Boy Turns Back on Dalai Lama, Chooses Fun Over Fraud

The past few days haven't exactly been streamers and confetti for Yours Truly.

As much as I try to maintain positive thoughts about the current life sitch, the gloom has been getting the better of me. Panging regrets. Loneliness. Oh, and I have diarrhea. Unfortunately, my dreariness isn't among the things expelled during my frequent trips to the good ol' bowl.

However, my mood was elevated by several degrees when I read this news about Osel Hita Torres, a young man who has renounced what the Dalai Lama (who suffers from what I'm suffering at present, except he's spewing crap out of his mouth) and many others think is Torres's destiny. Yeah, they say he's Buddha Version 2.0 or whatever number they're at presently. The Dalai Lama made this distinction when Torres was just a toddler. And considering this kid was Buddha, what did the Buddhist order do? According to Torres, "They took me away from my family and stuck me in a medieval situation in which I suffered a great deal."

Torres is now 23 years old. He's studying Film (!) and listens to Jimi Hendrix (!), details which make me respect him all the more.

I salute you, Mr. Torres, for living your life to the fullest.

I'll assume everyone is at least marginally aware thanks to great films like "Witness" and the imperishable "Kingpin" of the rituals and stifling lifestyle of the Amish. (To the credit of the Amish: they sure make fine food.) Anyway, the Amish have a rite of passage known as "Rumspringa", which is the subject of a TERRIFIC documentary titled "The Devil's Playground." What happens is that Amish teens go out into real world and, you know, drink alcohol, watch movies, play Nintendo, get laid. Pleasures we take for granted and don't indulge in nearly as much as we should. After this, the teens make a decision: stay in their repressive, insanely dull community or depart for greener pastures (the green possibly being weed). Most, sadly, decide to stay put. But some decide to move on.

And I salute them.

For the same reason I salute Mr. Torres.

For rejecting the greatest sin of all.

For saying "KISS OUR ASSES" rather than keep their heads up 'em.

Kudos. And it's off to the toilet yet again.

Article on Torres:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/31/dalai-lama-osel-hita-torres