THE POWER OF A STORY: A Letter from the President

Naropa's mission to prepare people with knowledge, wisdom, and skills to “be the change” is grounded in the practice and study which illuminates the causation of suffering. Over time, with perseverance and discipline, we can begin to recognize interdependence. That regardless of the manifestation of suffering—whether it be a personal loss, a traumatic event, or systemic oppression—we are all being impacted because we are intimately connected. The suffering hit us especially hard at home this year, with the tragic Boulder shooting and Marshall Fire affecting an entire community. This year’s magazine is about connection and points out ways to build our collective resiliency.

As we have navigated our way through the pandemic, resulting in so much disappointment, disruption, and insecurity, there is a predictable and somewhat understandable narrowing of focus with emphasis on our personal well-being and that of those who are closest to us. But especially in such moments, it feels important to take the extra effort to stand in each other’s shoes and to weigh our struggles against the even greater struggles of others, to extend our breaths of good intention and kindness and aspire for boundless social health, healing, and equitable access to care and resources. That practice is not one of depletion of energy, but one which increases energy for the benefit of ourselves, our loved ones, and all sentient beings.

Trungpa Rinpoche said, “We must try to think beyond our homes... .We must try to think how we can help this world. If we don’t help, nobody will. It is our turn to help the world…you can never just relax because the whole world needs help.”

From the outset, Naropa students and alumnx have strived to help this world as counselors and therapists, chaplains, teachers, writers, poets, actors, musicians, practitioners of the fine arts, environmental activists, entrepreneurs, and religious scholars. And sometimes we’re asked for data regarding our graduates in the form of numbers. However, I actually am a big believer that the anecdote is where the power is. So, regardless of whether we’re now keeping track of hundreds or thousands of graduates, the individual stories are still the stories that we need to tell, and that we need to keep alive.

And in that spirit, I invite you to dive into this collection of individual stories about our students, staff, faculty, and alumnx that ultimately weave together to become the collective story of Naropa. And I look forward to the fact that you are going to add your own threads to this weaving. The unique expressions, that of their wisdom and their skill, are what enrich the collective impact of our university.

Thank you to our entire community of students, faculty, staff, alumnx, donors, and board members for adding your wisdom, skillful means, and care for Naropa now and for the almost half-century since our improbable experiment was launched. We often succeed and sometimes are pushed to learn from mistakes and return to habitual habits. But we do that work now as an established institution, held together by academic discipline, creative expression, social action, and a commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

CHARLES G. LIEF

PRESIDENT, NAROPA UNIVERSITY