Happy Soul Food Friday!

“The education of attention would be an education par excellence.” –William James

This week:

In an age of constant information and infinite distractions, how can we pay more attention to our … attention?
What do we pay attention to?
If one definition of altruism is “self-handicapping” then the first story exemplifies the best in humanity, but also tempers it through the societal lens/bias towards migrants all over the world.
The second story revisits “handicaps” and invites us to rethink our limits and possibilities
The set of Ted talks might take a bit more time, but they will “buy” you a lot more quality time right back in your time starved life
The purpose of Memorial Day reminds us to notice and support members of our Armed Services, whatever your political persuasion

Now more than ever, it’s time to set up daily practices to help us get some soul space back!
Focus. Notice. Re-engage.

Paris ‘Spider-Man’ Saves Young Boy. Cue Debate on Migrants:

Do we have intrinsic value as humans or is our value based on contribution to society and should this be a determinant in migrant policy and inclusion decisions?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/28/world/europe/paris-migrant-hero-spiderman.html

Here is the vid if you haven’t seen it yet…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2fGxefFBh4

 

I Want to be the First Wheelchair User in Space:
In his own words, Eddie is “unapologetically brilliant, black, queer and disabled”.
He recently graduated from Oxford, the first African with a disability to do so…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p066pss2

More inspirational outlooks where that came from:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05ydg2t

 

Attention Please
In an age of constant information and infinite distractions, how can we pay more attention to our … attention?
TED speakers explore the battle for our awareness during the digital age.

• How our attention is packaged and sold as a commodity
• Has constant stimulation replaced boredom?
• Can we pay better attention to our attention?
• What is the cost of infinite distractions?
• How can we repair the mistakes of the digital era?

https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/

 

The Purpose of Memorial Day with Brandon P:

Memorial Day Weekend May 25-28, 2018
Letter from the Editor: The Purpose of Memorial Day

The purpose of Memorial Day Weekend is to honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.  Regardless of your politics or knowledge of the veracity of America’s foreign policy, the legitimacy of our leadership, the impact of our military or how the American government treats its veterans, those who served in the Armed Forces, served a purpose AND STILL DO!  They developed themselves as warriors and public servants, many laid down their lives, and all suffered immense physical and psychological hardship to protect America and our ideals abroad.

This weekend I invite you to transcend any judgments you have, reach out to the active duty military and the veterans in your family and community and thank them.  Buy them a beer, comp their meals, share with them what their service means to you and make an offering from the heart, from your purpose, e.g., I donate my time to help them transition out of the military through free purpose workshops for the Marine Corps and Coast Guard, and offer scholarships for active duty and veterans to do my purpose courses.

Enjoy these Memorial Day Weekend reads: “Threads of a New American Identity”, “Are You Impact-Driven or Purpose-Driven” and “Purpose Rips Through Academia” and join us for LIVE and online events to deepen your connection to your purpose.

In service,
Brandon Peele
Editor in Chief, The Purpose Times

 

LEAD STORY: Purpose Rips Through Academia

I had an amazing experience on Tuesday leading 25 Undergraduate and Graduate Stanford students through my work and a powerful purpose exercise. This place is a hot bed of purpose, with Dustin DiPerna, Aneel Chima, Mikey Siegel’s courses on finding purpose and designing for human flourishing, Bill Damon’s Youth Purpose Project, Patrick Cook-Deegan’s Project Wayfinder, Jennifer Aacker’s Purposeful Business Work at the Graduate School of Business.

I also met a staffer running purpose courses for Stanford employees, and a MS Ed student developing purpose/ tribe/ initiation/ mindfulness curriculum for junior high school students.

While Stanford isn’t the only place where the research is happening (http://scienceofpurpose.org), and where this work is taking flight, e.g., Laurie Santos’ work at Yale, Tal Ben-Shahar’s work at Harvard, Martin Seligman’s work at UPenn, Bill Johnson ‘s work at UNC – Greensboro, Ben Nelson’s work at Minerva University, my courses at Cal Berkeley, Aftab Omer’s work at Meridian University and Jonathan Gustin and Susan Mashkes’s work at JFK University, Stanford seems to be ground zero for purpose in academia. This is not surprising given their long standing orientation towards purpose and wholeness of their students (students double major in a science and a liberal art discipline).

