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Feb 2, 2012
"What if it all belongs -- everything around you? Just see if you can approach every moment with kindness. Know what that does? That allows you to live in a kind world." --Vinny Ferraro
Vinny Ferraro: The Heartful Dodger
One bitter night, in the rough end of New Haven, fifteen-year-old Vinny Ferraro and his gang were hanging out as usual by the projects when a chance encounter with a homeless man (who they were assaulting) changed the course of the rest of his life. "I didn't know what compassion meant when I was fifteen. But I knew that that homeless guy had seen my heart. And that was scary. I had done my best to hide this heart, because it wasn't safe in my world to be soft or show feelings. And he had seen right through me." It is now Ferraro who looks into angry young eyes and finds a glimpse of compassion. In this candid piece, he shares his remarkable journey from violence and despair to mindfulness and freedom, inspiring thousands of underserved youth to similarly transform their lives.
BE THE CHANGE
When you next experience any traces of anger or despair, reflect on Ferraro's thought: "Do your conditions lead inevitably to suffering? No, they don't. Only a being's perspective leads to suffering."
