Meditation is only one aspect of the Buddha's path. If our meditation practice doesn't inform our lives—if it's something we only do on retreat, or at a certain time in a certain place—then what's its real value? When we see hunger, poverty, climate refugees, war, and the ongoing effects of racism or structural violence, how do we relate to the pain of that gap between our values and reality? Can we bring tenderness? Can we connect with the longing, that beautiful, wholesome longing underneath the pain for awakening, for all of our hearts to be free and whole. This kind of wise relationship to life informs our powerful response.