I was in San Diego for four days. I stayed with my gal friend whose apartment just happened to be right across from a Krishna temple. I was curious about this and wondered out loud to her about them. She suggested that we walk over there and check out the store. We talked to the woman that works in the shop and she invited us to come to their "event" later on that night for a talk and free food.
This is where the "event" was held. We were an hour late and I was hesitant to interrupt, but my friend is fearless (ie: ballsy) so we went in. There were people sitting on pillows scattered about in what looked like someones living room and the smell of incense was in the air. I have always thought of the Hare Krishna as mindless "sunshiney" people handing out flowers in airports. So I was ready to mock.
In the little time that we had to hear the speaker, his words struck me in a profound way. He talked about who we are and how we are tied to possessions. Are we what we own or are we more than that? Will we fall apart and cease to exist if we lose our favorite whatever? Don't worry, this isn't the part where I say that I have sold all my possessions and have joined them. I just think that it is something that should be considered.
We got to eat the yummy-est homemade pizza after and I learned a little more about this "culture" from some of the members. There were others like me who were there to check it out and there were a few homeless people who I am sure were happy to have somewhere to be where they could get some food and warmth. I am glad for this experience as I always appreciate a chance to prove myself wrong.
When I was in San Diego last week we were taking a walk around the museum area (they have 16 museums in one place, it is massive!) and I saw this tree.
There was only one of its kind from what I could see and it was such a unique tree that I had to photograph it about a dozen different ways.
This is where the "event" was held. We were an hour late and I was hesitant to interrupt, but my friend is fearless (ie: ballsy) so we went in. There were people sitting on pillows scattered about in what looked like someones living room and the smell of incense was in the air. I have always thought of the Hare Krishna as mindless "sunshiney" people handing out flowers in airports. So I was ready to mock.
In the little time that we had to hear the speaker, his words struck me in a profound way. He talked about who we are and how we are tied to possessions. Are we what we own or are we more than that? Will we fall apart and cease to exist if we lose our favorite whatever? Don't worry, this isn't the part where I say that I have sold all my possessions and have joined them. I just think that it is something that should be considered. 
We got to eat the yummy-est homemade pizza after and I learned a little more about this "culture" from some of the members. There were others like me who were there to check it out and there were a few homeless people who I am sure were happy to have somewhere to be where they could get some food and warmth. I am glad for this experience as I always appreciate a chance to prove myself wrong.
I love the city-- especially walking around at night with my camera. Most of the photos that I take at night have some blur to them because I have a hard time holding still and I refuse to bring along a tripod. This one had just enough light for me to be able to grab this shot. It feels very voyeuristic to me, like I saw something that I shouldn't have...
