What matters to us is what makes us unique. Our preferences, our likes and dislikes, drive us to make choices about what and who we value. Earlier this month Rumi scholar and poet Andrew Harvey joined us for a Sunday morning conversation to talk about his idea of Sacred Activism. Harvey makes a powerful argument about the current state of the world and our power as Americans to influence global change. At that Sunday morning conversation he challenged those present to focus on what breaks their heart.

The state of the world may give us a general dis-ease, may cause an uncomfortable state of anxiety. What unjustice, what circumstance touches you so deeply that it literally breaks your heart whenever you really consider it? For me, it is this heartbreak, tied to our own experience, tied to our own values, that points us to our own call to serve, that points us to the heart of the matter. That which has broken our hearts is what will serve as the fuel to change the world. Come and explore your heartbreak with me.

When we discover something that brings our world alive, the feeling is contagious. It is what the poet Hafiz referred to as catching the "Happy Virus." In his poem by that name; Hafiz talks of catching the happy virus during a night of singing beneath the stars. Knowing he is contagious, Hafiz says, "Kiss me!" He exudes a generosity of spirit that says, I have something so valuable and so infectious that I just want to share it with whomever is willing.

The community of All Souls is sometimes like a fortunate fever that catches us and sets our world on fire. Yet, we too often have an aversion to sharing this contagious kiss. What is it that creates a virus-like phenomenon in a community that spreads beauty and generosity and kindness through our world?