I have heard the word "empathy" more in the news this month than I can ever remember.  It is exciting to me to imagine that the work we and others are doing is gaining in importance on the national stage; perhaps we are closer to the "tipping point" than we even knew.  More and more people across the country seem to know that a key to real peace and understanding may lie in our collective ability to really hear and receive each other.

At the same time, many of the occurrences of this word have been less than appreciative.  As I have really listened to these news items, I have wondered if there is fear that if we hear another's truth, there will no longer be room for our own. It is precisely the distinction between empathy and pity or sympathy that inspires me in this work.  I am thrilled to have the skills to hold your needs and mine in the balance; to touch your experience and still allow myself to fully inhabit my own experience.  I am also happy that we offer workshops around the Bay Area and beyond, to support others in gaining & strengthening these skills.

We are also celebrating that our new roving empathy street teams are out in our communities reaching more people, by offering empathy to anyone who asks for it.  Coming soon to a street corner near you!  (Follow us on Facebook).

You can learn more about saying 'yes' from a place of considering your own needs in our featured article, from BayNVC co-founder Miki Kashtan, "Opening to 'Yes'" (below).

 

BayNVC is partnering with Center for Transformative Change to support social change grounded in inner transformation.  Raise pledges and enjoy a great day of meditation, yoga, live music & spoken word on Sept. 19 at MLK Civic Center Park in Berkeley. (You can offer support from wherever you are, even if you can't join us at the park!)  For more information: http://sitforchange.org.