walking your talk...how do YOU treat the waitress?

We had a TV series in London. One of our fellow TV presenters seriously upset the camera crew when they arrived at his house. He was rude and dismissive, essentially putting himself on a pedestal and treating them like lowly workers. Minutes later, when the camera was turned on, he became the perfectly smiling spiritual icon he was publicly known to be. But, as the crew told us later, he had already shown them that he did not walk his talk.

In contrast, Ed was meeting with Jo, our TV producer, in a small London cafe where the tables were situated very close together. Two well-dressed African men sat down next to them, which effectively meant they were sharing the same table. Ed asked them where they were from and one said South Africa. His name was Jacob Zuma, then president of the ANC and now president of South Africa. Ed gave him a book that we had written with contributions from President Gorbachev, the Dalai Lama, and President Vaclav Havel. Jacob said the book would be in the hands of Nelson Mandela the following evening, someone who supports Jacob’s presidency.

Usually, if you sit next to someone in a big city cafe, they do not even make eye contact, let alone conversation. Jacob had never met Ed before but he treated him in a very friendly and gracious way. He could have been distant and polite, and he certainly did not have to talk, let alone maintain communication, which he did over the following few years. He even hugged him! In this way, he displayed no sense of discrimination or elitism.

How we walk our talk shows far more than just our public behavior. Rather, it highlights how we view the world and our place in it. A few days ago a friend was telling us that a business agreement she had been nurturing for over three years had abruptly come to an end. “He wanted to exclude me from part of the discussion with one of my contacts, which I said was absolutely not agreeable. So he said that was it and he got up and left.” But instead of being shattered after losing all the years of work, she felt a huge relief. He had shown her his true colors. As she said, “He had shown me how he treats the waitress.”

Many years ago we met with the Dalai Lama at his residence in India. While we waited for the meeting Ed was standing on the veranda, enjoying the beauty of the mountains stretching in front of him, when he saw a monk at the far end of the veranda trying to get his attention by beckoning us to come. We thought he would bring us to our meeting but as we came closer to the monk we realized that he was the Dalai Lama. In traditional Buddhist custom, we immediately began to prostrate but he took our hands and lifted us up, saying, “No, no, we are all equal here.”

That teaching stayed with us. As Deb first thought, ‘Oh sure! You are the great Dalai Lama, spiritual leader to millions. How can we possibly be equal?’ But over the following months I felt his words in the core of my being and experienced the true equality he was referring to: the equality of our shared humanness and, simultaneously, our shared heart.

The Dalai Lama showed us how he treats a waitress – with the consideration and respect that he treats all beings. No matter who we are, whether a street cleaner or a president, we are all here together as one human family.

** special thanks to ed and deb shapiro for this insightful entry.

Post-Testimonial from Matthew Hope

I can't put a price on my recent trip to Norway. Whether I was visiting
museums, communing with nature, or just spending time with my good friend, I was always having an enjoyable time.

None of this, however, would have been possible without the help of well-travelled guru. As a person who lives with a disability, I was dependent on assistance navigating airports, and transitioning from flight to flight. Having an assistant waiting for me the moment I stepped off the plane made me feel safe and secure. Despite my disability and the average busyness of an
airport, I was given the freedom to meet my own needs such as finding an accessible bathroom or locating a place to eat while waiting for the next flight. Both my departure and return trips were as smooth as clockwork.

I would recommend well-travelled guru, without hesitation, to anyone with special needs.

Matthew Hope, once again, is a talented musician who resides in the Twin Cities, MN, United States. Thank you, and we're glad you enjoyed your trip!

where do your charitable donations REALLY go???

As you & I continue to open our pockets for this disaster, that crisis,
or the next whatever catastrophe, please keep these facts in mind: 

 

The American Red Cross

President and CEO - Marsha J. Evans
salary for the year 2010 was $651,957, plus all personal, medical,
& pension expenses.

Less than 10 cents of your donated dollar
actually goes to the cause.

The United Way

President - Brian Gallagher receives a
$375,000 base salary, along with numerous personal & family
expense benefits.

Less than 12 cents of your donated dollar
actually goes to the cause.

UNICEF

CEO - Caryl M. Stern receives

$1.2 Million per year (100k per month)

plus all living & housing expenses, including a ROLLS ROYCE.

Less than 15 cents of your donated dollar
actually goes to the cause.

The Salvation Army

Commissioner - Todd Bassett receives a
salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing)

for managing this $2 billion dollar organization.

96 cents of all donated dollars go to the cause.

Boys & Girls Town

$0.93 of every dollar goes directly to the children.

Father Steven Boes does not draw a salary.

NOW YOU KNOW, SO PLEASE CHOOSE WISELY IN THE FUTURE!

happy 4th of july! we are free from whom, now?

The Boston Tea Party. Bombs bursting in air. The midnight ride of Paul Revere. There are a lot of historical moments for our country tied up in Independence Day, but sadly, for a large number of people, there’s quite a bit of ignorance, too.
Via Think Progress, a new poll out states that over a quarter of those questioned couldn’t name what country the United States Declared Independence from during the American Revolution. Only 74 percent of those asked could actually name Great Britain as the country we fought, with 20 percent saying they were unsure, and 6 percent actually naming a different country. The number of those who couldn’t give the correct answer went up to 32 percent in the south.

Maybe we need year-round school — or at least some year round history classes.

(today's entry compliments of care2 causes)

thank you lilly mae outlaw for this shrewd advice...

there's so much good in the worst of us
and so much bad in the best of us,
that it doesn't behoove any of us,
to talk about the rest of us.
                                      

salsa dancing dog...

if this dog can dance salsa, what's YOUR excuse???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo706x4T2AA

now get out there and try something new, it's time!

love,

the well-travelled guru

just one touch...

kiley had ventured outside her home country only
once in her 18 years. so when she had the chance
to go to Kenya to help with a medical mission, she
was thrilled—and a little uneasy. after all, she didn’t have
any real medical experience.
as she provided basic medical care in a remote
village, she met a woman with elephantiasis. it’s a
horrible but treatable disease caused by parasitic worms.
elephantiasis causes grotesque swelling in the lower half
of the body. prevention includes simply wearing shoes.
but in poverty-stricken Africa, many villagers have little or
no access to such basic needs.

kiley was repulsed by the woman’s distorted leg, but
she proceeded to clean and bandage it. the woman
began crying. startled, kiley asked if she was hurting
her. “no,” she replied. “it’s the first time in 9 years that
anyone has touched my leg.”

in touching a lonely woman’s diseased leg, kiley was imitating fearless,
taboo-breaking love. it was one tiny touch, but it made all the difference.

 what difference will you make today?

(a special thanks to tim gustafson for this beautiful story)