Compassionate Steps
“I believe that love and compassion connect us with our soul and with the soul of our species. Through experiences of the soul we grow as individuals and we also, and equally important, contribute to the evolution of our species.”
In the recent TED talk, "Reconnecting With Compassion," I heard journalist Krista Tippett redefine compassion as the "Spiritual Technology" the future of humanity needs to connect us as one human race. She explained that "each and every one of us, frail and flawed as we may be, inadequate as we may feel, has exactly what's needed to help repair the part of the world we can see and touch."
As one of her illustrations of compassion in action, Tippett referred to the work of Jean Vanier, founder of the L'Arche communities around the world "where people with and without disabilities share their lives together, give witness to the reality that persons with disabilities possess inherent qualities of welcome, wonderment, spirituality, and friendship." (quote from the L'Arche USA website) Within my personal sphere, I know several volunteers who serve L'Arche, including the L'Arche Irenicon Board President, Walter Bacigalupo. Walter's service, like all of those involved, is a manifestation of his personal compassion. He extends his tenderness and wisdom to a part of the world he can see and touch.
Without a doubt, we have many within The Consciousness Collaborative Community who extend compassion through their presence and kindness. Simply put, they show up, tapping into their "spiritual technology" to make the world a more connected place. One extraordinary example that I have witnessed in recent years is Luciano Aimar's "A Bridge of Roses" project.
In 2006, Luciano discovered a problem he believed he could positively impact. Because funding approval to obtain basic school supplies was a bureaucratic nightmare, children in Madagascar, where his partner's cousins lived and worked, were often writing their lessons in the sand with their fingers or giving up a primary education altogether to go back to work in the mines. Luciano, believing deeply in the importance of education, decided that, one child at a time, he might be able to make a difference.
Actively beginning in 2007, Luciano raised over $60,000 for this cause, one-step-at-a-time...literally. He founded the "A Bridge of Roses" charity to accept sponsorships for annual walks he made around the world. Every trip was paid for out of his own pocket, and all of the money donated went directly to serve the school children of Madagascar. Over the course of these last four years, Luciano and various companions trekked for over forty days. He finished his final challenge on December 30th, 2010, when he reached the Mount Everest Base Camp and exceeded the $50,000 goal he had originally set forth.
Through Luciano's ingenuity, hundreds of people expressed their compassion by supporting his every step. To read specifically about the impact of this project click here.
Not all of us will match the scale of extroverted compassion demonstrated by Jean Vanier or Luciano Aimar, and still, each of us has the power to be kind, tender, and present for those who touch our lives. The ability to foster universal connection lies within you, and within me. As Genius Catalyst, Michael Neill, says, "Attention is like oxygen. People thrive when they are attended to; people wither when they aren't."
I encourage you to share your attention, your "spiritual technology," with someone today. Through our compassionate actions, we are connected.
Attentive to my journey and yours,
Joanne Lutz