Last night I had the privilege and honor of attending a sweet gathering for local social change leaders in the house of Mahendra Uncle whose picture hung up above the fireplace, and whose daughter, Kala, honored us by having all of us gather there to welcome Arun Dada - a beautiful man who wanted to protect animals and went to jail voluntary for 13 years as peaceful protest and was a peaceful warrior bringing peace to war-torn areas. Arun Dada- now 86 years- walked into the room with such love and peace that I felt a shift in my body- a calmness settling in me and a joy emerging in my heart. Nipun mentioned the song of the day he has that sometimes reverberates with him and I felt I could almost hear that song. I felt Mahendra Uncle's original intentions he had years ago to invite Arun Dada, and Arun Dada's sincere gratitude being in their home, and I felt I could feel their souls all meeting in that house.

The theme of the evening was fearlessness. Kala read the poem Where the Mind Is Without Fear without Rabindra Tagore. The line that kept reverberating with me was the first line and title, and I asked myself at that moment...What really is the mind without fear? I felt myself take a deep sigh taking in that question.

That day (prior to this session) was a difficult day for me--with a few difficult exchanges and some difficult news--and I felt a level of awareness of how the pain was working through me. It was like I was observing it all happen to me--and even when it swept away some of my emotions--I still felt observant of it. I was proud of myself for being so conscious of it all, while still allowing myself to feel the pain. Is this the mind without fear? I don't know but it felt closer.

We began the evening with a circle of sharing. I always feel a bit of pressure at this moment. Do I have to say something inspirational or poignant? What if I feel like crap at that moment? Can I say that? Luckily I didn't, and I'm trusting myself to be present. :) I felt excited to speak knowing there were other social change leaders in the room, as well, and really wanting to understand what is the mind without fear, and sharing that I have learned SO MUCH from the youth I have worked with at Soulforce Leadership. They are so anchored in the truth already, and that my work has simply become how to be a good elder. And that was my question to Arun Dada--how do we adults truly get out of the way and serve our children/youth in the best way possible?

Here is what I learned about fearlessness as the evening progressed....

* a mom of a teen shared that she learned from her teen that being fearless means when you have become someone no one is afraid of. As I say in my work, teens are always dropping truth love bombs!

* To be fearless means you look at your own fears.

* We struggle so much with lonliness and insecurity in this country of the USA. And this causes so much of our fear.

* The Bhaghvad Gita spoke of the 26 qualities in chapter 16 and the first quality being fearlessness. With desirelessness there is fearlessness and with fearlessness there is freedom.

* Nipun shared the sweet story of Arun Dada approaching his daughter who once felt afraid to get on boat when she was 2. He asked her to find the fear in her body and take it out and then step into the boat. Nipun asked us to reflect on the question: What kind of man believes in the capacity of a 2 year old to be fearless? I thought to myself: A man himself who is fearless! I happen to have a 2 year old daughter who is just FEARLESS, so I smiled real big at this story because I see it.

* In the song that Arun Dada shared, I heard in the song... "How can two people meet in freedom? And that we don't have to worry about proper puja, or right song. We just have to meet the other person in freedom, and look at him just as he is.

* Vinoba Bhave asked: When you do your work, how you will it impact the poorest?

*Like a mom loves a child, how will you love any other person with that same kind of love?

* Gandhi believed....When there is no other, there is no fear. To have fear, you need an other out there that is separate then you. But if the other person is a mirror to yourself, there is nothing to fear.

* Gandhi was not afraid of any insult or being killed because he never believed the body was real. So there was no need to have fear.

* Nirbaya is fearleness in all 4 directions. The first of the 11 vows for Gandhi.

* In the pursuit of Swaraj, Gandhi chose nonviolence and truth as the path. He chose love. When they think the Indian people will give up, we will love even harder.

* . Vinoba Bhave said his life's work is to connect hearts.

* While you give and donate or do your work or make any decision, ask yourself are you becoming more fearless when you do this?

* . When we approach a child, don't keep saying you are mischevious and label a child. Learn that people are impermenent.

* A Wendell Berry poem was shared What it fears in me leaves me,
and the fear of me leaves it. It sings, and I hear its song.

As the night continued, I had to leave early to go back to the difficult situation. This evening gave me strength to hold space for others. The biggest gift I attained was to love someone who is having a hard time loving himself and to give him security and comfort and see him as someone who can change. To be fearless with him is to love him just the way he is.

I have many decisions ahead of me in my work training youth leaders to create social change in the world using nonviolence and love. I have known for a while now that I need to step it up. I have been reflecting, resting, and simply taking on the opportunities that are showing up at my door, and it has felt like such a nice emergent pace. Yet a soft fluttering in my tummy emerges that tells me there is more work to do. But stepping it up was not growing it bigger or doing more. I knew that wasn't quite right. I know now that stepping it up means asking myself at each point-- Am I becoming more fearless within myself? How can I be even more fearless and courageous in my work so I may tackle harder questions, harder people, harder situations of violence, and in that work remain calm, grounded, full of love and allowing my heart to further expand and expand? I'm excited to explore where that intention might take me. That is my work of fearlessness.

Thank you Arun Dada for your fearlessness and love and presence. I'm forever inspired and changed by you.