Watts Up! Demaria's Journey Featured Conversations
Watts Up! Demaria's Journey features conversations between Demaria Perry and some of the
world's foremost thinkers and visionaries. It is not only Demaria who is changed by these
conversations. The film perceptively shows how many of those whom Demaria comes in contact
with are changed by encountering such hopefulness and determination to create a better
world for future generations.
Edgar Mitchell On January 31,
1971, Apollo 14, lifted off from Cape Kennedy, and three days later, Edgar Mitchell and
Alan Shepard walked on the lunar surface. It was a truly historic moment in the
evolutionary history of humankind. For Mitchell, however, the most extraordinary part of
the journey was yet to come. On the return trip, viewing the small, blue planet that we
call home from the outer reaches of space, Mitchell and MIT-trained scientists had, what
for him, was a profound and life-changing epiphany about the underlying interconnected
nature of our reality. In the early 70's Mitchell left NASA to found the Institute of
Noetic Sciences in an effort to better understand the interface between science and
spirituality. Reflecting on the human condition in the midst of his re-entry epiphany,
Mitchell shed tears as he wondered-out loud-"When will they stop causing each other
so much suffering?"
Archbishop Desmond Tutu Archbishop Desmond Tutu reminds Demaria and the rest of the participants at
the "Quest for Global Healing" conference that while most people want to rush to
the forgiveness and reconciliation phase of the healing process, it is equally important
that we spend time tending to the wounds and the woundedness that flows from existing
social inequities. In the context of theme of interconnectedness he reminds
Demaria-specifically-about the rippling effect and impact of our individual actions on the
whole.
Lynne Twist One of Demaria's personal epiphanies while he was in Bali was discovering that
he was able to breathe better. Like most people in his family and community Demaria
suffers from a severe respiratory condition. Lynne Twist, in a lengthy dialogue with
Demaria explains the inter-connection between the work of indigenous people in the Amazon
Rainforest and the quality of the air that he breathes in his community. Lynne further
invites Demaria to bring some of the asthma sufferers in his community to the Rainforest
in order to meet with indigenous groups and elders concerned about this issue. In the
context of the dialogue, Twist introduces Demaria to the idea that "trees are the
lungs of the Earth." Demaria's efforts to educate his community and share that
particular bit of insight and information about the inter-connected nature of the larger
global reality-as they prepare to go to the Rainforest-will be one of the layered
sub-texts of Demaria's Journey.
James O'Dea James O'Dea is the new
president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) and former Director of the Amnesty
International Office in Washington, D.C. As the fourth president of IONS, O'Dea is very
open to a conversation that explores the interface between science, spirituality and
social justice. O'Dea firmly believes that the new IONS Mission Statement which reads that
the organization is committed to "Exploring the frontiers of consciousness to advance
individual, social and global transformation" lends itself to kind of collaboration
that we are engaged in around Demaria's Journey.
IONS is a membership organization with over 30,000 members in the United States and around
the world. Demaria's Journey-along with and accompanying Discussion Guide-that we are also
developing-will be used to initiate a dialogue within the IONS membership about some of
the issues raised. IONS has recently finished a similar collaboration with the producers
of What the Bleep Do We Know!? Demaria's Journey is being featured in the upcoming issue
of Shift magazine and will be showcased at IONS' upcoming 11th International Conference in
Washington, D.C.
Sekiywa Shakur
"Set", as she is affectionately called, is the only sibling of rapper Tupac
Shakur. Sekiywa's participation and her role in Bali conference was extremely important.
Sekiywa's life, that of her family-as well as the lives of a whole generation of young
people through out the world-was quite publicly impacted by the violent death of her
brother. Her conversations with Demaria, especially her on-camera plea that,
"whatever you do, stay alive, because too many of us have died already" is a
particularly moving moment.
