Agency takes over when it isn’t enough to simply feel bad about a situation, write a disconsolate tweet, or vaguely note that something should be done.

How do you keep going in your efforts toward change, when immediate success is not in sight, when you’re awfully tired, when you’re frustrated? Do you have a refuge in something bigger than the current circumstance? Where can we connect to something larger than what’s in our immediate experience, larger than the small-minded views the world may be

With the arising of one thing, there is the arising of another thing connected to it, conditioned by it. Nothing in life stands alone.

I believe in the possibility of a world where our interconnection is a deeply known and motivating force, where no one is left out, where the innate dignity of every person is acknowledged, and where hatred and fear and greed can be tempered.

As a habit, certain thought patterns arise that we tend to get lost in, overcome by, defined by, even as we resent or fear them. We can retrain our whole mental attitude by first learning to recognize these patterns and perhaps even calmly naming them:

We bring alive a vision by taking that crucial first step toward making it real—sometimes out of inspiration, sometimes out of outrage, sometimes faltering, and sometimes with resolve. To step forward toward a life of caring and engagement, we challenge our conditioning: the fear, the believing of ourselves or others unworthy, the incorporating of

Equanimity is what frees us from these dynamics; we can learn to be present with emotions without falling into the extremes of overwhelm or denial. Equanimity is the state in which we can recognize an emotion like anger—and even feel its full intensity—but also pay attention to choosing how we will respond to a given feeling, thought, or

When we care, and when we know we are worthy, we can be agents of change—for ourselves and for others.

May I recognize my limits compassionately, just as I recognize the limitations of others.