Hello All,

Looks like BTC is getting an award for our work in uniting individuals and organizations in the goal of service. Sounds like BTC to me!

For all those local to Aliso Viejo, California, it would be great if you can attend so that we can receive this award as a community.

Congratulations to all of you for making this happen. Many times I am asked for the secret of our success, to me it has always been as simple as a four letter word: LOVE. In truth, all we really are is just a network of individuals who care deeply enough about the planet to make a difference.

LOVE,
Sukh

BIG THANKS to the Baha’i community for continuing to highlight the work of the many organizations that are doing amazing work.

—–Original Message—–
To: Sukh – Be The Cause
Subject: Models of Unity Award

Baha’i Faith of Aliso Viejo
P.O. Box 2157, Laguna Hills, CA 92654-2157

May 5, 2005

Dear Sukh:

As you may know, Be The Cause was recently nominated to receive a “Models of Unity” award. I am pleased to inform you that have been selected to receive this award, and I would like to invite you to attend the 8th Annual Models of Unity Award Ceremony hosted by the Baha’is of Aliso Viejo on June 18, 2005, where your organization will be honored for its uniting individuals and organizations in the common goal of service.

A “Model of Unity” is defined as any successful effort, whether intentional or not, which demonstrates the process of inter-group unity. Awardees include individuals, groups, or organizations. Efforts to bring people together are aimed at a neighborhood or an entire group, city or region. Past awardees include city and county legislators, community, religious and business leaders, as well as outstanding individuals.

Baha’is are concerned about the prominence of publicity about inter-group conflict and are convinced that examples of inter-group harmony, peaceful coexistence and unity are common, yet less well known. The Models of Unity awards project was conceived as a small step in redressing this imbalance.

We would like to invite you to accept the award at the Models of Unity Awards Ceremony that will take place Saturday, June 18, 2005 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM at the Aliso Viejo Public Library. If you agree to accept this award, I will send you several invitations so that you may invite your colleagues, friends and family to the event. We will be serving light refreshments after the program which will include opening remarks, the presentation of awards, and some brief entertainment.

We hope we will have the honor of your presence on June 18th. Please call me at your earliest convenience to let us know if you would like to accept this award. My home number is 949/831-8212. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours,

Teri A. Knoll-Binaei
Representing the Baha’i Faith of Aliso Viejo

Most folks from Be the Cause know that I don’t necessarily plan all my talks. But for this evening in Africa, because of the complexity of the continent, I thought it would be good to prepare something. I felt that the audience should know how poverty, women’s rights, health care, HIV/AIDS, corruption, culture and education all tie in together. So at 2:00 in the afternoon when I should have been getting ready to leave, I decided to go for a walk to think about what I would say. I thought to myself, I have to talk about third-world debt and how some African countries accumulated an exuberant amount of debt through unfair practices… and how crippling it is for these countries to now repay these loans back. I thought, I have to talk about Bono from U2 and how inspiring his work with one.org is. I thought to myself, I have to talk about Be the Cause and how a simple act of kindness three years ago has rippled far out into the community.

So as I’m thinking of what to say, I make a turn on my block and a woman comes to approach me. Then she turns away, and then approaches me again. She asks me “Are you busy right now?”. I obviously reply that I am free, after all the event is only in a few hours. She proceeds to tell me that her husband is lying on the floor of their house and cannot get up. He has been lying there for two hours and just got back from the hospital after a heart attack a few days ago. The husband is not allowing his wife to call the paramedics.

As I followed her into the house I thought to myself, anything can happen, I don’t even know who these people are. In that moment, I decided that whatever belonged to me, I would give away freely to these people.

Sure enough, as we walked into the bedroom, her husband lay there on the floor. I could tell he was embarrassed as the only article of clothing he wore was a pair of boxers. His wife grabbed him from one side, I from another. Struggling, we were able to place the upper half of his body on the side of the bed. We then went for his legs and somehow twisted and maneuvered until he was finally safe in his bed.

