Vision Videos and Amazing Grace!

First, have you ever wondered where the song amazing grace originated?
It's the most recognized hymn in the world I think...I always thought it was an African American Sprititual from the Southern U.S., but it actually was written by an Englishman slave ship merchant... Read about it here.
I just watched the movie "Amazing Grace", which is a British film "based on the life of anti-slavery pioneer William Wilberforce" in England. It's an amazing true story about a man who fought for the abolition of slavery for years in the time between the American and French Revolutions. Highly recommend it. Youssou N'Dour (our favorite Senegalese singer- remember, I met him backstage at his concert in SF a few weeks ago) plays a slave who bought his freedom and helps provide evidence for the inhumanness of slavery with his personal account about coming across the ocean on a slave ship and all the horrors he witnessed.

I think it's pretty cool that the film makers chose a respected, world renowned African man to play the part of the African slave.

Goree Island, off the coast of Dakar, Senegal, was on of the ports for the slave trade...and a place most Senegalese don't like to visit unless they are among the small community that lives there. I visited the house of slaves when I was in Dakar- they kept the slaves there on Goree Island in insanely cramped quarters (while their captors lived lavishly in the spacious quarters above them) before they were taken to the ships where they would go across the sea to experience even more cramped-ness, suffering and despair...
It was powerful to link both sides of the story and learn about a few amazing people who fought to abolish slavery in England...

The door of No Return, House of Slaves, Goree Island, Senegal

The movie is a great history lesson, but also sheds light on the fact that slavery does still exist today, especially for children in places like SouthEast Asia. This site has a list of organization partners and those working the end modern day slavery once and for all. For all the teachers out there, they also include discussion guides to supplement the movie. Pretty cool.

Besides watching movies, latley I've been working on finding my quest (and a new job.)
I'm getting close! I'm making a video about my personal vision for my life, which I'm really excited about! I'm almost done and will post it soon!

I learned how to make the video from a great presentation I went to last Thursday by a guy named Malcom Cohan- he's a crazy enthusiastic guy from Australia that came up with this easy, yet incredibly profound and creative exercise that helps people find their purpose, or quest, and help make our dreams reality!
that's him--------------------->

I know, sounds kind of bizzare impossible and maybe you even feel a little skeptical.
But I promise, it's magical and it works! If you don't believe me, try it yourself.
Or if you do believe me, definitely try it yourself.

Even if you don't believe me, watch Malcom's vision video for humanity here.

Start making your own movie here- you need to register, then he gives you all the software, online tutorials, and instructions to create your very own vision video=your own personal expression for what you truly want out of life. It's totally free! Detailed instructions here.

Info about some of his initiatives to help chronically depressed, elderly, disadvantaged youth, etc, go here.

Let me know what you think!

Any of you that were making vision boards for New Years with me have got to try this!
This is truly magical!

If you do make a video, please share it! Once other people know what your vision is, we can help each other make our visions into reality!