in red square

Impatiently awaiting the jarring ring of the bell, I sat in the hall outside my last class absent-mindedly flipping through a notebook resting in my lap. Just outside, I caught sight of something intriguing :: a crowd with signs. A circle of curious onlookers had already formed around the perimeter of Red Square. Some were staring while others began to smirk, but a few moved to join the others. Soon I heard the intonation of a chant, muffled by the heavy wood doors that sealed the lecture hall off from the square.

As curious as the rest, I moved to position myself closer to the festivities. I found one of the large thick windows to be more to my liking. The chant had swelled to a soothing roar by this time and I could clearly distinguish the words :: "NO. MORE. VIOLENCE." They marched to their slow chant with the sorrow of martyrdom, moving like a fat river across the square and out to the far reaches of the university campus. It was then that I realized this was a walk for peace inspired by the presence of the Dalai Lama in Seattle.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for the ideas of peace and prosperity. Both of these commodities, although sought the world over, are evasive. Watching these peace activists, I was a bit non-plussed. How is walking around a college campus in Seattle of benefit to others? Can walking in a cult-like fashion truly feed the hungry, house and clothe the poor, educate the masses, promote peace, or induce any type of economic growth?

"Raising awareness" is at best terribly inadequate.