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Incubator of compassionate action.
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After our global prayer circle in May, a seed for a 21-day interfaith compassion challenge emerged. Now, community members from 21 different faiths (including atheism) have come together to offer a daily prompt of unique practices of compassion. With compelling guest speakers, from the pioneering founder of URI Bishop William Swing to a group of Tibetan monks from Dalai Lama's monastery in India(!) leading a collective chant, participants from 24 countries are readying for a sacred journey starting Oct 2nd. If you'd like to join, there's still a few days left to join.
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Commemorating Gandhi's birthday, volunteers in India are launching a special "Law of Love" webinar series throughout the month. Building on the metaphor of "five fingers" of community, education, business, nonprofit and leadership sectors, we hope to explore nuances that draw a throughline from inner transformation to external impact. It starts with a very successful entrepreneur Vallabh Bhansali, who sits on the board of Mumbai's stock exchange; Jayanti Ravi, who headed the education department of Gujarat and now leads Auroville; celebrity author Gary Zukav whose most recent book is titled Universal Human; Rani Bang, whose medical service in one of the most poverty-stricken areas on the planet has become a global model, and Jerry White, a Nobel Peace Laureate! Following that series, all attendees will be invited to a "Gandhi Pod" to build on the dialogue in a peer-learning context. Do join us and share with your friends!
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Over the last few weeks, hundreds of you have joined and co-created wide-ranging pods from Education to Business to Living and Dying. The most recent "Laddership Pod", requiring an intense 20 hours a week for an entire month, irrevocably touched its alumni and volunteers alike. In between, we hosted various "Pod Rooms" to deeply listen to each other's stories; here's a sampling of four videos:
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Wounded Healers: lifelong advocate for racial and housing equity, youngest chaplain in Ivy League history, and author of six books, Chaz Howard tells stories that remake our idea of how change happens. #tears
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Always Room for One More. For decades, Sister Lucy has been immersed in unconscionable suffering, and yet she radiates love and oozes joy. It is easy to see why even Pope Francis asked her for blessings. #bows
- What the Whales Taught Me. Out in Alaska, almost out of nowhere, 40 whales surrounded her boat. They had come to teach her something. For the first time, Shay Beider shares four lessons whales can offer humans. #goosebumps
- When I Met the Dalai Lama: In 2008, a freak accident on the Golden Gate Bridge left her with 17 broken bones, 9 surgeries and 7 weeks in coma. In one of our "Pod Rooms", Grace Dammann shared a story that buoyed our spirits. #grace
Emergence never ceases to amaze. To encourage a podmate, Shaheen posted a link about a song by a Gandhian elder that her brother had recorded years ago; on another post, Ryan wrote about he had been wronged recently; to support him, in Vietnam, Linh picked up her guitar and spontaneously played an unforgettable rendition of that song: Game, Game, Game
That elder, Kanti-Dada, was a remarkable sculptor whose statue of Gandhi stands in Union Square in New York even today. He had one peculiar practice -- he never signed his name on any of his art. To the question, "How do you know when a piece is complete?" he humbly replies, "When I know that I haven't done it."
Thank you for co-creating a field of sacred service.
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ServiceSpace is a unique incubator of volunteer-run projects that nurture a culture of generosity. We believe that small acts of service can nurture a profound inner transformation that sustains external impact. To get involved, you can subscribe to our newsletters or create an account and complete our 3-step process to volunteer.
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