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“A friend of mine told me of a guru from Sri Lanka who asked, ‘What will be the undoing of humanity?’ He answered: ‘The separation between you and me.”
Ahimsa, nonviolence, asks us to abandon the notion of separation.”
-Rolf Gates
When nonviolence in speech, thought, and action is established, one’s aggressive nature is relinquished and others abandon hostility in one’s presence.’ -Yoga Sutras
“Not everybody can be famous, but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service; you only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.” -Martin Luther King, Jr
Emerson Collective:
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This week, our nation will shift to new leadership and take the next step in creating a country rooted in justice and opportunity––a country we know is possible. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a 1967 speech at New York’s Riverside Church characterized these moments of transformation as “revolutionary times” when “new systems of justice and equality are being born.” As we look to this day as a moment to celebrate and honor Dr. King’s work, let’s take time to continue his legacy of forging a new and better day by serving our communities. Below are some ways to do so: |
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#1 – Volunteer with a number of organizations working in areas ranging from education to homelessness through the Presidential Inaugural Committee
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#2 – Volunteer to transcribe historical documents through the Smithsonian Digital Volunteer program
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#3 – Write letters to seniors who are in self-isolation with Letters Against Isolation
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#4 – Support our military and first-responders with Operation Gratitude
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#5 – Send a message of hope and healing to a child awaiting surgery through the World Pediatric Project
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#6 – Transcribe Library of Congress documents with By the People
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#7 – Help Food Pantries near you serving those who continue to face food insecurity
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#8 – Provide groceries to those who are at heightened risk for COVID-19 with Invisible Hands
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#9 – Strengthen emergency relief efforts with the American Red Cross
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#10 – Check out MLKDay.gov, which allows you to search additional volunteer opportunities in your community
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https://www.emersoncollective.com
Seth Godin
3 Types of Kindness
There is the kindness of ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ And the kindness of “I was wrong, I’m sorry.” The small kindnesses that smooth our interactions and help other people feel as though you’re aware of them. These don’t cost us much, in fact, in most settings, engaging with kindness is an essential part of connection, engagement and forward motion.
And then there is the kindness of dignity. Of giving someone the benefit of the doubt. The kindness of seeing someone for the person that they are and can become, and the realization that everyone, including me and you, has a noise in our heads, a story to be told, fear to be danced with and dreams to be realized.
And there’s another: The kindness of not seeking to maximize short-term personal gain. The kindness of building something for the community, of doing work that matters, of finding a resilient, anti-selfish path forward.
Kindness isn’t always easy or obvious, because the urgent race to the bottom, to easily measured metrics and to scarcity, can distract us. But bending the arc toward justice, toward dignity and toward connection is our best way forward.
Kindness multiplies and it enables possiblity. When we’re of service to people, we have the chance to make things better.
Happy Birthday, Reverend King.
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