As I left the house, I thought to myself, finally I have a story to tell. I walked around the block recounting the experience I had just had when the woman approached me again. This time all she said was a sincere “Thank You”. She proceed to ask me if I was friends with her neighbor “Mary Ann”. I knew Mary Ann and had walked with her before… it was in that moment that I realized that this experience on my block in sunny Southern California was related to the continent of Africa 9000 miles away.

In Kenya, several months ago, when a few of us were volunteering at a Medical Clinic, we were asked to give a presentation on who we were and what we were going to do in Kenya. At the presentation, we made it clear that we did not have anything to offer the people of Africa, but had much more to learn. In the rural town of Mbita, Kenya, all the locals knew each other by name, they left their doors unlocked and their kids roamed the streets with no fear. Many times we would find children playing in the streets with no adult supervision.

During that presentation, we confessed that in America, we did not even know the names of our neighbors.

This afternoon, around my block, a neighbor now knows me.

If we do not think of our neighbors as one of us, then we cannot help them. If we do not think of the people of Africa as one of us, then we cannot help them.

With the words of U2: “We’re one, but we’re not the same. We get to carry each other. Carry each other. One”.

Sukh

A few weeks ago, Stacey and I spent 10 days at a silent retreat doing what most call ‘meditation’. The retreat had over 100 participants, all whom had decided to observe how their own thoughts shape their lives, and ultimately shape the entire planet.

During my periods of silence, my thoughts passed over many of the people that I have been fortunate enough to know. I recognized how beautiful and unique each individual is. Some people give the warmest hugs, others have the kindest hearts, and some have unending energy to help others. For some their strength comes from their calmness, others make us laugh, and some just make us smile 🙂

I hope to gather all these good qualities that I notice, incorporate them into my life and have them transform who I am. In return, I hope to offer these same good qualities back to everyone I know, so that everyone can see how truly great we all are. A thought arose wondering if there was anything original that I had to offer. Thankfully, I found nothing. Every gift that I have to give already exists.

But reflection is not only about positive thoughts; it is about understanding reality as it exists. As beautiful as the planets, stars and oceans are, sometimes Tsunamis occur. As beautiful as our lives are, sometimes storms naturally occur. I felt ashamed for choices I had made for my own self benefit that in-turn had harmed others. In the Jain tradition, once a year after the holiday of ‘Paryushana’ they practice ‘Micchami Dukkadum’ that seeks forgiveness. I apologize to the entire universe, and everything in it, for any harm that I may have caused other beings, intentionally or unintentionally.

In a following thought, I saw a vision of the webpage for the upcoming Compassion Cells. I thought about how the Compassion Cells are one of the purest forms of service I have ever come across. In the last 3 years, we have taken an illusive concept like ‘Compassion’ and turned it into a physical reality that has impacted many countless lives, including my own. This Compassion Cell in Orange County has been the bloodline for Be the Cause, mainly due to the relentless efforts of one volunteer, Jeska 🙂

Now, the Compassion Cells are sprouting a life of their own. Melisa started our first Compassion Cell in Los Angeles County on Friday March 25th and one of the participants actually got her picture in the Los Angeles Times. Maushmi is getting a Compassion Cell rolling in Houston, Texas and we still have Orange County on the map.

Needless to say, I am profoundly grateful for the compassion that surrounds me, and for the company I keep.

Thank you for coming along with me on my journey, and for taking me along on yours. I know our paths are different, and yet I believe they are the same.

Adventures in service (and silence),

–Sukh 🙂

February is a month of love. Just ask cupid, Hallmark incorporated, and any volunteer you know. To celebrate this month, we did exactly what those in love do: act selflessly, give generously and do good. They say that service is love made visible… and what better way to celebrate this month, then to serve with complete dedication.

