Beloved

I was honored to experience and perform at the Beloved festival in southern Oregon recently. The festival was amazing, routed around world music and consciousness elevation. There were musicians and speakers from all over the world, all coming together through the power of expression and the acknowledgement of the need for some powerful change in our world. One speaker from India spoke to the idea of becoming filled…like a cup, but also becoming fulfilled. Then, leaving and spreading that fulfillment to others, filling them up as well. The bigger questions about what would truly bring global happiness were stark on everyone’s lips, and combined with the joy of shaking one’s hips the crowds were indeed inspired.

One fantastic thing I experienced being there was speaking about Prescott College and the values that the school holds that parallel the values of the people at the festival. Being a responsible global citizen in connection to the environment and one another was something many people were surprised to hear of in a college, what with the many colleges that support educational programs that train young people to continue to use and abuse our lands, our cultures, and each other. People were stunned to hear of the different training I had received through Prescott College about permaculture, environmental and cultural activism work and even the basic freedom of self-directed learning. I met many who wanted to network through the school to continue to inspire young students, people who had lived and learned their whole lives and come back to basic principles of support and inspiration that Prescott College upholds. One of the main messages I received: There is more and more need for the kind of education one gets from Prescott College, and the need is full to over-brimming. So in the spirit of carrying on a good thing, let us hope that more colleges take after the model of Prescott College, for this is what the world’s responsible and beloved global citizens are hoping for. - Brittany Davis