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2005
where people stood in lines to get pulverized by the British army -- said this: don't just get hit; look at the man hitting you, look him in the eye with love, and preach a silent sermon. Preach that the love in me is far stronger than the negativity with which you strike. Oppose not the man, for he is divine, but oppose his action, for they are confused when it harms another being. And know that love will always prevail over hatred, that wherever there is injustice, there will always be forces working for justice, wherever there is weakness, strength will be always be found. And all this from a guy who boldly said -- my life is my message.
Now, when I hear about leaders like Gandhi, I get riled up and start wondering how cool it would be to be with a man like Gandhi. But I quickly realized that was just my ego talking. The only time to be alive is now. The cosmic clock only shows one time -- now. The triumph of love over negativity can happen in your daily life, if you really want it. It can happen in the classroom, when you support that one guy everyone is picking on. It can happen on the work life, when you put your personal ambitions aside to work together as a team. It can happen at your home, when you are willing to see the common humanity between you and your neighbor. It can happen on the street, when you smile genuinely at a stranger.
People think you need to have things before you give. But I want to give you a new definition of service today. Service doesn't start when you have something to give but rather when you have nothing left to take. This is why Martin Luther King Jr. fearlessly said, "Everyone can be great because everyone can serve." Every single person, no matter how old or young, how rich or poor, how smart or dumb. Everyone can serve and until you have found a way to serve, you will not be happy.
Look at the world around you. As I opened up the door of my hotel room, I saw the cover story of today's Arizona Republic - "Unspeakable horror in Russia." 300 children were killed as gunmen opened fire. And that's just today. Every minute, scores of children are dying of hunger, AIDS epidemic is spreading through entire continents, we are running out of natural resources like water, wars are being fought in parts of the world that we don't even know. There is so much to do, so many prob
lems.
But here's the punchline: none of the "possible" solutions are working. It's time for the impossible. It's time to come alive. It's time for love, for service, for unleashing the power of infinity. And it all starts with one person - the person sitting in your seat. Howard Thurman once said, "Don't ask so much what the world needs. Go out and do what makes you come alive. Because what the world needs most are people who have come alive!"
in Heritage in Westa
Extending Jain Herz
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Stern Enironnieni
180 Jain Education International 2010_03
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