1. Blind Faith

 While I thoroughly respect Buddhism as a religion and, with all due respect to the Tibetans, after two weeks traveling in Tibet I couldn’t help snag the lingering thought that the Buddhism that Tibet is so famous for, might actually be what’s holding Tibet back.  Tibet was, and still is, one of the least developed places I’ve visited, where most people live in extreme poverty with little access to medicine, food and shelter, let alone the more modern amenities of life (e.g. jobs, trade, computers).  “In Tibet,” I was told by a man living there, “you have three options for your future: a nomadic herder, a monk or working in the tourist industry.”   Spending a week touring temples, monasteries and holy places, it amazed me how devout these people are, often spending 2-3 hours a day 1-2 time a day (or more) visiting temples, praying and giving alms.  I’d also guess that many people spend significant portions of their limited incomes on giving to monks and buying offerings (prayer flags, incense, butter candles) for their religions rituals.   Seeing them spend all of this well-meant time on their religious devotion, I began to wonder if it was keeping them from spending their time on other things that might help them develop the things that they need to prosper as a culture.

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2. China, The Last Great Colonizer

My time in Tibet did not provide me with any experience that would allow me to comment with any authority on human rights abuses by the Chinese government in Tibet, but I can say that my time there gave me a much greater understanding of the concept of “colonization.”  Human rights abuses aside, it is clear to me that the Beijing government is putting a lot of effort into expanding Chinese influence and culture within the borders of Tibet (e.g. the new state-of-the-art train system direct from Beijing), while trying to suppress more traditional Tibetan culture (e.g. it is illegal to posses any images of the Dalai Lama).  Regardless of whether you think this is good or bad, my advice is, if you want to experience the Tibetan part of Tibet, get there on a visit before it is no more. For those readers who will immediately try to defend the actions of the Chinese government as an effort to grow one of the world’s poorest and least developed places, I’ll side with you in the fact that Tibet needs China to grow its economy and continue to provide basic goods and services to Tibetan people (in a land with few natural resources or industries to allow Tibet to be self-sustaining).  But I think the Chinese government uses these efforts to mask some of their intent to essentially blend the traditional Tibetan culture out by adding more Chineseness to the mix. Would I advocate they free Tibet (and make it is own country)?  No, because I think Tibet would sink deeper into poverty and probably become a new bastion of instability in a region of the world that’s already a bit shaky.  (Besides I believe China would never give up Tibet, which is currently a huge portion of its land mass, in a country whose past emperors were always judged on how they expanded or contracted the size of the empire).  I’ll side with the the Dalai Lama here, keep Tibet as part of China, but stop the cultural suppression and the shady business and make what is presently known as the “Tibetan Autonomous Regions,” actually autonomous.

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3. The Little Boy With The Big Heart

 Since the above stories seemed to be a bit ‘doom and gloom’ I’ll leave you with a short story I received in an email from my friend Colleen (from New York City) who was traveling in Tibet about three week prior to my arrival. In an email, she writes: …Be sure to say “tashi dalay” (spelled “dalek” but pronounced “dalay”) to everyone you meet. Its their form of greeting but really means “good luck to you” — everyone was pleased when I said it.  Also, “too jay shay” is “thank you.” And if the kids keep begging you for money (which they will) DON’T give it to them… you might want to pick up a bag of candies or something that you can give to them instead of money. My guide said giving money to them only encourages them to do it more, which is not good. So just say “mean do” when they beg… it means “I don’t have any.” At one Himalayan village I went to, all the kids kept coming up to me and begging for money. I had accidentally left my bag with candies meant for the Tibetan children in the Land Cruiser, so I honestly didn’t have anything to give them. I continuously said, “mean do” (i don’t have any), but one little boy in particular kept begging, saying, “hello, money money money.” So I finally pulled my pants pockets inside out to show him I didn’t have anything. He sort of gave me a sad look and ran away. Hours later, after I had eaten and sightseen and taken tons of photos of his village, the little boy found me and ran up to me smiling. He then proceeded to stuff coins and bills into my pockets!!! Apparently he had begged others for money, and then hunted me down in order to give it all to me, because I had shown him I didn’t have any. THAT is the true Tibetan spirit. So generous. So happy. So loving. I wanted to give him the world, the little boy with the big heart….”

What you can do now:

• Agree?  Disagree?  Leave your thoughts in the comment box below.
• See more photos from my 7 Days In Tibet or my photos from some other interesting places