Arn Chorn-Pond As a young boy, Arn
Chorn-Pond grew up in the killing fields of Cambodia where he was held in a child labor
camp. He lost many members of his family and was forced to become a child soldier for the
Khmer Rouge. He was saved by his ability to perform music and was taken to an officer's
headquarters to entertain the officers with revolutionary songs. His early life reinforced
in him a desire to save other children from similar suffering. He has become a celebrated
international human rights advocate, a founder of award winning programs such as Children
of War, and now dedicates his time back in Cambodia where he is engaged in helping to save
and revive the traditional musical traditions of his country and the elder masters who are
the sole repositories for these ancient art forms. By giving them back their dignity and
connecting them to young students, he is giving back to the music which saved him. A
documentary about Arn and his work in Cambodia, The Flute Player, was nominated for best
documentary Oscar in 2004.
On January 31,
1971, Apollo 14, lifted off from Cape Kennedy, and three days later, Edgar Mitchell and
Alan Shepard walked on the lunar surface. It was a truly historic moment in the
evolutionary history of humankind. For Mitchell, however, the most extraordinary part of
the journey was yet to come. On the return trip, viewing the small, blue planet that we
call home from the outer reaches of space, Mitchell and MIT-trained scientists had, what
for him, was a profound and life-changing epiphany about the underlying interconnected
nature of our reality. In the early 70's Mitchell left NASA to found the Institute of
Noetic Sciences in an effort to better understand the interface between science and
spirituality. Reflecting on the human condition in the midst of his re-entry epiphany,
Mitchell shed tears as he wondered-out loud-"When will they stop causing each other
so much suffering?"
Archbishop Desmond Tutu reminds Demaria and the rest of the participants at
the "Quest for Global Healing" conference that while most people want to rush to
the forgiveness and reconciliation phase of the healing process, it is equally important
that we spend time tending to the wounds and the woundedness that flows from existing
social inequities. In the context of theme of interconnectedness he reminds
Demaria-specifically-about the rippling effect and impact of our individual actions on the
whole. 
One of Demaria's personal epiphanies while he was in Bali was discovering that
he was able to breathe better. Like most people in his family and community Demaria
suffers from a severe respiratory condition. Lynne Twist, in a lengthy dialogue with
Demaria explains the inter-connection between the work of indigenous people in the Amazon
Rainforest and the quality of the air that he breathes in his community. Lynne further
invites Demaria to bring some of the asthma sufferers in his community to the Rainforest
in order to meet with indigenous groups and elders concerned about this issue. In the
context of the dialogue, Twist introduces Demaria to the idea that "trees are the
lungs of the Earth." Demaria's efforts to educate his community and share that
particular bit of insight and information about the inter-connected nature of the larger
global reality-as they prepare to go to the Rainforest-will be one of the layered
sub-texts of Demaria's Journey. 
James O'Dea is the new
president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) and former Director of the Amnesty
International Office in Washington, D.C. As the fourth president of IONS, O'Dea is very
open to a conversation that explores the interface between science, spirituality and
social justice. O'Dea firmly believes that the new IONS Mission Statement which reads that
the organization is committed to "Exploring the frontiers of consciousness to advance
individual, social and global transformation" lends itself to kind of collaboration
that we are engaged in around Demaria's Journey. 
As a young boy, Arn
Chorn-Pond grew up in the killing fields of Cambodia where he was held in a child labor
camp. He lost many members of his family and was forced to become a child soldier for the
Khmer Rouge. He was saved by his ability to perform music and was taken to an officer's
headquarters to entertain the officers with revolutionary songs. His early life reinforced
in him a desire to save other children from similar suffering. He has become a celebrated
international human rights advocate, a founder of award winning programs such as Children
of War, and now dedicates his time back in Cambodia where he is engaged in helping to save
and revive the traditional musical traditions of his country and the elder masters who are
the sole repositories for these ancient art forms. By giving them back their dignity and
connecting them to young students, he is giving back to the music which saved him. A
documentary about Arn and his work in Cambodia, The Flute Player, was nominated for best
documentary Oscar in 2004.
