I shared a moment with a young Tibetan in Bhagsu. A graduate of the Tibetan Children´s Village after leaving his entire family in Tibet as a seven year old, he is a now about to graduate from high school and wants to go to college to study Chemistry, Physics and/or Mathematics. He asks me if it is possible to obtain a scholarship in England.
The Tibetan teen is curious of my opinions on both religion and politics. Do I like Muslims? What do I think of American foreign policy under George W.? Will Obama be better?
I ask him about Tibet. Would he like to go back there one day? He complains that they are “very backward”. He goes on “they don´t understand religion; they are tied to superstition only”. I try to find out what the difference is, but he is unable to explain this coherently in English. I try to probe further. I ask him if he practices prostrations. He does. I ask him if this is equally superstitious. “Think of it as exercise”. Fair dos, but personally I´d rather play football or tennis any day.
Having been fortunate enough to have visited Mount Kailash – the holiest of all mountains in the remote deserts of West Tibet. I was both shocked and amazed at the devotees who made the journey through prostrations, some taking five or more years to make the journey. Me? I cheated and took a 4WD.
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