Convergence 0 – Week 6: Service

Not yet trial-taught Not yet expert-reviewed

This week: read three short passages slowly, do two acts of help for others without waiting for thanks or a return, and at the end of the week look back over all six weeks.

Measurable goal: two acts of help in the week that expect nothing back.

1. Traditional teaching

Week 2 practised noticing what we have received; Week 3 practised putting ourselves in another's place. The last week of Convergence 0 goes one step further: doing something for others and letting go of waiting for a return. The three traditions below all teach this, but for whom, and why, differ.

Non-dual traditions (Bhagavad Gita): do your part without attachment

[Traditional teaching] The Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue between Krishna, revered in this tradition as an incarnation of God, and the warrior Arjuna before a battle, when Arjuna hesitates to act. Chapter 3 is about action: no one can live without acting, so what matters is the spirit in which one acts.

A note on context: Edwin Arnold translated the Gita as verse and did not number the verses; the lines above correspond to verse 19 of chapter 3. [Inference] "Duty" here is tied to the idea of dharma, which different Hindu schools explain in different ways. "Unattached" means not acting out of desire for results for oneself. A reviewer from this tradition will say how it is commonly read.

Islam: feeding others for Allah, wanting no reward

[Traditional teaching] Chapter 76 of the Qur'an describes the righteous. This tradition teaches that helping the poor is done for Allah, so the giver does not wait for the receiver's thanks or repayment.

A note on context: [Expert judgement] The Arabic phrase in verse 8 is read by commentators in two ways: "for love of Him" (as in Pickthall above) or "despite their own love of the food". Verse 10 goes on to say they do this out of fear of a stern Day from their Lord. The Muslim reviewer will say how it is commonly understood. Pickthall's rendering is one interpretation of the meaning; Muslims generally regard only the Arabic as the Qur'an itself.

Stoicism: like a vine bearing grapes

[Traditional teaching] Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations for himself. This tradition teaches that human beings are made to live together, so doing good to others fits our nature and is not a debt the other person must repay.

A note on context: in the rest of this section, Marcus raises an objection to himself: humans are social beings, so it is natural to know that one is working for the community. [Inference] He does not say we must forget entirely what we have done, only that we should not act in order to be credited.

Where the traditions differ

[Expert judgement] All three teach doing for others without waiting for a return. But they differ on these points:

This week borrows only one shared action: doing one act of help without waiting for a return. You do not need to accept the beliefs of any tradition to do it, and the week should not be read as saying the three traditions are "really the same".

2. What science finds

• [Verified] The 2018 meta-analysis cited in Week 3 (27 experiments, 4,045 people): doing kind acts for others raised the well-being of the person doing them by a small-to-moderate amount (δ = 0.28); the studies were often small. (Curry et al. 2018)
• [Verified] A 2013 review of volunteering found, across 5 cohort studies, that volunteers had a lower risk of death (RR = 0.78; 95% confidence interval 0.66–0.90). This is a correlation: healthier people may find it easier to volunteer. Randomised trials have not shown clear benefit. (Jenkinson et al. 2013)
• [Inference] We have not found any study comparing helping "without waiting for a return" with helping while expecting one.

Limits: these figures are averages across many different studies and do not predict what will happen for any one person. Helping others does not replace treatment if you have a mental health problem.

3. Practice for adults

About 10 minutes a day in total, plus two acts of help in the week.

1. Read slowly (3 minutes). Choose one of the three passages. Read it slowly twice, the second time quietly aloud.
2. Pause (1 minute). As in Week 1: sit still and know the breath going in and out.
3. Look around (3 minutes). Write one line: "Around me, who needs a small thing done?" An elderly neighbour, an overloaded colleague, a tired family member, a local charity.
4. Two acts in the week. Do two acts of help within your means: carrying shopping, cooking a meal, teaching someone something you know, tidying a shared space. Do not mention it to be praised, and do not bring it up to be thanked.
5. Note it (2 minutes, evening). One line: "Today I did ___. Did I wait for something back?" Just notice; no scoring.
6. Look back over six weeks (end of week, 10 minutes). Read your notes from Week 1 to Week 6. For each habit (pausing, gratitude, swapping places, small steady tasks, rest, helping), ask yourself: "Which one do I want to keep?" Choose one or two; there is no need to keep all six.

Note: [Expert judgement] helping does not mean letting others take advantage of you, or giving away money or energy that you and your family need. If you already care for someone who is ill or elderly every day, what you are doing is already service; this week, choose something very light, or accept help from others.

4. Kids' corner 6+

Game: "A good deed for someone at home" (5–10 minutes, with an adult playing too)

1. Adult and child think together: who at home might need help today? Grandparents, parents, brothers or sisters.
2. The child chooses one small thing to do for that person: lining up their shoes, bringing a glass of water, putting away shared toys, handing them a towel.
3. The child does it "in secret", without announcing it.
4. In the evening, the adult asks: "How did you feel when you did it?"

Do not force the child, and do not belittle the deed they choose as too small. Do not reward with food or money. If the child gets bored, stop the game.

daynentang also has a lesson, Secret good deeds (in Vietnamese), for families with children aged 2–8.

5. Stop practising if

• You feel panic, have flashbacks of trauma, have a lasting sense that you or the world are "not real", lose sleep for several nights, or have thoughts of harming yourself.
• Helping others leaves you exhausted, makes you feel guilty for resting, or makes you feel you have no right to say no to anyone.
• If so, stop and see Get help now.
• If you have a history of psychosis, bipolar disorder or severe PTSD, ask a doctor before increasing sitting time beyond 20 minutes.

6. Foundation skills on daynentang

daynentang has a lesson, Việc nhỏ có ý nghĩa (small meaningful tasks), on choosing small things worth doing each day. It is currently in Vietnamese only; your browser's translate option can help.

7. Practice for today

Choose one person you will see tomorrow. Think in advance of one small thing you could do for them without them knowing it was you.

Scientific sources

• Curry OS, et al. (2018). Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 320–329. Article page
• Jenkinson CE, et al. (2013). Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers. BMC Public Health, 13, 773. Article page