After collecting, packing and shipping over 3,000 stuffed animals to Sri Lanka for Tsunami Relief Aid, we began to realize the awesome power that this ‘Love’ beholds. It can turn any of our lives around, makes us do things we would never dream of, and forces us to give away our entire lives. In that experience, poets say there is more joy than dreamed of.

Within that power, I also realized the potential of like-minded committed individuals. Some of us were in South Africa, then some went on to Kenya, one left for India and our website was redesigned, the Tsunami stuffed animal drive was organized, and more people began to care for the earth. I am not sure how it all comes together, but then I’m not sure if I have ever known. I wonder if the world is really changing, or if it is just my view that’s changed.

With the spirit of compassion close to our hearts, we embark on new journeys. Our first Compassion Cell in Los Angeles County will happen on Good Friday. We now have volunteers registering from all places near and far. We begin planning for the Fourth Annual Walk for Hope. The only magic to all this is that same Love. It is beyond time and location. It is everywhere within us, and everywhere around us. The possibilities of that power are still infinite.

With never enough words to express my gratitude to all of you for making our love somehow become visible.

Love,
Sukh

It was the lady that wasn’t participating at all that made me realize how important this event truly was. We were busy preparing for this month’s Compassion Cell in our usual fashion: organizing last minute supplies, moving chairs around and making the necessary signs to direct people to our area. This month’s Compassion Cell brought Orange County volunteers to the Sunrise Senior Living Home to engage in true acts of selfless service. Our goal was to prepare valentine arts and crafts with the residents and give them our unconditional friendship for a few hours. In the end it wasn’t the activities at all, but rather this one elderly woman who taught me what friendship was all about.

We were moving chairs from the television room into the overcrowded banquet room to create more places to sit. We were walking briskly so that we could spend as much time as possible with the residents. As we walked past her I noticed her discontent with our actions. Fortunately she was not shy and she quickly expressed her unhappiness to both me and Amit. Amit and I took one look at one another and knew instantaneously that our Compassion Cell had begun. We set the chairs down and finally began to listen. She expressed how things change so quickly, without any warning and without any communication. No-one had taken the time to explain why we were there, or why the chairs were being moved. The moving of the chairs was just one more incident of unwanted change in her life. Staying in a ‘Senior Living Center’, we can only imagine the changes that she has had to deal with… the chairs were only a symbol of that very change.

She was intelligent, far more than what I had expected. She conversed fluently and matter-of-factly. She said that she would join us, only if she was inspired to do so. She spoke bitterly about recent incidents, and yet laughed at our comical jokes. In short, she was like many of my own friends.

Later on, when I finally saw her in the banquet room participating in the same arts and crafts as the others, she had a huge smile on her face. I could tell that we had somehow given her some sense of belonging and comfort during our brief stay. It was in that moment, that I too smiled.

In fact many of the residents seemed delighted during the activities and expressed a deep sense of gratitude for our stay. As we would thank them for the opportunity to come into their homes, they would in turn thank us for spending our time with them.

Along with making the valentines crafts for the residents, Alfred took photographs with a polaroid camera, and BTC volunteer Sonja rocked the house with some amazing opera singing. All of us were blown away by this young girl’s talent. After Sonja dropped her talent on the scene, Joshua, a slightly younger BTC volunteer rocked the audience on his clarinet.

As usual, after the Compassion Cell we all shared our experiences with one another. A new volunteer expressed that she had gained much more from the residents than she had given. As the saying goes, the more you give, the more you receive.

In the spirit of friendship,

Sukh

Mbita, Kenya is next to Lake Victoria and is part of the Suba District in Western Kenya. Suba is known for its bad road conditions, breath-taking views, and some of the worst health conditions in the country.

Akado Medical Centre was started by the Akado Women Group as a best-in-care alternative to local health centres. The Akado Women Group was originally a small group of women who are about to be removed from the “primary wife” role of the household (in this polygamous community, newer wives were about the enter their household).

