The Positive Should be Known ...

I went to St. Anne's cathedral yesterday afternoon, to a service of peace. This was the Dalai Lama's final engagement to Northern Ireland before returning home to India. It was an amazingly positive experience. There were prayers read by members of the Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim faiths. It was a truly multi-faith event and it was happening right in the middle of Belfast!

Of course the speech given by the Dalai Lama was both moving and humourous and the event ended with a 10 minute silent meditation. Although people were not sure how to approach this period of reflection I noted that near the end of the allotted time - everyone had there eyes closed and were praying or meditating for peace. It was a deeply moving experience.

It annoyed me that it wasn't even mentioned on BBC Newsline that day... They were all too busy telling us about how the new council structures had the potential to divide the community even more than it is today... Again the negative to the exclusion of the positive...

The positive sides to Northern Ireland need to be given more exposure!