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Incubator of compassionate action.
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This week, NASA's JWST telescope took a selfie -- of the universe. A truly momentous first full image of the universe. Light observed in a single "speck" of this image has been traveling for more than 13 billion years! Each of those specks likely contains BILLIONS of worlds. It's hard to put enough exclamation points after that statement. As Carl Sagan famously wrote, "It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another." A reminder to tread lightly, with love.
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This Sunday, our Sanctuary Pod is hosting a call on 'Welcoming Strangers' and invite us to ask -- is the universe a friendly place or a scary place? Later this month, our signature Laddership Pod returns, with four world-renowned speakers – including a Nobel Laureate. Can we design regenerative solutions that aren't fueled by the forces of money, power and fame? How could our individual acts harmonize with the more cosmic laws? More details below.
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Last week, in his first post-pandemic talk, Nipun spoke to 800 youth about the power of playing an infinite game. "Finite game is played for the purpose of winning; every winner creates lots of losers. Infinite game, on the other hand, is played for the purpose of continuing the play. Of nurturing life. Infinite players aren't vested in a particular story, but are joyful poets of a story that continues well beyond their horizon."
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Thank you, for playing an infinite game.
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What inspires us to reach across boundaries and lean in with trust? Why do we donate our kidneys to strangers, leave a tip at a restaurant we'll never visit again, or get goosebumps by merely witnessing an act of kindness? What is stronger in us – "good samaritan" instinct or the bystander effect? Is the universe a scary place or a friendly place? What opens up inside of us when we welcome strangers into our hearts? In a culture with so many polarizing elements, how do we grow trust?
Sanctuary Pod's theme this month is 'Welcoming Strangers'. It kicks off with a call this Sunday! RSVP here to join.
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We're delighted to have the ever-inspiring Sister Marilyn Lacey as our guest speaker! She founded Mercy Beyond Borders in 2008 after a visit to South Sudan where she saw what she described as "by far the most devastated place" she'd ever experienced during her decades of work with refugees around the world. The subtitle of her memoir reads, "Story of God Arriving in Strangers."
Also on the call: a college student's embrace of his autistic twin brother. An everyday hero in Iowa who opts for the middle seat on planes to connect with strangers in window or aisle seats. An original song by Nina, poem by 13-year-old Mili, stories from a London Awakin Circle, Linh on the guitar, and much more.
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Starting July 31st, the Laddership Pod returns! It's a 4-week immersion into ServiceSpace values, particularly for changemakers. How does inner transformation affect our external impact, and how do we design for discerning the dynamic "middle way" between emergence and planning, grit and surrender, humility and conviction, transaction and trust? All in a peer-learning context of global community, held skillfully by alumni.
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As a part of the journey, we're thrilled to dialogue with four inspired leaders as weekly guests. Consider their non-traditional journeys ...
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Jerry White: a landmine explosion took away his leg, but led him to a path of service -- and eventually a Nobel Peace Prize! A global leader, author and professor (and Laddership Circle alum!), he asks penetrating questions around "spiritual obesity", "weapons of mass destruction in slow motion", "waking from collective hypnosis." Watch 4-min clip: Heart of an Intrapreneur
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Hang Mai was a pioneering businesswoman in Vietnam – until she became a farmer! "Once I asked my dad: 'If we go to war again, and don't have water and electricity, what shall we do?' He said: 'Go back to the village." That war ended, but the wisdom of villages drew her in. Making a house from waste material and living off the land, she candidly says, "My husband and I live on three dollars a day, and we aren't interested in the fourth dollar." Having created a country-wide permaculture movement, Hang Mai not only asks profound questions, but is fearlessly willing to change herself to align with her deepest discoveries. Watch 4-min clip: Tending to the Garden
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Raj Sisodia is the father of the global 'conscious capitalism' movement. As an author of 16 books, his bio is quite impressive and his impact is enormous. Yet, he says, "In the pandemic, when both my parents passed away, I realized that I had authored a book about healing organizations, but I hadn't spent much time healing myself. I took a year to do that, and it has changed everything." How do we lead with altruism in the temple of greed?
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Rhonda Magee is a lawyer by trade, but meditator by heart. Rather uniquely, she draws on law and legal history to weave storytelling, poetry, analysis and practices into inspiration for changing yourself to change the world. Her book is titled "The Inner Work of Racial Justice", and proposes an inner-transformation based approach to address inequities of society. How do power, community and compassion intersect?
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To engage with a peer-learning group of changemakers, asking uncommon questions and exploring creative solutions to "gently shake the world", join the upcoming Laddership Pod!
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P.S. RECENT INSPIRATION ...
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Gifts of Resilience – Wakanyi's beautiful summary of Sanctuary Pod start: 'Could we arrange ourselves in a way that we offer each other greater resilience?' And a recording of what followed: Mosaic from Broken Pieces.
"Without passion, nothing happens; without compassion, the wrong things happen." –Jan Eliasson, United Nations
Magic Mirror of Betty Peck – a beloved kindergarten teacher in our community, who peacefully passed away last month at the age of 100.
We held our first post-pandemic retreat, last weekend in India. As a participant remarked, "In this space, we talk with each other and not about each other."
The retreat ended with this stunning video by Meghna: Humbled. #Goosebumps
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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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