Such an amazing experience! So excited for all that is to come!

Thanks this week go to self-handicapping souls that are paying attention everywhere!
Please pay it forward purposefully!
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”.
– Mahatma Gandhi

This week:

 Living the Last 24 Hours of My Life:
In the past 20 hours I have suddenly lost two friends and colleagues on opposite ends of this continent, reminding me that life is precious, finite and fleeting…
How would you spend your last 24 hours?
The second vignette will touch our heart…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUkNmLIMzzo

How to Hire with Company Culture in Mind:
If you are on either end of the interviewing table, these are thoughtful high calorie questions that will garner a deeper insight into what makes you or a prospective new member of your tribe both tick and triumph!
https://www.fastcompany.com/40567005/this-former-netflix-hr-execs-culture-focused-interview-questions

7 Habits of Incredibly Happy People:
It’s the little things that can have an outsized impact…
·         Be busy but not rushed
·         Have 5 close relationships
·         Don’t tie your happiness to external events
·         Exercise
·         Embrace discomfort for mastery
·         Spend more money on experiences v. material goods
·         Don’t ignore your itches
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/374fGJ/:rRG7Ah$2:qPzEfvGP/99u.adobe.com/articles/22557/7-habits-of-incredibly-happy-people

Thanks this week go to Stan S for the first link, and to all members of our global tribe that strive for purpose, positive community/culture and fostering happiness!
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

It is never too late to be what you might have been.
— George Eliot (1819-1880) English Novelist

This week:
Are You a Person who Cares about Freedom and the Truth?

Today journalists and their profession more often than not get a bad rap.
Last week by sheer serendipity I happened to be channel surfing and caught this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner on C-SPAN.
Little did I know it would be so controversial but wit and vim can cut both ways- we just don’t like it when the knife is turned in our direction.

If you are sensitive or incensed by foul language or barbed humor you might want to skip Michelle Wolf’s scathing remarks. (in the 3^rd link below)

But if you value freedom of speech and want to see a courageous display of speaking truth to power and as Colin Powell’s leadership primer states, “leadership sometimes means pissing people off”, then here is a remarkable example of the courage to speak your mind.

Regardless of whether I put wings under your sails or pricked your balloon with this topic, I would invite you to watch the introduction by the President of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Margaret Talev which regrettably got overshadowed by the Michelle Wolf powerful and incendiary remarks.

Margaret reminds us about the role of journalism in a democratic society and when she speaks of her own families travails at the end of her remarks -at the 13 minute mark in the 15 minute opening in the second link-you see the purpose in both her and other’s work to live up to and preserve the legacy of the 1^st amendment.
This alone is worth it!

 

How do you stand the heat and fallout once you’ve stepped onto the ledge?
Terry Gross Interviews Comic Michelle Wolf on the Correspondents’ Dinner:
“I wouldn’t change a single word. I’m very happy with what I said, and I’m glad I stuck to my guns.”
http://freshairnpr.npr.libsynfusion.com/comic-michelle-wolf-on-the-correspondents-dinner

 

WHCA President Margaret Talev addresses the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner:

Margaret reminds us about the role of journalism in a democratic society to and preserve the legacy of the 1^st amendment.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4727103/whca-president-margaret-talev

 

If you are game, put on your seatbelt and brace yourself for
Michelle Wolf COMPLETE REMARKS at 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner (C-SPAN)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDbx1uArVOM

 

Plus… 4 Brain Tattoos by Robin Sharma:

Brain Tattoo #1: No idea works unless you do the work.

–A lot of winning starts with beginning. Ideas are awesome but you absolutely must start the process of acting on the ideas you learn to get the results. Otherwise, it’s all just a fantasy.

Brain Tattoo #2: All change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.

–Often, we start to install a new habit and then quickly retreat at the first sign of discomfort. But please remember that our growth–and mastery–is built around our discomfort, not our ease. –Change is hard at the beginning as you tear away old patterns and ways of being. And then it gets messy as you’ve let go of all you were yesterday for the sake of someone even better tomorrow. But—after 66 days [remember The 66 Day Rule of Habit Installation based on the recent research at University College London], you’ve reached automaticity. And the habit becomes automatic.

Brain Tattoo #3: The finest way to get respect is to give respect.

–It speaks to a beautiful truth: treat people incredibly well and you’ll give them a reason to treat you incredibly well.

