When posting Yuka Saionji’s log “Human Spirit Rises to Meet Japan's Tsunami” on 110320 http://www.charityfocus.org/blog/view.php?id=2311 I had read the following note by Nipun Mehta at the top of her post:
[Amidst the tragedy of the quake, tsunami and the subsequent nuclear plant explosions, the narrative of hope can often get lost. However, below is a note from our friend in Japan
“Our friend” http://www.charityfocus.org/blog/view.php?id=2197 links to Nipun’s account of a visit in Japan when he met her and her father, Masami Saionji, Chairperson of the GOI PEACE FOUNDATION http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english
Nipun’s writing intrigued me tremendously. Thinking that my initiative "CultivatingAppreciation for WellBeing - Proposing a New Way of Life" may be complementary to the Nipun’s vision for CharityFocus, I started familiarizing myself with him and his work (which as he openly professes is neither a charity nor do they focus!). I read a large part of his most insightful writing and having seen his video I am truly in awe about the work he and his fellow-volunteers have been doing all those years!
Watch this most inspiring video:
I was so taken by his presentation that I am posting the video here:
Nipun’s most extraordinary bio:
A five-minute video on generosity:
CharityFocus Programs:
25 Q&As – truly inspiring:
Nipun’s wife - Guri Mehta’s blog:
I particularly like their openness about selfishness, expressed in their motto: Be selfish, Be generous. From the Abraham-Hicks wisdom teaching I know that everything we do, we do for one reason only: for the anticipation that we will feel better during our activity or once we will have we have accomplished it. We never do anything with the goal of feeling worse through our action. So – even when we so-called ‘selflessly’ give to others, we actually give with our full self (not without it) and we give for the enrichment not just of others, but of ourselves as well. Our gift comes from a full self, because only those who have can give, it comes from a heart overflowing with kindness. And what we receive back through the act of giving makes our self even fuller. That is our reward. We don’t even need to know how much our giving had been appreciated, that is secondary.
Many times we will never know how we have enriched other through our generosity. How would I know that I am contributing in a beneficial way to your thoughts, your feelings, or your life, dear reader? If you don’t tell me, I will never know. But the joy I am getting from writing to you, my invisible Internet audience, is tremendous. You draw thoughts out of me, you give me a reason for writing, and you enliven me, without me knowing you. Just like that. I know you are there because I can see the stats. I cannot believe how many hits my fledgling blog has received in such a short time with just a few posts and I also cannot believe how many countries have been involved so far. And my initiative is only getting started. Where will I be the summer, this fall?
My goodness, how our Western societies have messed up this beautiful concept of selfishness and selflessness. When you give, you are full of self, so you are very selfish, indeed. When you take from others without any regard for their need you are selfless, you are lacking your beautiful self to guide your generous actions. Who could have ever gotten that concept wrong? It has been turned on its head. Time to straighten things out, don’t you think? I want to milk this principle a bit further in a future post because this happens to be one of my favorite subject matters. I love to argue this topic with others because I always win. My logic is irrefutable. No wonder, how can you lose when you’re on the side of the powerful spiritual wizards?
~~~
In this log I want to point out something else. Ever since I wrote the entry “Developing Professional Passions 3” (posted on 110316) I have been trying to come to grips with this notion of
“… following one’s passions in life and contributing one’s talents, expertise, and insights for one’s own greatest fulfillment and for the optimal benefit of one’s surroundings - even if little or no income is being generated from one’s work…”
versus
“… seeing to it that one is entirely self-sufficient financially and doing what it takes to earn money for one’s own livelihood; being a financially responsible citizen and not being a burden for or a liability of or financially dependent on family members, friends, or society at large…”
I know that the ideal situation is that we do what we love while at the same time generating sufficient income from our work for ourselves and our loved ones and for the tools we need to accomplish our work.
However, familiarizing myself with Nipun’s thinking, or the CharityFocus Innovation, I learn that there is another possibility: We follow our passion alright and we TRUST that nature will support us adequately financially. In his words: surrender and trust the mystery of self-organization. It surely has worked for him. Nipun calls himself a generosity entrepreneur. He talks about a strategy of generosity, social capital and spiritual capital (versus material capital) and an ecology of generosity. He proposes that due to the Internet “… anyone can stand up for an idea, be-the-change, share stories of the process, attract like-hearted people and create a collective voice to start a movement.”
Read his thoughts on “How to Survive in a Gift-Economy”:
I hope that I understood Nipun’s message correctly and I am writing to him to see whether
- He would be so kind to grant me an interview which I would post on my blog
- He would consider helping me help others, in other words helping me to reach many people so that I may inspire them to form appreciation groups in-person and online.
Nipun: “Oh, and smile. As Thich Nhat Hanh once said, "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."
~~~
Please write to me:
Nela
CultivatingEnjoyment_at_gmail_dot_com
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