World Peace News: Top Stories

Oprah interviews former security professional about his practice of Transcendental Meditation
by Global Good News staff writer

Global Good News Translate This Article
25 March 2012

In a recent episode of her new television series, 'Oprah's Next Chapter', Oprah Winfrey visited the small town of Fairfield, Iowa, USA to learn more about what makes the community unique.

The town, about a third of whose residents practise the Transcendental Meditation Technique, attracts people from all over the world and from every walk of life.

While there, Ms Winfrey met with Troy Van Beek and Amy Greenfield.

Ms Winfrey narrated, 'They're part of a small community in Fairfield that functions mostly off the grid.* Using sustainable and non-toxic materials is a big part of Vastu architecture.'

She added that before living in such an idyllic community, Mr Van Beek spent years in some of the most dangerous places on earth.

'Seven years ago I was in the Middle East,' Mr Van Beek said. 'I was working on a special detail. . . . I was the lead sniper on a team there. We were dealing with car bombs all the time.'

But after completing his tour of duty, he began to question his life choices. He felt there was a schism in his life between his career as a security professional and his desire to live a spiritual life.

Mr Van Beek said, 'I was looking for what else was out there. I googled enlightenment and the town of Fairfield kept coming up.'

When he finally had a chance to visit the town, he said, 'It was an amazing place. It was filled with people who are in conversations about their spirituality, and I realized it was a town that desired evolution and I was immediately taken by it.'

So he enrolled in Maharishi University of Management and pursued a degree in sustainability.

'Right away as part of the curriculum they start teaching you meditation,' Mr Van Beek said. The meditation gives you 'a more holistic understanding of yourself and how that connects with everything else.'

Living in Fairfield and practising Transcendental Meditation led to a revelation for Mr Van Beek.

He said, 'What I thought I was doing overseas and being part of the military was: hopefully I'm helping. I realized I cannot possibly be helping by pointing guns at people, and it was a bit of a turning point to wanting to change that scenario. If I wanted to see a positive, peaceful change, I had to embody that myself.'

See related article:
∙ US: Oprah tours Vastu home in Fairfield, Iowa

* Ms Greenfield is a developer of Abundance Ecovillage in Fairfield.

© Copyright 2012 Harpo Productions, Inc.

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