Brain Tattoo #4: To have what few have, do what few do.

–To rise to world-class, each of us on this path we’re on must leave the cult of mediocrity and enter The Club Of Mastery. And think, behave and live as very few are willing to do. Yes—the world will then call us eccentric and different. But all progress depends on those of us with the guts to pursue our own paths.

Speak YOUR Truth, Pay it Forward & Love your MOM!
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

It is never too late to be what you might have been.
— George Eliot (1819-1880) English Novelist

Happy Soul Food Friday! May the Fource Be With You…

This week:

If an integral part of fulfilling the American Dream is Upward Mobility then wouldn’t you like to know how we are doing and what we can do to increase it?
Structural racism is part of many country’s history and the US is no exception.
Know thy history and then seek ways to create a more equitable and just world for all!

 

Did you know…

In America in 1940 your likelihood of having a better quality of life than your parents- measured in upward mobility- was 90%
In 1980 just 40 years later this dropped to 50% -basically a coin toss
Most recent data from 2016 indicates it is down to 7.5%!
Statistically, this means less than 10% of Americans living today, will have a better quality of life than their parents.

Is this the future you want to leave for your kids and theirs?
What will it take to reverse this trend for future generations?

This week we get a glimpse into the caste system from South Asia, and ways to realign our livelihood, values as well as the promise and possibility of education to advance upward mobility in the US.

1. Recognize structural racism and historical realities that we carry forward by default or design…

When Caste Discrimination Comes to the United States- Equality Labs Commissions Caste Survey for South Asians in the US:
At over three thousand years old, caste hierarchy is one of the oldest forms of social stratification in the world: the community you’re born into in places like India, Pakistan and Nepal has designated where you can work, who you can marry, and what your reputation is in life. “Caste in the United States,” finds that caste discrimination is playing out in the United States as well…
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/04/25/605030018/when-caste-discrimination-comes-to-the-united-states

2. Cultivate 21^st century leadership skills

How to be a Conscious Leader- Cultivate Wisdom, Love & Courage:
A conscious leader organizes and influences people to achieve meaningful results, but with a particular spirit and mode of conduct.
You’ve got to love it when the Wisdom Traditions and Neuroscience intersect!
This article is especially poignant as both the author Eric and the featured conscious leader Matt are dear friends of mine…
https://consciouscompanymedia.com/personal-development/leadership/how-to-be-a-conscious-leader-cultivate-wisdom-love-and-courage/

3. Reinvest in the power and promise of education

Why Bill and Melinda Gates Invested $1B to Put 20,000 Students Through College:
America, built on the dream of upward mobility, has become a country of deepening divide between rich and poor. The surest way to narrow the wealth gap is to earn a college degree. Now major universities like Princeton are working to lower the price of admission through a new kind of affirmative action, not based on race, but on low-income status.
It began with two of America’s wealthiest parents, Bill and Melinda Gates. They spent more than a billion dollars putting low-income minority students through college
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/college-tuition-why-bill-and-melinda-gates-put-20000-students-through-college/

4. Reimagine the nature of work, and work with nature not against it

Responding to Changing Circumstances and Aligning One’s Passion and Purpose with a Sustainable Alternative:
Turning to the Sea as a New Frontier When Over-Fishing is No Longer an Option…
Increasing numbers of fishermen, scientists, and foodies in this country are starting to look at seaweed very differently — as a promising source of food, jobs and help cleaning ocean waters.
With rising global populations and limited space to expand agriculture on land, they are turning to the sea — and its “weeds” — as a new frontier…
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/seaweed-farming-and-its-surprising-benefits/

5. Stay in the positive and be the change you want to see

“See the Change You Want to Be in the World
Be the Change You Want to See in the World”

 

If you are local:

30 Minutes to Amplify Greatness!

It only takes 30 minutes to honor a person or organization that has done so much for our community. Step up and be a part of National Philanthropy Day!  Nominate for the following categories:

Outstanding Philanthropist Outstanding Development Professional Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation Outstanding Grantmaking Organization Outstanding Organizational Volunteer Outstanding Fundraising Volunteer Outstanding Youth/Student Volunteer

Be a Part of Philanthropy in San Diego
(Enjoy this short Sizzle Video)

 

Thanks this week go to Eric K, AFP, and warriors for social justice everywhere that extend themselves in love and kindness and choose to serve as change-makers for a better society!

