Blog

We just got back from the project's first international trip to Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia where we spent three and a half weeks meeting and interviewing Maori and Aboriginal elders and community leaders. It was quite a trip!

As the manuhiri (honored visitors) of our gracious Maori hosts we were led on a whirlwind tour of the north and south islands, where we visited different marae (traditional meeting houses), explored the spectacular countryside, experienced real Maori hospitality and met some truly wonderful and inspiring people. We filmed ten interviews with Maori elders and leaders who shared their stories and understanding of interconnectedness and Kotahitanga (“oneness” in Maori). Many spoke of the need for the 'coming together' of Maori and indigenous values and wisdom with the paheka (non-maori) world. We were overwhelmed by the openness and warmth of the people we met and the knowledge and wisdom they shared with us.

Landing in Adelaide, South Australia was a stark contrast to the lush rainy green country we had just come from. Adelaide is experiencing the worst drought in one thousand years and was very hot and dry (we were later told by an Aboriginal elder we met, 'What does the white fella expect if he treats the land like he does?'). We spent the first few days with the Sumner brothers, both elders and leaders in their Aboriginal community who took us into their homes and spoke at great length about the suffering their people have endured, the need for remembering that the earth is our mother and that the golden rule can be expanded to include our environment and all living things. Mulla, the younger of the two brothers drove a Harley Davidson. When I asked him about it, he looked at me and said, 'What, you don't expect us to all be out in the bush, standing on one leg with a spear in our hands do you?'

From South Australia we flew to Alice Spings in the central desert and drove to Mutujulu at the base of Uluru to meet with Bob Randall, a traditional owner of Uluru and elder of the Yankunytjatjara people. Spending a few days with Bob in the hot desert was quite an experience. He showed us around his land, talked to us about the Tjukurpa (dreamtime) and the importance of recognizing the oneness of all things. Out in the desert you can drive for 200+ kilometers on the main road and not see a single car.

It was quite a contrast to arrive in Sydney, a bustling international cosmopolitan city. We drove away from the city to a small town where we met with Max Harrison, a warm and kind elder from the south coast who sat with us at a creek near his home, and spoke about the need for respect, tolerance and understanding between all people and all things. Our last interview before returning to the US was with a young and energetic traditional healer named Jagamurra who stressed what we had repeatedly heard in different ways on our trip: 'I am an aboriginal man, but I am a human being first.'

We will be posting the clips, shorts and interviews from this trip in the coming weeks, so please be sure sign our email/newsletter list to be notified when the new videos are added.

Also, for more photos of our trip, check out the Global Oneness photos on Flickr.

Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
Global Oneness Project Dire ...Read more

You can now watch the first set of videos from the project! We will be updating the site a lot in the coming weeks, including a new homepage in flash, and adding multiple video viewing formats, so make sure to bookmark the site and keep coming back!

Having any trouble watching the videos? We know that quicktime is acting a little buggy, especially in Safari. You can view the site in Firefox or Camino in the meantime. Pleaselet us know if you run into any other problems. Thanks, and happy viewing...

A web-based video project
I'm excited that this site is now up and running after many months of development. The idea of the project began in 2005, when I was traveling, promoting a film whose themes focused on the idea of 'oneness', a non-dualistic perspective that recognizes all life is interconnected. I was overwhelmed by the response of people from all ages and backgrounds when exposed to media that promoted the idea of our shared humanity. I began to think of how to create more, freely accessible material that would promote discussion about what connects us as human beings, to one another and to our planet, rather than what separates us. I truly believe that our current global systems will not survive if we continue to embrace a mind set that sees everything as separate, does not look to the future for our children and grandchildren, and cares only about individual interests. I know I am not alone in these convictions, and that people around the world are developing new ways of working together, that promote the possibility of a sustainable future, in as many areas as there currently are problems. Who are these people and how are they thinking about these issues? How are they working? How are they living? What insights and knowledge do they have that can be shared?

It was these questions that led to the idea of a global inquiry into the idea of oneness. With a small film crew we set out to document this inquiry, filming interviews with people from a variety of backgrounds with the hope that their insights, stories and knowledge could be used to inspire dialogue that could lead to new ways of thinking and working in the world. In the last six months we have filmed thirty-eight interviews with people in the United States, New Zealand and Australia, of which some of the content is currently available on the site. Spiritual teachers, human rights advocates, authors, scientists, philosophers, indigenous elders, CEO's, and health and environment experts are just some of the people we have met and interviewed, and I must say, I have been thrilled by the results, and am excited to be able to share the material with you at this early stage of the project.

In the last year, the internet has emerged as a viable vehicle for distributing video to a world wide audience, democratizing video-based media,. Using the internet as our primary distribution platform allows us to present this material quickly and at no cost to the ever-growing worldwide online community. In the coming months this site will be expanding to include freely downloadable video files of all available content, an extensive interactive user platform and the ability for users to upload and share their own video content alongside our own. I am excited about these upcoming developments and look forward to seeing how this material will be seen, shared and used as a tool for promoting discussion among our users.

In the coming months we will be updating the site with more video footage from our recent travels as well as from our upcoming trips to South America, India and the United States. We welcome your feedback and ideas at this early stage of the project and look forward to hearing from you.

Welcome and enjoy.

Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
Global Oneness Project Director ...Read more