Last night I was in Union Square en route to my class at the New School and happened upon a stage set up in the square upon which New York area Buddhist monks were chanting for the friends and families of victims lost to the 9/11 massacre. It was an at once peaceful and poignant moment -- thinking of the lives lost only 49 days ago and thinking of the hopeful monks chanting for their loss. New York City is a very hard place to live in, but there are daily reminders of the humanity and potential for good in each of us.