Please pay it forward with purpose
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ~ Buddha

This week:

7 things we’ve learned about Earth since the last Earth Day:

Our understanding of Earth — and how we’re changing it — just keeps expanding…

• The plastic problem is even worse than we thought
• We lost the last male northern white rhino
• A few species have bounced back. And we discovered some brand new ones
• Greenland’s ice is melting faster than we realized
• Seagrass is re-growing in the Chesapeake Bay. And humans can take credit
• We’re woefully unprepared for disasters. And we aren’t learning enough from them
• We’re getting closer to finding another Earth out there

We’re stuck with this planet, so let’s take care of it while we have the good fortune to be here.

https://www.vox.com/2018/4/21/17247994/earth-day-2018-plastic-climate-change

You Say Goodbye & I Say Hello..
(Wish) You Are Here: Scientists Unveil Precise Map Of More Than A Billion Stars
Wednesday this week was the day astronomers said goodbye to the old Milky Way they had known and loved and hello to a new view of our home galaxy.
This scientific breakthrough will give you perspective on how tiny and insignificant we are in the cosmic scheme of things…
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/25/605622779/you-are-here-scientists-unveil-precise-map-of-more-than-a-billion-stars

The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Invent It!
Making Ideas Into Reality at MIT’s Future Factory:
Back in the 1980’s a laboratory of misfits foresaw our future. Touch screens, automated driving instructions, wearable technology and electronic ink were all developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a place they call the Media Lab. It’s a research lab and graduate school program that long ago outgrew its name. Today it’s creating technologies to grow food in the desert, control our dreams and connect the human brain to the internet. Come have a look at what we found in a place you could call– the Future Factory.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mit-media-lab-making-ideas-into-reality-future-factory/

Where un-seeable forces control human behavior and shape our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions
The Callout from Invisibilia:

A lot of communities today are taking a hard stand against sexual harassment and assault. Using social media shaming, ostracism, professional excommunication, whatever punishment is painful enough to shift the moral code by brute force. Through one incident in the Richmond Virginia hardcore music scene, we chronicle a social media callout and ask what pain can accomplish. CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains obscenities and descriptions of sex and violence.

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510307/invisibilia

 

Protect Mother Earth, Keep Expanding Your Universal View & Invent a Better Future While Being Mindful of Invisibilia

Thanks this week go to all stewards of our blue planet and creators of better!

Please pay it forward with purpose…
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“Heaven on Earth is a choice you must make, not a place we must find.”
–Wayne Dyer

This week:

The Old Story by Kurt C:

The Old Story is safe and warm and comfortable

Like a broken in slipper

Like a fur lined envelope

It encases me

But………

It’s a story

It’s pretend

It’s a tall tale

It’s a trump tweet

Untrue

False

A pretense

And far too small

And one day you wake up in its embrace

And you look more closely at your surroundings

And you notice the frayed edges

The dirty dishes in the sink

The grime on the sill

And you know it is time

To toss out the comfortable shoe

To unseal the envelope

To step outside the old story

Into the penetrating cold of the unknown

The biting wind of the vast expanse

Where you must now find your way

Naked

Unadorned

Tabula rasa

Enjoy…

 

The Power of Persistence (and Teamwork)- First US Woman to Win the Boston Marathon:
What is especially cool about this is that Des (a San Diegan btw) was ready to quit, decided just to support a fellow US runner, slowed up to run her back into the pack after a bio break and found the internal drive and gumption to not just finish but win!
Read the story here and never, never give up…
https://www.npr.org/2018/04/17/603189901/runner-tells-herself-just-show-up-for-one-more-mile-and-wins-the-boston-marathon

Seven Alternatives To ‘Thank You’ That Will Improve Your Communication Skills:
Basic kindness has real power. For example, in an NBC Season of Kindness Poll, 70% of the 2,650 adults surveyed said they would forgo a 10% raise for a kinder boss. In most areas of life, gratitude is always welcome and a requisite for getting things done smoothly.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2018/04/12/seven-alternatives-to-thank-you-that-will-improve-your-communication-skills/#181bc5912c9d

As many of you know, we have been working to stand up the first Chamber of Purpose right here in San Diego. Learn more and join us at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/chamberofpurposesd/

