At Shishukunj: Cultivating CQ

Jun 15, 2017 | permalink

Last time I was in London, Mita and Sanjay had organized a big auditorium talk around a very personal dialogue.  This time, Mita arranged a talk at Shishukunj -- a really well respected public charity that was inspired by Maria Montessori and Gijubhai Badheka.  (I later learned that Gijubhai was Arun-Dada's teacher in school!)

I shared stories around building CQ (Compassion Quotient) and how it can't be manufactured.  Since lot of people were inspired by Swami Vivekanand, I opened with his quote "Relationships are more important than your life."  Precisely because relationships afford us resiliency until compassion blossoms naturally.



The audience was really sweet and resonant.  Laxmi, one of the organizers, later tallied up various kind responses and sent it to me, with this preamble: "What an inspiring evening you gave us all.  It was full of love and positive energy.  The two hours passed so quickly!  All the guests were so tuned into the present moment!  Your stories and examples really gave us an opportunity to witness and re-evaluate ourselves, in light of our service journey!  Thank you for your gift of delivering powerful messages in a simple way that gently touches the soul."  Lot of hugs, ripples and stories.



For me, one of the big highlights was listening to Trishna and Zilong share -- as much as they tried to run away from the mic. :)  With her vintage clarity, Trishna spoke about how she does 21-day challenges with her daughters and holds circles every night; and ultimately underscored the principle that these values aren't taught -- they are caught.  People mobbed her by the end, wanting to stay connected.  And similarly, Zilong closed the evening with such poignant humility.  I'm frequently moved by him, but in the context of this particular vibe, his sincerity, presence and grace felt even stronger than usual. :)



Thank you, Shishukunj!