World Ark Magazine - November/December 2007 - (Page 16)

LOVE AND RESPECT—IN ACTION Mark Hanis, the 25-year-old co-founder of the Genocide Intervention Network, which seeks to stop the killing in Darfur and prevent future genocides, referred to the special high he gets when his organization makes headway on its goals—gets legislation passed or sees indications of increased public support, such as “getting a binder full storm of the season in Ghana,” “sitting with women on floors talking about their lives.” Perhaps the strongest theme was “actualizing and witnessing the growth of others’ potential”—using your life to enable the life in others to flourish. Conversely, the greatest sadness, other than losing loved ones, came when human beings failed to listen respectfully to one The desire to follow your “inner voice” may seem indulgent when so many people in America—and around the world—struggle to put food on the table. of letters from students about how shocked they are about a contemporary genocide and how they pledge to stop it.” It gave him particular pleasure to see his young staffers take on greater responsibility. Jacqueline Novogratz, the founder of the Acumen Fund, a nonprofit venture firm that finances businesses, which provide access to water, health services and housing to underserved markets, commented on the thrill of “creating something of beauty where nothing before existed” and “feeling part in some way of human beings’ overcoming challenges and thriving.” Javed Abidi, the founder of an organization in India that fights for the employment rights of disabled people, said the greatest joy for him is when justice is obtained for a disabled person. He mentioned the examples of a young man with dyslexia getting admission to Delhi University and a woman becoming India’s first deaf civil servant. Others spoke of the pleasures of spending time with family, collaborating with colleagues to solve problems, witnessing ideas come to life, having experiences that affirm a sense of oneness with the world, and attending to the marvelous details of life—“listening to the rain drumming on one’s hat,” “dancing in the fi rst big rainanother and degraded or betrayed one another, when teams fought internally and, in general, when the feeling of trust and unity with others, and the world, was injured in some way. The unifying force behind so many of these elements, noted Bill Drayton, the founder of Ashoka, the leading global fellowship of social entrepreneurs, was “love and respect—in action.” Happiness was not consciously pursued, but it clearly emerged naturally, as an unintended by-product. Michael Lerner captured the essence of this way of being: “I think the real task in life is to put everything—our highs and our lows—in the service of the great light that we each have in our hearts, let our every movement of body and heart serve life,” he explained. “We cannot know whether we are closer to the light when we feel most alive or in our darkest moments. Our task is just to persevere in service, to put one foot in front of the next on the path.” David Bornstein is the author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and The Power of New Ideas, which was recently published in an updated paperback version by Oxford University Press. Visit |www.howtochangetheworld.org to learn more. www.heifer.org 16 November/December 2007 | WORLD ARK http://www.howtochangetheworld.org http://www.heifer.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Ark Magazine - November/December 2007

World Ark - November/December 2007 Contents Letters For the Record The Good Life Asked & Answered Pursuing Happiness (PRODUCT) RED: Consumer Power Fights AIDS in Africa Rwanda Reconciles End Hunger Now Protecting the Poor from Climate Change Mixed Media Heifer Bulletin Heifer Spirit Heifer Calendar Reflection

World Ark Magazine - November/December 2007

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