The inspiration for this shift in how we work and generate value in our community is getting traction in other places too…

The Power of Purpose Summit 2018:
There’s a Fundamental Shift Taking Place
An immense shift is underway across the country and around the world. We are in the midst of a revolution and the sheer scope of this phenomenon is the likes of which the world has never seen or experienced. Today, nonprofits are finding it harder than ever to generate revenue and monetize their purpose, and at the same time for-profits are watching their profit margins shrink and struggle with acquiring customers. Societal challenges are massive, and both new and established for-profit businesses are facing challenges of their own.
But is there a solution? There is, and we believe we’ve found it! You must strike a balance between “nonprofit” and “for-profit”.
Introducing The Power Summit!
http://www.thepowersummit2018.com/

 

If you are local…

A Purpose Workshop Designed with You in Mind – May 1^st 2018

Dear Purposeful Professional,

We’re excited to host our next PURPOSE San Diego evening event on Tuesday the 1st of May, from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at Corporate Alliance.  The focus of each meeting will be on you, the participant.  You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other business leaders to use your collective business skills to improve the lives of others. 

Please join us for an amazing workshop to help everyone on their purpose journey find more clarity. Whether you are just starting to seek your purpose or you want to fine tune your path to connect your purpose and career, industry expert Marcy Morrison, founder of Careers with Wings will lead us through this process.

Marcy has held workshops, trainings, and speaking engagements for all types of organizations, such as Illumina, National Charity League, Society of Women Engineers, Just in Time for Foster Youth, Workforce Partnership, Lead San Diego, Jaycees, and many others.

Her fascinating career path ranges from international business, development, sales, marketing in the non-profit, governmental and for-profit sectors has given her a wide-range of understanding when working with a diversity of clients.  To learn more about Marcy and the many wonderful things she has contributed to our community, click here.

REGISTER HERE to be part of this interactive workshop.

Purpose San Diego is focused on three main initiatives:

1. Bringing together those in San Diego who are effecting change
2. Bringing more awareness to these people and organizations
3. Helping individuals and companies doing good be more effective in their initiatives.

If you’re a purpose driven business leader then Purpose San Diego and it’s partner the Chamber of Purpose is the place for you!  We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday the 1st of May at Corporate Alliance.  We would also like to thank our sponsor, Trilogy Financial, as well as our strategic partners, San Diego Non-Profit Association,  GameChangers,  Hudson Printing,  Corporate Alliance,  UC San Diego Extension, and the SD Business Journal.

To a life well lived,

The Purpose San Diego Team

RESERVE YOUR TICKETS

 

Thanks this week go to Jessica R, Kurt C, Marcy M, & purpose partners everywhere!
Please pay it forward…
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“Love is misunderstood to be an emotion; actually, it is a state of awareness, a way of being in the world, a way of seeing oneself and others.”

–Dr. David Hawkins

This week:

The Key to Authentic Engagement: Purpose Metrics that Matter:

• Do your top leaders believe in the power of purpose as much as profit?

 

• Do employees feel that the company is living its purpose?
• Are your employees finding meaning and higher purpose at work?
• Does your purpose align with what matters most to your customers?
• Measure the impact of the good you are doing

https://bit.ly/2EGLR3d

DARE to bring purpose to your workday:
https://www.beaboccalandro.com/dare-to-bring-purpose-to-your-workday/

 

If you are local:
Jump On the Bus!
You’re Invited to Participate in the 2018 Community Partner Symposium- April 17 2018 (Encinitas CA)

Encinitas Union School District would like to invite you to participate in their 2018 Community Partners Symposium on Tuesday April 17, 2018.
This is a wonderful opportunity for all of you to experience what real elementary school looks like today!
Students will be learning, teachers will be teaching, and you can observe the future of education in action.

This year you will get to “JUMP ON THE BUS!”
Yes, we are all going to jump onto a bus a tour a couple of our schools while they are in session.
It will be a great opportunity to generate ideas and actions that could change the world.

Want to go?
Click on this link and fill out the online form to let us know you are good to go!http://bit.ly/EUSDSymposium

Details:
BOARD THE TOUR BUS at San Dieguito Heritage Museum
450 Quail Gardens Dr., Encinitas CA 92024

Please arrive by  9:15am so you can park and board the BUS!
The BUS will leave at 9:30am and will return by 1:00pm.

