In a book celebrating the interconnection of all life in all times and places, it is hard to know where to start the acknowledgments and where to stop. But there are a few people who contributed so directly to these pages that we want to mention them here.
The family that is Seva Foundation infused the book with its spirit. Through their lives and their work, many of our friends in Seva suggested the themes that the book develops, and many passionate discussions among us opened up the central questions asked here. Paul Gorman, coauthor with Ram Dass of How Can I Help?, was the book’s godfather, blessing it with encouragement, advice, and humor. Dr. T. Stephen Jones of the Centers for Disease Control provided the latest information on AIDS. Sharon Salzberg of Insight Meditation Society, with whom we have done the Buddhist metta meditation for twenty years, shared her insight into the qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, and generosity.
Coming to know the Mayan people of Guatemala, where Seva is working in grass-roots development, has deepened our appreciation of the power of community and the possibility of change in the face of incredible odds. We thank Jahanara Romney for first taking us there; Sunanda Markus, Frank Taylor, and Carsta Neuenroth for bringing their hearts and minds so fully to the work; and Don Vicente Gabriel for embodying the spirit of the campesino.
The many people interviewed for the book helped form the ideas and inspired us with their frontline embodiment of compassionate action. Although not everyone is mentioned by name in the text, every one contributed something; among those who helped in special ways not mentioned elsewhere were Ravi Khanna, Steve Schwartz, Nan Seamans, Willie Brown, Johnnie May Baylis, Frieda Garcia, Marjorie Bayes, and Nancy Schwoyer.
Loving friends and fierce critics—Owen Bush, Rayner Ramirez, Erik Lerner, Dan and Tara Goleman, Jai Lakshman, Sunanda Markus, Peter Heil, Joseph Goldstein, Larry Brilliant, and Kedar Harris—all read parts of the book in early stages and gave honest responses that resulted in helpful revision. Marlene Roeder typed, transcribed, faxed, Fed-Exed, and was always there when we needed her.
And our deepest thanks to E. J. Lynch, who loved us, fed us, and shared his comforting common sense. And to Toinette Lippe, our editor, who encouraged us throughout this project, kept our shoulders to the wheel, and helped us wrap what at times looked like two separate books into a unified whole.