Sangha of Auspicious Companions

June 11, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

Four Myths About Mentoring

When people think of mentoring, they often think of an older executive counseling a young upstart. The senior leader advises the junior employee on his career, how to navigate the world of work, and what she needs to do to get ahead. But mentoring has changed a lot in the last few decades. The traditional mentor-mentee relationship is not necessarily a thing of the past, but it’s no longer the standard. Now, there are many ways to get the information and guidance you need. This article from the Harvard Business Review expands on four myths of mentoring, including: “You have to find one perfect mentor,” “Mentoring is a formal long-term relationship,” and “Mentoring is for junior people.” { read more }

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Have you benefited from an inspiring mentorship? Share your experiences with other readers here. { more }

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June 10, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

Female Auto Mechanic Breaks Stereotypes

Aside from a thin coat of powder, there’s nothing superficial about 32-year-old Sarah “Bogi” Lateiner. Big-hearted and brilliant, Bogi graduated Phi Beta Kappa and did it in three years with a double major in pre-law and women’s studies. Her plan was to go to law school and become a champion for women on a global scale. Although in the end, she decided to go with her plan B, instead. “I had in my mind that this was a different way to save the world,” she said. In other words, fix the world — by fixing cars. { read more }

Be The Change

Watch yourself for any tendency to “label” people, and if it does come up, practice stepping outside of it.

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June 9, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

A Teacher’s Act of Calm Bravery

Last Friday, Martha Rivera was teaching her kindergarten class in Mexico when a drug shoot-out began outside her school. She immediately asked her 15 kids to place their faces on the floor and repeatedly told them that everything was going to be fine. While gunshots rang out, Rivera led her students in a Spanish-language version of a song from the TV show “Barney and Friends.” They sang about chocolate raindrops, until the shootout finally ended. Rivera recorded part of the encounter with her cellphone and the story has now spread to millions around the globe. Her one minute video follows. { read more }

Submitted by: Varsha M.

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Support peace. Learn more about Voices for Creative Nonviolence. { more }

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June 8, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

Cup of Compassion and Grandma’s Beautiful Hat

“Suddenly, we heard the sirens of a fire truck and an ambulance parking in front of our house. We are new in this neighborhood, moving in only 3 months ago; opening the door I noticed that some paramedics were running up the stairs of our front neighbor’s house. On the side walk, a woman in her thirties was in deep commotion crying on the phone. A scared, desperate 13 year old was half way up the stairs. She looked at me in the eye with a horrifying expression of disbelief. Although she was silent, her soul was screaming. “Everything is going to be alright,” I replied in silence. Something beyond the comprehension of our rational minds was occurring.” Read the full, real-life story of a beautiful, grounded response by everyday heroes to a dramatically tense situation. { read more }

Be The Change

The next time you are faced with someone’s suffering, see if you can serve them “a cup of compassion.”

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June 7, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

A Letter to Myself at Land’s End

Last year, a CharityFocus co-founder embarked alone on the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage of 900 kilometers traversed on foot. A little over a month later, she finished the journey at Finisterre (Land’s End) on the western coast of Spain, where she composed a powerful letter to herself, brimming with quiet, timeless insight. “There’s so much that I’ve learned from walking the thirty-seven days. I’ve learned that if you take the first step, and keep going no matter how slowly you go, limping or crawling, rain or shine, sick or healthy, happy or sad — you will get there. The distance might seem long and wide at first, but step-by-step, day-by-day, you slowly bridge the gap between the beginning and end.” The letter in its entirety: { read more }

Be The Change

What are your own reflections from a recent journey, whether a project, event, job, or relationship? Share them with readers here. { more }

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June 6, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

How the Ancient World Used Color

Were ancient Greece and Rome filled with dignified white marble statuary? Not a chance. Though we still think of them in terms of white marble sparkling under a hot Mediterranean sun, a new exhibition shows at least one Greco-Roman lady as they really were — in technicolor. Under Stanford sophomore Ivy Nguyen’s skillful watch in the Cantor Arts Center lab, long-dead colors on marble have indeed come alive after two millennia. A team there discovered minute traces of pigments that originally covered the original sculpture but were washed away by the millennia. The team used 3D rapid prototypic technology to create replicas of the artwork, which is painted to look as the sculpture did in ancient times. { read more }

Be The Change

“There is a major distinction between entertainment and art. Both operate in the domain of aesthetics — but the difference is the depth with which we experience and explore.” This passage reflects further. { more }

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June 5, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

The Most Vital Lessons for Starting Over

In his famous Lectures on Physics, Richard Feynman presented this interesting speculation: “If, in some cataclysm, all of scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generations of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words?” Fascinated by Feynman’s question, Seed magazine posed a similar one to a number of leading thinkers. Their answers are shared here. { read more }

Be The Change

If you had but one statement summarizing the most vital lesson of your life’s work, what would it be?

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June 4, 2011

a project of CharityFocus

100 Places to Go Before They Disappear

Last year, global carbon emissions hit a record high, and the latest science tells us that we’re almost certainly locked into roughly 2 degrees Celsius (or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming. It might not sound like much, but 2 degrees Celsius will redraw maps, change landscapes, and force cities to deploy aggressive adaptation measures. A new book by Abrams Books, 100 Places to Go Before They Disappear, includes a powerful essay by Desmond Tutu and uses stunning photography to show us all exactly what’s at stake. This article includes an arresting slideshow of 10 of the places depicted in the book — ranging from Arctic landscapes, and South Pacific islands to modernized, metropolises. { read more }

Be The Change

Reflect on a small step you can take towards healing the earth and put it in practice today. This link offers a 100 different starting points. { more }

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