As we await a vote that benefits the super-wealthy, destroys our country with debt, and leads to children starving, each of us must look at what matters.

John Lewis in Across That Bridge wrote:

Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society. 

Last night I watched a recording of an event put on by the Tergar Institute.  Uvinie Lubecki, Ocean Vuong, and Ronan Harrington spoke.  I’m inspired by their intelligence and commitment to the world and themselves.

Some notes: 

Uvinie: I saw no other way.  Purpose is a way of being.  It’s how we drink a cup of tea.  Awareness, Love and Compassion, lead to connection and wisdom.

Ocean: Develop the voice you already have.  Re-read a book like Moby Dick.  Understand why it’s a classic.  Live the Buddha’s final words: Go forth with earnestness. Try with all your heart. Our youth are afraid of being “cringy”, of shame. Give ourselves permission to fail so there is no shame.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Failure is the mother of success.

Ronan: Speak truth to power.  Resilience requires balance.  Know when to open and close so you don’t ruin your health as he did trying to save the world, and now he recovers from pain and addiction.  Resilience requires boundaries.