Tara Brach

I'm really aware that these times are calling for us to evolve our consciousness, to intentionally wake up our hearts in a way that we're, what I call, widening the circles of belonging, sensing more and more

that we're part of the world, we belong to the world and to each other.

And I'm finding when I teach, more than ever before, so many people are directly impacted, like very few degrees of separation, directly impacted by what's unfolding.

Whether we're talking about ICE and immigrants or health insurance or

the continued atrocities in the Middle East.

And so when people share, when I'm teaching, let's say, a webinar online, I'll ask how many people are dealing with this, are struggling with this,

And there's something so powerful about being in a collective where people can sense they're not alone and what they're dealing with, and we talk about how they're working with it.

It creates a space that's larger than that sense of an individual self and this really scary world.

And I saw this most powerfully recently.

I attended and was part of actually a memorial service

It's Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost loved ones together.

And I helped guide a virtual event that followed it.

And during the memorial, they spoke the names and told the stories.

And there was this grieving side by side.

And it was so clear to me.

And that their pain hadn't hardened into hatred.

Instead, it became this source of courage that it's like their togetherness gave a felt sense of hope.

And I feel like that's so important.

And I could sense, you know, and I know of the participants in these groups, they're actually from that place of hopefulness.

They're really engaged in action for justice and for peace, for a different future.