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Tonight's talk is part two of two part series on how we cultivate a courageous heart, how

we cultivate compassion in the midst of traumatizing times, conflictual times. A few days ago, I was

reading the news and then I went out for a hike by the river and stopped and just kind of meditated

in this overlook and I could see below me the trail along the river and see people, little people

and even smaller dogs and they were geese flying overhead and yeah I could see the curve of the

river from where I was standing, the rocks and it helped give my heart some more space, some more

perspective and I was reminded of the overview effect which many of you I know have heard of with

astronauts viewing earth from space and as one described it and you might just for a moment and

if it helps close your eyes just imagine what it would be like to look through the window of a

spaceship and see that vast space of blackness out there and then seeing first hand the reality

of the earth and space and as one astronomer astronaut described it he said it's immediately

understood to be a tiny fragile ball of life hanging in the void shielded and nourished by a

paper thin atmosphere from space national boundaries vanish the conflicts that divide people become

less important and the need to create a planetary society with a united will to protect this pale

blue dot becomes both obvious and imperative these are the words of Michael Collins and he adds this

he says the thing that really surprised me was that the earth projected an air fragility

and why I don't know I don't know to this day I had a feeling it's tiny it's shiny it's beautiful

it's home and it's fragile I know for me there's something about when I really take that in

you know I can feel I'm full tenderness in my heart it really helps to step away from the

...