Caught Not Taught

Nov 26, 2016 | permalink

Another beautiful Awakin Circle in Nigdi today. Right as I walked into the space, I could feel the love. Every week, for the last 4 years, Neeti has dedicatedly hosted these circles in her home. She said she was so excited about today's circle that she cleaned every corner of her home -- and hoped that it cleaned some deep corners of her mind as well. The whole evening was filled with many subtly transformative moments.



In the after-hours of the circle, I heard a really powerful story from a mom: "My son would sometimes come home with very bad bruises, and he'd always say that he got into a motorcycle accident. One day at the vegetable market, I saw him run towards another student -- and he went and hugged him. I said to him, 'That's odd, is that your friend? I don't remember ever seeing him.' And her son responded, 'Mom, actually, all those times when I came home with bruises, it was because others would beat me. Sometimes with rods and chains. And that kid was the one who beat me the most.' After a pause, he continued, 'Today, I thought I'd forgive him and give him a hug.'" Needless to say, the mom was in tears.

Telling me the story, she said, "What I don't understand is that I've never taught my son about forgiveness or any of this. But as they say, spirituality is caught, not taught. I think he caught these values from Awakin Circles. I'm so grateful to ServiceSpace Mom and Dad, who have held these circle for the last 18 years."