School Tours Include:
*   El Camino Creek
*   Olivenhain Pioneer
*   Ocean Knoll,
*   Farm Lab

Lunch will be provided, and it is all FREE!

It is our hope that you will be able to come and experience learning through the students eyes, and lend your vision to the conversation about the bright future of learning and education.

Any questions or ideas please contact:
Glen Warren
760-944-4300  x1188

 

Community Alliance for Youth Success Features Youth Success Week- Discover Your Purpose April 23-28, 2018 (Oceanside CA)
Discover Your Purpose. Showcase Your Success
YouthSuccessWeek2018_4_9_18

 

Thanks this week go to Jill Mc and Kids for Peace, Bea B, Jeff V, John I, Glen W and the team at Encinitas Union & Bobbi D and Steadman G and the team at CAYS

Please pay it forward with purpose!
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela

This week:

Did you know that April is Celebrate Diversity Month?
Started in 2004 to recognize and honor the diversity surrounding us all,  April is a perfect time to celebrate differences and similarities so we can all have a deeper understanding of each other, made especially poignant this week on the 50^th anniversary of the passing, when we remember and pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr …

Bridging the Middle East Conflict with Music:
At 75, he’s still at it and he’s embarked on a second act: starting his own orchestra for young musicians from Israel and the Muslim world and taking on a subject that’s as contentious as it gets: the conflict in the Middle East. His work has earned him Palestinian citizenship and charges of treachery from some of his fellow Israelis.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/daniel-barenboim-tries-bridging-the-middle-east-conflict-with-music/

More on Barenboim…

At a concert last August in Berlin, the audience was German, the music was Russian, and the musicians were inspiring: a mix that included Iranians, Syrians, Palestinians and Israelis. They’re members of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, co-founded and led by conductor Daniel Barenboim. This week on 60 Minutes, correspondent Holly Williams profiles Barenboim and his remarkable orchestra.

Some musicians, like one Syrian violinist 60 Minutes spoke to, are living in exile as war rages at home. Others risk punishment from their governments for performing with Israelis. But when they take the stage together, political differences surrender to something of a musical utopia.

“There is a tragic element in music, in all music, even in the happiest music,” he said, “because it always gives you the feeling…that it cannot stay, because the sound dies when the note is finished.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/when-60-minutes-first-met-daniel-barenboim/

On a lighter note…

Role Reversal- Novak Djokovic Shelters Ball Boy From Rain During French Open:
Although Novak has not had the most exemplary behavior treating ball girls/boys, this video captures a pretty cool moment. How different could things be if all of us were to take care of each other regardless of position, status, etc., in our society and work micro-cosmos.
https://youtu.be/RBWxj866LOk

 

If you are local…

SAN DIEGO TALENT SEARCH
YoungPop is an award-winning organization that blends pop-style music with empowering lyrics. We are seeking local talent for a variety of needs, including: Singing Vocals, VoiceOver Vocals, Video (on-camera) work, Live Performances & Presentations (various venues). Pay varies per assignment. To apply contact David: 619-732-6639 and please visit YoungPop.com for more info.

 

San Diego Hands of Peace- HOPEducation Community Partnership ADL Walk Against Hate April 15, 2018:

HOPEducation Community Partnership
ADL Walk Against Hate
April 15, 2018
8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Ingram Plaza at Liberty Station, San Diego, CA

Join Hands of Peace as we partner with the Anti-Defamation League for their Walk Against Hate. The Walk Against Hate brings together students, educators, administrators, business leaders, and community members to walk with one another in celebration of diversity and inclusion. Proceeds from the WALK will go to bringing ADL’s award-winning anti-bias education programs to more schools across San Diego. To join the Hands of Peace team, sign up here. For questions about the walk contact Sarah Heirendt.  Come walk with us!

Be sure to stop by the Hands of Peace Booth after the walk!

For more information about these events, contact Sarah Heirendt
or visit our website at www.handsofpeace.org.

 

Thanks this week go to Jessica R, Vincente R, and R-tists of Life Everywhere Who Speak Truth to Power!

Please Pay it Forward
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve…
You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
– Dr. Martin Luther King

This week:

I am an immigrant. Foreign born but a naturalized citizen.

Like most of us, unless you are of native American descent, we all came from somewhere else whether in this generation or hundreds of years ago.

