Me-to-We Youth Retreat in Ahmedabad + Ripples 

Last month a retreat was held in Ahmedabad with youth aged 18 to 25. It was an embodied head-hands-heart journey from me-to-we in the spirit of inner transformation and service. During the retreat, youth had a lot of fun singing, dancing, listening to each others’ life journeys, and participating in acts of kindness together. They also met some uncommon love warriors and had a few surprises throughout their three days together!  

Watch an uplifting video of highlights from the retreat here and check out this post about some ripples of kindness that emerged.

We are not merely what we do, but who we become by what we do.

'I No Longer Pray':

I no longer pray—  now I drink dark chocolate  and let the moon sing to me. I no longer pray— I let my ancestors dance  through my hips at the slightest provocation. I no longer pray— I go to the river and howl my ancient pain  into the current. I no longer pray— I ache, I desire, I say “yes” to my longing. I no longer pray as I was taught but as the stars crawl onto my lap like soft animals at nighttime  and God tucks my hair behind my ears  with the gentle fingers of her wind and a new intimacy is uncovered in everything, perhaps it's that I’m finally learning  how to pray. ... [Read more]

Seed questions for reflection: How do you relate to the notion of prayer as finding an intimacy with everything? Can you share a personal story of a time you recognized intimacy with everything? What helps you feel your connection to all that is?

Couple of stories from our KindSpring community this week ...

drjoybug: Hello All. Good Whatever ...
Hello all. Good whatever time of day it is by you Kindnesses this week ..Paid for lunch for a friend. .. pleasantly passed the time of day with another woman in the waiting room. [Read more...]

lt33: Act Of Kindness I ...
Act of kindness I was at the vending machine at the mall waiting to pick up my brother from work and this little boy probably around age 10 came up to me hey do you have 4 quarters for $1? I knew I might have had a little change left [Read more...]

Mish: ๐Ÿฟโค๏ธ Popcorn Kindness
One of our neighbor-friends knows hubby loves popcorn ๐Ÿฟ (Skinny Pop popcorn)….when we returned home yesterday we found a bag on our porch….with no note , but we knew right away who it was from :) ๐Ÿ˜Š Hubby wrote this ditty & sent it to her : ๐Ÿฟ “Somebody dropped a bag ... [Read more...]

New AI Detects 13 Deadly Cancers With 98% Accuracy From Tissue Samples

While cancer remains the leading cause of death, most cancers are treatable, and early detection and intervention are key. A new study from the University of Cambridge and the Imperial College of London details how artificial intelligence may be used to identify cancer before it fully develops. As noted by Shamith Samarajiwa, lead author of the paper, “This will provide better patient outcomes.” 

Read the full story here.

I Spent A Week At A Chat Bench. Here's What I Learned.

Chat benches first appeared in 2019, in response to scams targeting the lonely. Since then, they've begun popping up worldwide. In a special article, Annabel Abbs-Streets recounts her experience with the chat bench as she faced an empty nest. "Daily walks to the chat bench softened the pain of an emptying home. They became a pilgrimage to possibility -- offering me radically different perspectives."

Read the full article here.

The Surgeon Who Accepts Community Service as Payment

As a child, Demetrio Aguila admired his physician father who worked long hours, but with such a higher purpose that “there was always joy in everything he did.”

Demetrio wanted to find his own joyful higher purpose. He became a surgeon, and was inspired by his experiences with humanitarian services in the military to help the less fortunate. After much soul searching and some stumbling, he created a program where people have the option to pay for their surgery by volunteering at a local non-profit.

Studies demonstrate that “people who are invested in their outcome get better outcomes.” Demetrio said if he did their surgery “without that investment on the part of the patient, I'm taking away one of the most important tools for a successful result.” He invests in success, and it creates a ripple effect: the patient gets the surgery without crushing debt and possible bankruptcy; because they had to invest, they take better care of themselves; they regain or enhance their dignity and self-esteem; and both the non-profit and community benefit from the service. Demetrio hopes to inspire others to develop creative ways to invest in their neighborhoods and help those the current system leaves behind. [Read more ...]

Enjoy a couple of recent stories from our KindSpring community ...

drjoybug: Kindness Given This Week ...
Kindness given this week ..toys to the dog daycare I use ..letting multiple people in front of me during the road construction new my home ..talk and laugh with door dash drivers ..was patient and kind at the bank. [Read more...]

lt33: I Just Want To ...
I just want to reach out to others here hope everyone is staying cool๐Ÿ˜Ž and safe from these heavy tornado winds we've been affected in our neighborhood [Read more...]

Mish: Perfect Timing ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿป
I had an extra “hug” (prayer shawl), that I crocheted a while ago, that I was waiting for The Universe to let me know who to gift it to. ๐Ÿงถ I found out [Read more...]

How Germany's 'Orchestra Of Change' Inspires Action

The Orchestra of Change, founded in 2020, is a collective of classical musicians using the power of music in creative ways to support sustainable living and the environment. “Scientists reach brains but artists touch the heart” said Detlef Grooss, a co-founder of the group.

Read the full story here.

How Being Distracted May Lead You to Overindulge

Researchers find that multitasking during one activity can lead to overindulgence later. For instance, eating a sandwich while using your phone can result in less satisfaction, and more snacking afterwards. They call it hedonic consumption: “that when people experience less pleasure during consumptive activities, it primes them to want to make up for that loss with compensatory consumption (like additional snacking).”

Past research suggests that paying attention through savoring and mindfulness can help curb addictive behaviors. These studies may advance understanding of binge eating, excessive social media use, and similar problematic behaviors. While there is much to learn, researchers caution that “given that we live in an ‘attention economy,’ where we’re constantly bombarded with ads and potentially addictive technology, it may be wise to take note.” [Read more ...]

Honored to have Jyoti nominate Harshida and Dinesh Mehta for India Current's "50 over 50". Below is her write-up.

Thousands of young adult meditators call Harshida and Dinesh Mehta – ServiceSpace Mama and Papa. Many more people from around the world call their home in Santa Clara California, the Kindness Temple. 

For more than twenty five years, every Wednesday evening, about 30-60, PhDs, professors, authors, doctors, teachers, yoga teachers, entrepreneurs, technologists, engineers, students, activists, gardeners, homemakers, tourists, and people from all walks of life come to sit in silence and meditate together at Awakin Circles, that started at the Kindness Temple. 

Harshida and Dinesh spend the week planning, preparing and cooking a homemade vegetarian meal that they serve to all meditators, to be eaten in silence after the circle. The ripples from this kindness have spread to Awakin Circles being hosted in far away countries with the ethos of spreading random acts of kindness. 

Silicon Valley innovations change the world in more ways than makes the news headlines. This movement for spreading kindness towards strangers and meditating together in community is the most consistent peace-building work that I am aware of. 

The world needs this more urgently now than ever before. Awakin Circles is the inspiration for many other projects, such as Karunavirus, Dailygood, Kindspring, etc. Harshida and Dinesh are both immigrants from Gujarat. They have held full time jobs in the Valley and raised two sons. Their sons have been instrumental in using technology to create this global ecosystem of ServiceSpace, which used to be called CharityFocus earlier. 

Yet, the values these technologies enable everywhere are deeply rooted in the home & what Harshida and Dinesh taught their sons. I am glad that IC celebrates 50 over 50 so I get the honor and pleasure to nominate this exceptional couple. Cannot separate them for individual nominations as their love and teamwork is the open secret to what they have accomplished.

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