The role for us three volunteers is to adminster a survey into Akado’s target population so that the clinic may better understand the needs of the community they serve. While administering the survey we are also given the opportunity to provide general health advice based on what we know of the region (i.e. boil water before drinking, use mosquito nets to avoid malaria, and get HIV tested). Our goal is to reach 10% of Akado’s population so that we may have enough sample data to provide meaningful statistics. We have also prepared a small health brochure that we leave behind at most homes (has also been translated into the native language).

The team on this project is 12 members and consists of volunteers, Akado employees as well as Community Health Workers. Akado has turned to us not only for logistical support but also for assuming the leadership role on the entire project. This is a rare opportunity that we have accepted with full passion!

We are extremely thankful for this opportunity and much of it feels like magic. We have seen some extra-ordinary things, had some intense conversations, and have already begun to see the difference we are making (HIV testing as already gone up at Akado since we began administering the surveys).

More info:
– Prevelance of Malaria in the district is about 100% annually (3 team members have gotten Malaria during our duration here)
– HIV prevelance is recorded at 41% (validity of statistic is questionable)
– Validity of statistics is a district wide problem
– Curruption is High
– Polygamy is a generally accepted practice
– Water borne diseases are high as many drink directly from a Lake that many people use as a public bathroom
– Crime is extremely Low
– The region has some of the most hospitable people on the planet
– Internet is available at only one place from 8am to 6pm 🙂
– Food is very good and very cheap (Indian lentils, chappthi and rice is about $1.30)
– The Lake is very beautiful and the hills remind us of East Bay by San Francisco
– Two famous words from the local language: Wassungo which means “white boy” and Osama which apparantly means Sukh 🙂

Hello All,

This Thursday there will be no BTC meeting. Thursday is thanksgiving… which means that it should be no different than any other day of our lives. I hope that we all continue to reflect on the infinite gifts we have received in this lifetime… and always remember that many go without. Thursday, let us take time to look within, not because of experiences exchanged between Natives and Resettlers, but rather because it is simply a chosen day to express gratitude.

A friend of mine dropped off a journal today as a gift for BTC’s upcoming travels. This is my first entry:

“Today I received this journal. It seems that my entire life has been about giving and receiving gifts. As if that is our purpose here, to give and receive in the natural flow of life. In all honesty, I have received much more than I have given… much more than I could possibly imagine to give. If this journal is an indication of the journey’s that lie ahead, I know my life will be filled with many more gifts that I will never be able to repay.”

In the spirit of giving (and receiving),
Sukh

As I pulled into the Ralph’s parking lot, I thought to myself “This isn’t going to be easy!”.

I expected everyone to be apprehensive about allowing me to put their groceries into their cars. After all, it was a really dark evening, the return of the beard had its own connotations, and the aftermath of the rain storm had made everyone feel a little on edge. Nonetheless, Cheryl and I embarked on another miracle… transforming fear through random acts of kindness.

The first lady I contacted was the one that fueled me for the rest of the evening. I asked her how she was doing and she muffled her response, hoping that I wouldn’t engage in further dialogue. Maybe she hasn’t met BTC volunteers before, I thought. I dove right in for further exploration: How was her day? How long did it take to get to work in the morning? I battered back with numerous questions. As soon as she looked up from her groceries, I was ready. Smile on face, and Smile card in hand, I explained that she was the lucky recipient of an act of kindness. I proceeded to tell her that a few friends had decided to do nice things for others to make them feel better after the rain storm. Her apprehension quickly melted. She read the smile card as I put the groceries in the trunk of her mini-van. She was no longer in a rush to get away. As I took her cart back to the store, she looked me straight in the eyes and said “thank you”. Little does she know, the gratitude was all mine!!!

The highlight of the evening, however, was the couple in the white sports coupe. I eyed the attractive couple as they left the grocery store and followed them silently to their car. I pounced on the opportunity as soon as their trunk was ajar. Gleaming with enthusiasm I rushed the Smile card into his hands only to be let down by cold rejection again. I explained that we were there to help others… but he didn’t budge. He responded that we didn’t need to be there and refused any space for me to do my work. I glanced at his female friend and did notice a tinge of inspiration that has become all too familiar over the years. I decided to let it go and proceeded to help another shopper a short distance away. As I finished with my next victim, I turned to find the same white sports coupe waiting directly in front of me. As he sat in the driver’s seat, I noticed that the inspiration was now in his eyes. He asked to see the card and wondered what we were up to. I responded that we were helping random people in the hope that they would in turn help others. This time, he thought we were “cool”. He asked if he could keep the card, to which I obviously replied, “of course not”… he had to give the card away to someone else. Before he rushed off I stated, “one kind act at a time, that’s how we’ll change the world.”

Smiles 🙂
Sukh

Smile Cards:
http://www.helpothers.org

After the Walk, I have had several conversations with numerous folks on the structure of Be the Cause and how we proceed forward on upcoming projects. The conversations at times have been energizing and at others times, confusing (right in tune with our secret slogan of “confused into service”) 🙂 . Although the path that lies ahead is not very well defined… it is still our path. Be the Cause, to me, has always set out to be different and to accomplish what most people consider to be impossible. … I think that all of us have witnessed the impossible many times in the last three years. Whether it is a food donation that came in at the last minute, a volunteer stepping in to take over a task that would have gone incomplete, or 500 people attending an event that was organized entirely by volunteers. Although none of these impossible feats have gone without hard work, dedication, or “trade-offs”, what we have accomplished has been nothing short of miraculous.

Embarking on achieving the impossible, however, means that there is no precedent path to follow… we will always be testing new waters, we will always have to find our own way, and we will always be at the beginning.

Maybe it is true what they say, that the “joy is in the journey”. Maybe it is those moments of uncertainty that define our greatest growth. We live in a world that is constantly focusing on end goals and preparing for something that will exist in some future date… and yet, the real changes that are happening, are happening right now.

The other day I thought of Be the Cause as the proverbial stew. Each and every one of us contributes a special ingredient. If we choose to put our love, compassion and integrity into this pot, then that is what we all drink. Thank you for choosing to put the best of what you have into something that is shared by so many.

I look forward to more “beginnings” with you all and to achieving many more milestones that most will consider impossible.

Someone once asked “what is the secret to Be the Cause?” People want to bottle up our secrets and distribute them to others. To me our secret can be written with four letters: “L – O – V – E”. What else are we doing? What else are giving away? I replied that there is definitely something special about service… unfortunately all I know is that it has nothing to do with me.

Sukh

“Why do we need a reason”, she replied.

I sat in silence outside the coffee shop attempting to comprehend those simple words. We had just spent the last 20 minutes discussing the beauty of the universe, the importance of kindness, and the possibilities of peace. As with every new volunteer, I asked the question, “Why do you wish to serve?”. Her response still leaves me empty.

“Why do we need a reason to serve!”. As if to say that compassion is something that occurs naturally. Countless days I had spent trying to rationalize our decision to help others. Now I am reminded that compassion is not an act of reason, but rather an act of utter joy. Sarwar mentioned to us not so long ago that service occurs with no thought. I wonder if we have found service, or if service has found us.

[…]

I could never fully express my gratitude for this opportunity of service. It is because of you all that this work goes on.

As a result of your efforts, I have been invited to a 7 day conference on “Leveraging Privilege for Social Change” that starts today. The conference brings together young individuals who are working for a thriving, just and sustainable way of life. Although my knees tell me that I am not so young, I am extremely humbled by the opportunity and also feel a sense of hope knowing that programs such as these exist. I know that you all are a major factor in this invitation and I hope to represent you all in the best way I can. If they ask me why we started Be The Cause, I already know my response: “no reason”.

As we travel this journey together… let us walk with silent minds and complete hearts… taking joy in the fact that we enrich our own lives as we benefit the lives of others.

Life,
Sukh