FROM THE BEGINNING, Tibet struck me as a place peopled by quiet dissenters. On the one hand, there are the Tibetans who silently oppose the Chinese occupation; on the other, there are those who oppose the material world altogether in search of the spiritual. All Tibetans are deeply invested in the spiritual life, and l've found great inspiration in seeing God's children pursuing spirituality with such sincere, selfless devotion.
One day my brother and I traveled to a giant lake known as Nam-Tso. Along the drive to our main destination, we noticed groupings of nomadic tents dotting the landscape. We decided that we'd like to get a closer peek. After a brief walk around the area, we headed toward a distant set of mountains and tents. As we approached one tent, cautiously giving the nomads' protective dogs a wide berth, a man came out and motioned to us, inviting us to come inside.
We followed him into his tent, into a single room packed with family members. Seven people sat around the central fire, four of them children. Nearby a baby goat and large orange cat rested against each other. The family served us hot drinks and sweetly nudged an intruding donkey back out the door. These people couldn't stop smiling and were clearly excited to share what little had with us.
