By: Vinson Nguyen, Fall 2013 Marketing Intern
His Holiness, the XIV Dalai Lama, visited The Arena at
Gwinnett Center in what was called The Visit 2013, and boy was it an
experience. For myself as an intern and this being my first event, not knowing
what to expect from the day’s showing only escalated the excitement of having
the Dalai Lama speak to the thousands in attendance about secular ethics and
what it meant to be a human being.
From the brink of the early morning, I could feel the mass of
the day’s festivities as soon as I pulled up to the front parking lot at
6:45AM. The parking lot was packed! The employee parking lot was shut down and
blocked off for added security of the impending arrival of His Holiness. The
security lines were on par with those of an airport. There were police officers
at every entrance and bomb sniffing dogs going through every bag. You could
tell this was a high profile event.
As the Dalai Lama arrived and made his appearance on stage,
the thousands in attendance stood and welcomed his presence with a thunderous
ovation. After what seemed like minutes of straight applause, the word “sit”
were softly spoken by His Holiness, along with hand gestures that motioned the
audience to sit down, followed by the sounds of the audience’s laughter. You
could tell from that moment that this talk would carry a much more informal and
laid back vibe. If the first words he uttered didn’t set the tone, then his
actions shortly thereafter definitely would. The Dalai Lama walked off the
stage and greeted an old friend who was blind by placing his head on his. This
symbolized the message behind the Dalai Lama’s talk for the day. Love and
compassion.
Throughout the two programs that were held, clear messages
were sent about what it takes to be a responsible citizen in today’s age. The
Dalai Lama addressed many issues that affect today’s world. He did so by
encouraging attendees to become less self-centered and to focus more on loving
and showing compassion towards others. Education and actions were emphasized in
order to achieve a more peaceful world.
As the event winded down to its conclusion, you could see
the joy and uplifted spirits of all those who attended. The patrons looked as
if they had caught a breath of fresh air. Others were left in tears of the
Dalai Lama’s powerful message. All could
agree though that they walked away from the events with a deeper understanding
of what it really takes to become a better human being.
