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Incubator of compassionate action.
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In Pali, the word "metta" means loving kindness. As technology proceeds from screen refreshs to "you-will-also-like" algorithms to unending TV binging to now an immersive "metaverse", it behooves us to ask -- how do we amplify the "metta verse", the song of love? And how does such an organizing principle move us from transactional to multi-dimensional to noble friendships?
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After engaging with many powerful events in the last two months, a b-school professor summed up his transformation: "Completely unmoored and yet completely at home."
In October, during our "Law of Love" webinar series, Gary Zukav teared up telling us about a humble pair of socks on his altar -- the gift of a full day's earnings from a stranger. Metta verse. During the Laddership Pod, Linh spontaneously composed a song in a few minutes that sent shivers down our spine. Metta verse. Among the participants (from 58 countries!) in November's Interfaith Compassion Pod was Debra, who profoundly shared her restaurant tips with a bartender. Indeed, the human heart unfailingly responds to the advances of selfless love.
While the pandemic's constraints continued in 2021, it didn't curtail our collective creativity. Just last week, we launched a new website that encompasses thousands of wisdom readings in numerous languages, 500+ interviews with thought leaders, and local communities around the globe. All powered by tens of thousands of volunteer hours, responding to an uncommon invitation: "WANTED: people willing to put in a lot of labor, receive no salary, work invisibly, give away the credit to others, and operate with a momentary team that will soon dissolve itself." Why? Because metta verse.
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Thank you for patterning this impulse -- this song of kindness, poetry of magnanimity, dance of joy all rolled up into a reverberating echo of compassion.
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Starts this Sunday!
Inspired by Gandhi's notion that 'Law of Love' is far more precise, subtle and powerful than even forces like gravity and electricity, we held a series of compelling conversations in October across "five fingers of a hand" that can collectively unlock this potential: community, education, business, nonprofit and leadership. That has now flowed into a week-long Gandhi Pod -- with inspiring change-makers and some world-renowned scholars as guest speakers.
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21-Day New Story Challenge!
To begin 2021, we spontaneously hosted a 21-day challenge. It was so powerful for the participants that we did it again in February. And now we're repeating it again to kick off 2022!
Every day you will receive a question that invites you to reflect; but what makes it transformative is doing it in a community of kindred spirits. As the Native American proverb says, "It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story."
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New Year Resolutions?
Instead of a typical resolution for self improvement, are you up for taking a service resolution that benefits others? (Thank you, Chaz!) And just as we have "project managers" in organizations, what if we become "practice managers" for each other's intent? This year-long Pod started as an experiment in another Pod, but we figured we might as well invite other kindred spirits too!
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In the last Laddership Pod, podmates wrote 3504 pages of reflections. And Becca did something exceptional -- she put together her favorite phrases from 150 interactions into an epic collage! #Wow
Tibetan monks from a 3000-person monastery in India graced one of our calls with a 30 minute Great Compassion chant, that left many with an out-of-mind experience. #Bow
In a recent Awakin Circle, 8-year-old Afton stunned us with poetry on the meaning of love while, on KindSpring, we learned about middle school perfection. #YouthRock
Nipun's interview last week with a popular podcast: Buddha at the Gas Pump
The inspiring story of Chuck Collins: "At the age of 26, I had three or four times as much money as all the residents of the Bernardston mobile home park combined." So he gave it all away, and is now asking his peers to do the same. Join Chuck on Saturday's call.
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In a recent Pod, Lorin shared this beautiful story:
We used to live in Uganda. One time, we went camping in a nearby forest but hadn't brought firewood; so we walked a mile to a nearby village and bought some. Half hour later, as we sat down to cook dinner, a boy from that village, from that family we had bought the fire from, came walking out of the forest towards us. He was probably eight and he was carrying something -- a little scrap of metal that he was protecting. He was blowing on it because what he had brought us was an Ember from his fire. The family that sold us the firewood was worried that we wouldn't be able to light our fire because in that village, they didn't use matches and lighters -- they light each fire from the embers of their neighbor. And so this boy had figured out where we were, had walked to us and had protected this ember just to help light our flame.
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Thank you, all, for being a keeper of each other's flames.
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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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