Univ. Northern Iowa Lecture Series...

[laughingwillow]

The wife and I have been planning on attending a lecture with another couple at me alma mater by the Dalai Lama in May. We're jazzed.

Those same friends are urging us to buy tickets to attend another lecture at Northern Iowa by Bart Ehrman, the philosopher, and after McGoogling the guy, there is some interest on our part.    

And now, this morning mrs lw found out that Cornel West will also be giving a lecture at UNI a little later in the year. Mr West has been a hero of mine for a long time, even before we had the opportunity to meet him in person some years back. We'll catch that one for sure.

I'm really pleased and proud of UNI for bringing these luminaries onto the prairie to shine a little light.

lw

[Avery L. Breath]

Awsome!  I think the last lecture I attended was Al Gore on climate change.  Always been a big fan of the Dalai Lama though.  What a nice guy...... he reminds me of Gandhi, only the Dalai probably never beat his wife.

[judih]

i think H.H. the Dalai Lama is wifeless, but even if he wasn't, i'm fairly confident that he's more beatific than wife-beater.

Great speakers to go see, LW - i'm sure you and the lovely Missus will enjoy.
i get my speakers from TED talks on youtube. Never fails - always brilliant and a great seat.

The one lecture that still haunts me is when Thom Hartmann came to Israel to speak about hunter/farmer theory of ADHD. What an amazing being that man possesses. I know now he's on radio and blogs and video clips, but in person, the huge soulfulness of his eyes knocked me over. I was supposed to give him regards from a mutual friend and looking into his eyes, i was totally unprepared for that incredible depth. i became noodle-tongued! (not a good thing)

The good thing about going to lectures is trying to grab a face-to-face and making real contact. Hope it happens for you!

[laughingwillow]

LOL About the only face to face I'm liable to get with any luminary would have to be purely accidental, unless I had a message to deliver from another in their circle, as you did. Any time a bunch of folks crowd in one direction, I'm prolly headed the other way as quick as they can congregate. I guess that's just how I row.... hehe

In all the years we followed the dead, I never made an attempt to get closer, physically, to the band than my favorite listening spot toward the back of most venues.

lw

[judih]

i understand. as a basically anti-social, anti-crowd kinda person, i'd be far from the masses (which is why TED talks are so good).

by the way - with Thom Hartmann, i was, i guess, one of the few who actually thought of approaching him - otherwise, it wouldn't have happened.

[laughingwillow]

LOL Yeah, I'm not saying my thinking is right on this one, sistah-j. But its just the way I'm wired.

Maybe I have a deep seated fear of rejection for some odd reason......

lw

[judih]

interesting take.
me? i don't have fear of putting myself out there in unusual situations. i mean i've done one-woman stage shows and have done public speaking since i was 9.
these days those, the zen of age manifests in strange ways. i may be furious at injustice or plain stupidity while suddenly being filled with compassion for the foibles of the perp.
this often results in a rich kafka-esque inner exploration with very few outer signs of response.

[laughingwillow]

Interesting...

I'm not really sure what my deal is. I have no problem in front of a class or even on stage. And I have no problem approaching someone or being approached by strangers. But it usually seems like people want something from luminaries, even if its only idle banter. And I guess I don't have that want. Don't get me wrong, if I happen to pass someone of interest, I have little problem approaching them. But for some reason, I can't make an effort to search them out for personal interaction.

lw