldn’t tell which), was the same for the entire 200 km drive; clusters of apartment blocks 6 or so stories high surrounded by fields being farmed in small parcels of different crops, mile after mile, this is a huge country.
I was somehow reminded of being in Puyo, which Pachamama rainforest visitors will know is the last town before the forest, and yet seems to already represent all the trappings of the old dream, alive and well on the very edge of the unspoilt wilderness of the Amazon basin. Is China already one massive Puyo expanding westward and gobbling up the wisdom of their ancients, replacing it with our exported culture?
What this is really about, for me, is knowing our work in Awakening the Dreamer is every bit as important here. And I’ve been blessed to meet a host of great people who see the trap that we’ve laid for them. Some even see the irony that it is baited with Made in China goods, but all want to find a way to avoid further descent into the unsustainable dream of the modern world.
My travel bag is full of business cards I can’t even read, each piece in its incomprehensible characters represents another soul alive right now to how bad it is and how much basis for hope exists. Every one of these people will do something, they might want help to see what to do or how to join their efforts to ours, but they are with us just the same. Open minded, open hearted and ready to act even more for a world which is environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just: partners in blessed unrest.
