As part of my 60th year in 2025, I set myself six personal challenges, one of which was to complete a 10-day Vipassana meditation course in Pomona. With no talking, no phones, no eye contact, and over 10 hours of meditation each day, I was given a rare opportunity to truly disconnect from the outside world and reconnect with myself.

In that stillness, I reflected deeply on the past 60 years of my life. What emerged was a profound sense of gratitude. Despite what at times felt like significant challenges, including the breakdown of a long-term marriage, I could clearly see that I had lived an incredibly rich and meaningful life.

The Vipassana Centre provides a powerful space for this kind of inner work. In 2025, the Ubuntu Foundation proudly donated $50,000 to support the development of new residential quarters for volunteers, those who quietly sustain this important work. It is an investment in spaces that allow people to reconnect with themselves because, from that place, everything else begins to shift.