At 14, along with my family, we came to the United States for a better life as part of a “brain drain” with just one suitcase each and started life over from scratch…

My father practiced medicine for 50 years and might have had a role in your or your family’s medical care.

My mom was willing to forgo her career to raise and support our family.

They made huge sacrifices and took great risk for a “better life”.

Personalizing this for a moment, for more than 36 years I have been serving our community investing my time, talent and treasure in various roles both in the world of work and a-vocationally.

Did we like others migrating to the US come for a free ride to extract value and live off the fat of the land, or did we add value and help make our community, our country and our world better?

Today the level of mass globalization is unprecedented!

Our story, like others is not yet completed and the future is yet unwritten.

What can we learn about migration, happiness, changing demographics, what it is like to be a stateless foreigner and even extinction?

Finland is the happiest country in the world, says UN report:
All the Nordic countries scored highly on income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust and generosity as compared to the steady decline of the US as the world’s largest economy grapples with a crisis of obesity, substance abuse and depression. The study reveals the US has slipped to 18th place, five places down compared to 2016…https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/14/finland-happiest-country-world-un-report

The World Happiness Report 2018:
Increasingly, with globalization, the people of the world are on the move; and most of these migrants are seeking a happier life. But do they achieve it?
That is the central issue considered in this 2018 World Happiness Report exploring:

• Happiness and Migration.
• International Migration and World Happiness.
• Do International Migrants Increase Their Happiness and That of Their Families by Migrating?
• Rural-Urban Migration and Happiness in China.
• Happiness and International Migration in Latin America.
• Happiness in Latin America Has Social Foundations.
• America’s Health Crisis and the Easterlin Paradox.
• Migrant Acceptance Index: Do Migrants Have Better Lives in Countries That Accept Them?

https://s3.amazonaws.com/happiness-report/2018/WHR_web.pdf

The Death of the Last Male Northern White Rhino, and Our Guilt:
The 6^th Extinction and our responsibility for it as it happens right before our very eyes…
It is not just our species being impacted!
https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/death-northern-white-rhino-and-our-guilt/

One Man’s Youth As A ‘Stateless Foreigner’ In Japan During World War II:
What is it like to be a stateless foreigner?
He was the son of Russian Jewish musicians who fled persecution during the Bolshevik Revolution, then moved around the world as Adolf Hitler began his rise — from Germany to France and, in 1931, to Japan, where Shapiro was born. His mother made a side trip to China where she’d partly grown up. Then World War II loomed, which would play a key role in his life, as would music and his Jewish roots.
http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/03/22/isaac-shapiro-japan-world-war-ii

Community Engagement Radio Interview with Yours Truly:
Here is a radio interview that ran on KyXy Radio highlighting some of our work in the community as we strive to create a better world for all of us.
https://youtu.be/_uCMR1APtHA

 

Mission Fed Community Moments

This new edition of Mission Possible is filled with the people and programs that are part of Mission Fed’s community engagement.

Thank you for your membership, trust and loyalty!

Love Your Heart Throughout the months of January and February, Mission Fed was proud to support the fight against the number one health threat to women: heart disease. As part of our partnership with CBS 8 on their 8’s Go Red for Women, a project benefiting the American Heart Association San Diego Division, and our collaboration with radio and television media partners, the support of our members, staff and online donations, we raised over $20,000! Go Red’s message is that when we all join together, we can touch hearts, save lives and make a real difference in the battle against heart disease and stroke. You, too, can help prevent heart disease by learning your family history, understanding the risk factors and empowering yourself and your loved ones to live healthier lives. Read the complete newsletter to find out more!

Dedicated to Public Education This February, the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), the largest professional association for education leaders in the nation, awarded Mission Fed the Partners in Educational Excellence Award for our exemplary school and community partnership programs. The award recognizes the collaboration with administrators and support of educational programs throughout the Poway Unified School District (PUSD). ACSA serves more than 17,000 California educators and Mission Fed values their dedication to public education.

These Community Moments are just some of the ways that we support and give back to the local San Diego community—and your continued membership makes that Mission Possible!

 

Thanks this week go to my parents for having the courage to start over, human rights advocates who are willing to speak truth to power, concerned global citizens  and community activists that purposefully value people and planet not just profits.

Please pay it forward!
Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
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“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela