Engaged Life 1

For some reason reading The Engaged Spiritual Life by Donald Rothberg has felt like an arduous journey. Which is strange because I have loved every second of it, but for the last month I have been mired in the pages of this book. Perhaps the difficulty has been the inventory the book has made me take of my own ideals, actions, and intentions toward social change.

I want to try something new, rather than sit and try to recap what I have learned as one post, I want to build a multi-media portfolio of the lines I have highlighted throughout the book.

Everyday, I will type out on of the passages or lines form the book, in order from the beginning, and add some kind of insight. I may use photographs that I take or find on the web, (perhaps these can be printed for inspiration and motivation),video, poetry, or maybe just a quick paragraph about why that item stuck out for me. I will tag these posts as Engaged Life and hopefully when completely this portfolio will be a reflection of the lessons I learned and hopefully may prove helpful for readers.

This work is to be aware and present to what is happening, responding compassionately to suffering, understanding our interdependence, and acting with grace, equanimity, and passion in difficult circumstance.

Page 1 (Introduction)

Photo by Midnight-digital

This first quote pretty much wraps up the themes of the book. I will have much more to say soon.

Daraja Academy is Open

I had a hard time wiping the smile off my face as I watched the video below. The smile remained there even after the fifth viewing. I hate to sound repetitive, but I am so amazed and proud of all the work that has gone into the Daraja Academy. While this video may be emotional for anyone who has been following this story from the beginning, I hope that newcomers will also connect with the project.

It feels so strange to see the school alive and active. I felt the power of the campus last December, but I can already feel the difference now that there are students there. As always, if the story of Daraja resonates with you, please learn more about the school and share these videos, pictures, and stories with as many people as you can.

Great things are starting to happen all over the world, and more is possible if you choose to share this story with the people in your community.

The Daraja Academy of Kenya opened its doors on February 26, 2009. This brief video highlights some of the energy at the beginning of this life-changing school.


Daraja Academy -Welcome to Daraja from Mark Lukach on Vimeo.
music "Energy" by The Apples in Stereo

Disconnected

I am not usually a fan of anonymous comments, but I received one today that made me feel pretty good. It said:


So here is my slap-shod answer. I have been lazy and tired and not all together motivated. I have been absorbing and procrastinating. I have been watching movies like this:



And this:




And this:



I have been reading a great book that has me thinking and not writing. I have been detached and aloof. I have been all over the web on Twitter and Facebook. I have been connecting and reconnecting and disconnecting.

In short, I have been here. I have been living. But your comment, who ever you are,made me realize that maybe there is at least one person out there reading and so I need to be writing, or at least creating and producing and sharing. Thank you. Regular blog posts forthcoming. I hope.

Photo by Micah Taylor

Daraja Academy in Photos

Please enjoy the pictures I took while at Daraja, if you like what you see, head over to this set at Flickr and view, comment, and share the photos with as many people as you can.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The Bubble Project

Found this on Wooster Collective and I love the idea. I would love to try some of these myself, although I imagine the "vandalism" laws to be quite strict here in Qatar.


Let me know what you think. Where would you put your bubbles?

Conveyor

I first saw the Youtube clip below when I received a Tweet from Alec Courosa.

He is my go-to-guy for cool things to see and do on the web. If you don’t already follow him on Twitter I suggest you do, but enough Courosa hype, let’s get to this clip:



When I first this clip, my mind was racing with ideas of how I would speed it up or slow it down, add music, change the colors or add effects. But after watching it longer, I realized how perfect this little seven-minute clip is. I do not want to read too far into the meaning and make more of it than it is, but this little clip so perfectly illustrates the simple power of capturing human beings being human beings. In short, watching the camera make its journey is a perfect reminder that reality is often simple, honest, and pure. We eat, we smile, we feed babies, we drift off into space, we talk, we flash peace signs, we record pour experiences and share them with kindred spirits.

This is the new web. This is community. This is art. This is life.

Daraja Academy- The Vision

There is not much I need and/or want to write here about my latest video. I hope that it inspires people to take action and join the Daraja cause. I hope you share it, embed it, and bring more and more people to this amazing school.

I hope that this video expresses the essence of the Daraja Academy. This is what I saw and felt after visiting the campus:



Even without the classrooms, teachers, books or curriculum this campus is a place to reconnect with the urge to explore. A place to self-reflect and place oneself in the symphony of the Earth. A bare boned canvas with ancient stories waiting to be investigated, rethought, and expanded. These grounds carved from the soil of the Kenyan savannah are the perfect place to begin the journey that will never end.

Daraja is the opposite of the slums and poverty from which her students will come. It is beyond politics and good intentions. Daraja is the realization of a dream. Hope actualized and made real. Hands in soil, trees planted. Seeds sown. It is beyond donations and charity. Daraja is a place where regular people like you selflessly give their time, money, and energy in the hope that change begins within each of us.

Every voice that joins the chorus of Daraja adds something to its growth. For everyone who heeds her call, Daraja is an act of faith. Faith in a world built on love and peace. Daraja is the timeless dream placed in every human heart. A place built for idealists and dreamers. A fertile bed of what ifs come true.

Every voice is heard and appreciated, she begs for you to sing along, tap your foot, or just bask in her song. Please get involved. Be a part of this amazing place:

http://daraja-academy.org/blog/

I would advise the viewer to also check out this clip, which will give you a more comprehensive look at the Daraja Academy:




Thank you.