Ram's Cafe

It was an amazing experience. I am not exactly the sentimental type (though I'm open to new ideas and new experiences) - in fact, I am pretty wary of joining any group or organization. Even though the walk is organized by the devotees/followers/admirers of Sathya Sai Baba, what you see at any gathering of such people are regular folks - all of them working in various professions, with an otherwise normal life - who get together for purely spiritual reasons. In fact, if you were to ask any of the followers of Sathya Sai Baba as to how they got started, each one would have a story to tell - an interesting one, usually. As for me, I'm not sure I can call myself a devotee, or a follower of Baba - I don't understand why, because I have seen several followers, all perfectly happy, reasonably successful in life, and yet, I haven't been able to call myself a follower - I guess I am too much of a 'logic' person. But I do have to say this - what little I know of Sathya Sai Baba, and his followers is nothing but positive. In fact, what I like most about these folks is that they just let me be - I can attend their gatherings when I want to, or just stay away for months on end for my own reasons - yet, when I meet some of them after a long time, there is still the warmth and friendliness that I felt the first time around. It is still a mystery to me why or how Sathya Sai Baba has attracted so many followers, literally from around the world.
I had a great time yesterday (originally posted on June 11, 2007), and I am definitely going to be there next year! I reproduce some portions from the 'Walk for Values' website about the walk itself - check out the website:

Why Walk for Values?
We live in anxious times. Global studies on climate change warn the earth is on the road to disaster. Our physical planet is being transformed slowly but relentlessly by man-made global warming. Our social landscape too appears none the better. Violence and bullying in our schools, drugs on our streets, gang wars in our neighborhoods, and greed and corruption in our institutions are all too often the stark and sad reality of our lives.
“We have to better manage planet earth,” says Ken Denman, a senior Canadian scientist if we are to halt disastrous events such as the melting of ice caps and rising sea levels. In reality, we have to do more than manage the earth. We have to manage ourselves. The values of tolerance, understanding, respect, and other virtues such as strength of character, and concern for others and our environment are gradually being eroded by negative forces. If we stand by idly, things can only get worse. Those of us who long for a more caring, kinder and healthier world can make a difference by our collective will and leadership to act.
By walking together as kindred spirits, we can achieve two things: we can raise awareness of positive human values such as love, truth, non-violence and peace; and more importantly, we can bring attention to the urgent need to practice them in our community and halt the social and environmental ills that impoverish our lives and our spirit.
How is this Walk Different?
Unlike other walks, this is not a money-raiser. You will not raise money for any cause by soliciting pledges for money! Rather, you will make the world richer and healthier by pledging your commitment to practice values. You may also be motivated to serve your community through volunteer work, or by donating blood or food for the needy.
If it’s not a Money-Raiser, what do we Pledge?
Mahatma Gandhi said: Become the change you want in the world. Your pledge is not monetary, but a pledge or commitment to practice one value of your choice. To show your resolve to be an example of the change you want, you will be required to wear a badge which labels the value which you plan to practice. For example, if you are impatient with your children as a parent, you may wish to choose the value “Patience.” If you wish to contribute to the health of the earth, you may wish to choose: “Conservation.”
We pledge to practice one or more of the following values:
LOVE: caring, compassion, reverence, forgiveness, generosity, kindness, enthusiasm, tolerance, dedication, devotion, unity.
PEACE: contentment, discipline, humility, patience, satisfaction, self-control, self-confidence, self-respect, understanding, modesty.
TRUTH: honesty, integrity, optimism, excellence.
NON-VIOLENCE: gentleness, consideration, moderation, co-operation, brotherhood, equality, cultural respect, social justice.
RIGHT-CONDUCT: courtesy, gratitude, perseverance, determination, responsibility, sacrifice, initiative, leadership, courage, duty and ethics.

 
So, there it is! I got a nice T-shirt too. As for practicing the values, I can clearly see that my life will only improve when I consciously pay attention to these values:
Non-Violence, Truth, Love, Peace, Right-Conduct
By the way, the organizers of this year's Walk had arranged it to be part of the Annual Teddy Bear Picnic (!) Parade - as part of 'Festival Coquitalm'. And they were kind enough to provide a great picnic-style lunch, with hot dogs, sandwiches, snacks, drinks...but all vegetarian...and not a penny was collected - either during the walk, or for the lunch! I'm always grateful for a free meal :) - but, on this day, everything was great. It was also a lot of fun - to see all those folks, including lots of kids and so many senior citizens...Overall, it was a great feeling! As usual, I took lots of pictures of the crowd - on a beautiful cloudy day, with light drizzle every now and then! I will post them after I figure out a good way to do that...