Peace Day

Amazing what one strong idea and committed people can achieve. Do you want to join the World Peace Day movement?

Blindness

Last night I had the pleasure of watching a strong but brilliant movie: Blindness, inspired on José Saramago's book and directed by Brazilian Fernando Meirelles. In the movie, people suddenly start to get blind. Suspecting the disease is contagious, the government sends all the new blinds to an ex insane asylum. As it fills up, issues like governance, lack of food and relationships start to arrise.

The whole situation made me thing about how oddly we are organised as a society, based on money, concentration of people, security systems and lack of trust, when everybody knows small cells of organisation based on care is always better.

Another thought persisting in my mind is what extreme situations do to human beings. I guess we often see dignity and values going down the drain. But we also witness love arising in the most unexpected moments.

And, finally, someone might ask: in a society where most of us is blind, what is the role of the few ones who see?

Ilha Bela - a beautiful island

Last weekend, 9 friends and I had the pleasure to meet Galeno e reconnect to nature.

Galeno has been living in a place called Santa Seiva for 32 years now. In those years, he transformed an abandoned cattle raising land in a diverse, beautiful and thriving natural place. On top of cultivating all sorts of trees, flowers and organic vegetables, he has adopted principles of bio-architecture in all the constructions, so they would fit harmoniously with the natural whole.

As if the place wasn't enough, Galeno made sure we had a profound experience reconnecting to nature. We felt part of a loose rock being "played" by him, drank different teas, walked on a magma trail, climbed beach facing rocks, swam in cold transparent waterfalls, took part in a fire ceremony and had amazing conversations.

Hope you feel a little bit of the experience through the pictures below.

Galeno, the dedicated host

The place

Bio-architecture

Some of the reconnection experiences

Great speeches from people who have a lot to say

On this first video, Al Gore, ex vice president of the US, says:
"We are borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Golf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that needs to change!"
Really worth it!




On the second, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, who never graduated from college himself, tells 3 interesting stories on the graduation ceremony of Stanford University students. Good stuff!